Avon, Indiana Train Wreck

November 28, 1902

3 PERSONS SERIOUSLY HURT

A Dozen or More Slightly Injured.

Sleeper Goes Down Embankment -- Nobody Hurt in Second Wreck.

Indianapolis, November 28 --- Passenger train No. 43, the St. Louis flyer on the Big Four road was wrecked at 1:30 o'clock this morning on a high embankment, a half mile west of Avon, Hendricks County, just across the line from Merion County, and six miles east of Danville. Three passengers were seriously injured and a dozen or more were slightly hurt, but none fatally.

After the accident a new train was made up and the run to St. Louis was resumed. The train was running at a high rate of speed, thirty-five miles beyond the scene of the first wreck, when it ran into an open switch at Carbon. The engineer saw the danger, but was running too fast to stop. The front trucks of the engine left the tracks and another delay was caused. Nobody was hurt in the second wreck and little damage was done.

The train was running at high speed when the first accident occurred and struck a broken rail. The engine and two mail cars passed over it safely, but the other cars left the track.

The New York sleeper on the rear end rolled over twice and down the embankment of twenty-five feet, landing bottom side up. It contained three passengers, the porter and the conductor. The sleeper next to it was from Cleveland. In it were eleven passengers. This car turned completely over, but remained at the top of the embankment. The imprisoned passengers got out by breaking one of the windows and all escaped with slight injuries.

The next sleeper broke down at the forward end and stood across the track. No one in this car was hurt. The two forward cars next to the mail cars, left the track, but did not turn over.

A telephone on an adjoining farm was used to call for help. Danville was notified first and every available surgeon in the town was sent at once to the wreck. At the same time Indianapolis was notified and a special train with a wrecking crew was made up as hastily as possible.

At 5 o'clock this morning the train had been searched and all the passengers had been accounted for. They were put into the mail cars and taken to Danville. Arrangements were at once made to take them on west as all were able to travel.

A partial list of the injured is as follows:
MRS. ANNA ENGLEHART, Middleport, O., terribly cut about the head; injuries may be fatal;
MRS. STEPHEN ENGLEHART, Middleport, O., seriously cut about the head and bruised on the body.
IRA L. KLEIN, Cleveland, face badly bruised.
OTTO GRESHAM, Chicago, son of the late WALTER Q. GRESHAM, shoulders sprained.
C. W. WOOD, Los Canos, Cal., head injured.
G. BRAND, Norfolk, Va., slightly injured.
J. C. HARRIS, St. Louis, porter Pullman car Formosa, badly bruised.
GEORGE C. DOAN, St. Louis, conductor Pullman car Formosa, hips and back badly injured.
SAMUEL ELLIS, Jersey City, N. J., porter Pullman car Otho, arms sprained and hand mashed.
The others were only slightly injured.

Brooklyn Eagle New York City 1902-11-28

Submitted & transcribed by Stu Beitler  Thank you, Stu!

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