lornajarrettblanchard

— 14  Appletons’ Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events…1891. 1892, p. 256.^[1]

—   6  Hurley, George and Suzanne. “Shipwreck of the Red Wing at Indian River Inlet…1891.”

—   6  U.S. Life-Saving Service. Annual Report of the Operations of the… p. 52.

Narrative Information

US Life-Saving Service: “…the Red Wing, of Norfolk, Virginia, a small fishing schooner of about twenty-eight tons…stranded and went to pieces on the coast of Delaware, about three and a half miles south of the Indian River Inlet Station (Fifth District) on the night of October 22, 1891. The Red Wing was an old craft, build in Noank, Connecticut, in 1860. A heavy gale was blowing from the north and there was a terrible sea. The vessel was utterly destroyed, and her crew of six men lost very soon after she struck the bar, and long before it was possible for aid to arrive from the life-saving station. The condition of the bodies of the crew when recovered from the surf leaves no room for doubt that they were killed before the least chance was afforded them to save themselves by swimming, one man being found with his neck broken, another with broken legs, and all more or less battered and bruised to an extent sufficient to lead the local State medical officer, who examined the corpses, to declare at the inquest that in his opinion death was not caused by drowning, but by the injuries received. The following is from the report of the officer detailed to investigate the sad affair:

 

The night was a wild one, and the wind, which had suddenly come out from the northeast, at about 3 p.m. backed to north-northwest; the weather turned cold and quite thick, and there was a very heavy sea running. At about 7:30 P.M. the south patrol of the Indian River Inlet Station, having struck his patrol clock at the key post on the north side of the inlet, turned to make the return trip. His course then lay directly to windward, and the fierce gale blew the rain and sand in his face, so that he was nearly blinded, and was compelled to walk backwards. While thus slowly making his way up the beach and watching the seaward outlook, he saw the flare-up of a torch far to the southward. Shortly afterwards the light was again seen, and, judging from its direction that it was on some vessel in distress, he ran to a little elevation on the beach and fired his Coston signal to let the people know they were seen, and also to alarm the station. Taking the bearings by the run of the coast, he located the light as near the Cotton Patch Hill, a notable landmark three miles south of Indian River Inlet.

He then hastened to the station, and found upon his arrival that the vessel’s light and his own signal had been seen and the men were hurriedly making ready for a start with the life-saving apparatus. Rockets were also thrown up to recall the north patrol and as a signal to the wreck. Indian River Inlet, now swollen to several times its usual width, with numerous sand bars and alternate deep gullies, had to be crossed to reach the stretch of beach where the vessel lay, and the problem of how to get there was promptly met by Surfman John H. Long (No. 1), who was in charge in the keeper’s necessary absence on business,^[2] by deciding to put the beach apparatus into the surf boat and row down inside to a cove which makes in just north of Cotton Patch Hill, where the beach is but a few hundred yards wide, and where a team could be procured from any of the farmers of the locality to assist in hauling the needed equipments to the wreck.

 

To do this in the face of the gale and flying sand and rain was a hard and tedious task, as the storm tide was up over the meadows and covered the little drains that abound in the marshes which fringe the shores of the bay. Two trips had to be made to the shore of the bay, first with the heavy surfboat^[3] on its carriage a half mile or more through mud and water, and then with the beach cart with all its gear.^[4] The latter had then to be put into the boat and the cart unrigged and stowed in also. The crew, wearied with all this work, had then to row the boat to windward in the teeth of the gale for about half a mile more before they could keep off before it and run for the desired landing place three miles to leeward. In spite of their utmost efforts the wind and the strong tide which pours out through Little Ditch, the channel leading to the broad expanse of Indian River, would not permit them to make much headway. The water also was flying over the boat in such volume as to necessitate constant bailing, and as much precious time was fleeting away it was decided to pull directly across th inlet, land wherever they could, and endeavor to cross the marsh and go down the beach that way to the assistance of the wrecked crew. Upon reaching the opposite side of the inlet a part of the crew were directed to get the cart and apparatus out of the boat and put everything in readiness for service, while the acting keeper and others ran across the beach to the edge of the surf to ascertain whether the light on the stranded vessel was still in sight. No light, however, was to be seen, nor was there any sign of the vessel.

 

Long and his companions, therefore, continued on down the beach, keeping  sharp watch, as they ran, for the vessel or any signs of wreckage. A dark object was at last found in the edge of the surf some two miles below the place where they landed. Closer examination between seas revealed a shapeless mass of spars, rigging, sails, and timbers, evidently the wreck of a small vessel bottom up, the sails and rigging being wrapped about the hull as though she had been rolled over and over through the surf and flung bottom up with all her belongings onto the shore. Immediate search was made with the aid of patrol lanterns for the crew, but there was no trace of them about the wreckage, which strewed the shore south of the wreck. The search was continued until daybreak, both along the shore and back among the sand dunes, when at last one body was found rolling in the swash of the surf. The broken neck of the corpse bore silent testimony of the terrible work of the preceding night. Another corpse found farther on with both legs broken gave similar token of the sudden and speedy destruction of the vessel. An unoccupied house was found, and the bodies were put into it as they were recovered on the beach at distances varying from one to six miles from the wreck, until six bodies lay cold and stiff in this extemporized morgue with nothing whatever about them to tell their names or the story of that wild night, although every one showed injuries sufficient to cause death, with none of the indications of drowning.

 

“The bodies were turned over to the coroner for inquest, and, after being carefully prepared for burial in clothing from the supply placed at the station by the Women’s National Relief Association, they were decently interred, at the expense of the local authorities, at sundown of October 27 in the burial ground of the little Presbyterian church at Ocean View, Delaware. One of the bodies was identified as that of the master, John Johnson, of Swedish birth, a resident of Seabright, New Jersey, and another as that of Francis Mullen, also a resident of that place. The others were apparently Swedes, but their names could not be learned.

 

The Red Wing was owned by William Baulch, residing at Fort Monroe, Virginia, from whom a letter of thanks for their efforts was received by the crew of the station. She was employed blue fishing and in trading to New York, and left the Delaware Breakwater on October 21 for the fishing banks off Cape Henlopen. She was seen by the Delaware pilot-boat Wm. W. Ker at noon on the day of the wreck and four hours later by the pilot-boat Henry Cope, just after the gale came on. At sunset she was seen crossing the Hen and Chickens shoal, and when abreast of the Cape Henlopen Station, running south, was reefing her mainsail and went out of sight down the beach in good shape. At 6:30 P.M. she was warned of her close proximity to the shore by the patrol of the Rehoboth Beach Station flashing his Coston light, and was again similarly warned by the north patrol of the Indian River Inlet Station at about a quarter before 7 o’clock. The next we see of her is the ‘flare-up’ of a torch, and for awhile after a light to the south, then the wreck, and the dead crew.

 

I think the vessel started to reach the shelter of the breakwater while the wind was southeasterly, and when, after it struck out northeast, then backed to north-northwest and increased to a furious gale, the sailors found they could not beat in past the Capes, they lowered the mainsail and kept off to run down the beach for shelter under Fenwick Island, where the coast trends to th westward and makes a little lee in northerly winds. Their action in ‘skimming the beach’ and paying no heed to the warning signals shows that they felt well acquainted with the coast. After passing Indian River there are shoals off shore, and they probably struck one of them, and before they knew it the vessel began to fill. The discovery of this was probably when they burned the torch seen by the patrolman and from the station. As a last resort they put her on the beach and climbed the rigging, taking the cabin lantern with them. The vessel, unable to withstand the pounding of the surf, speedily broke up and rolled over and over, which accounts for the killing of the crew.

 

After a careful inquiry into all the circumstances surrounding this most deplorable wreck, I am convinced that every member of the crew of the Indian River Inlet Station did his full duty. The acting keeper exercised good judgment in the means he took, and all possible haste was made in going to the scene of the wreck. The evidence shows that they arrived there at about 11 o’clock. This is corroborated by a Mrs. Hetty Somers, who lives about one and a half miles south of the place of the wreck, by her statement that Surfman Long came to her house at a little before midnight in inquire whether any of the people had found their way there. I made the trip, riding to the inlet, crossing it, and walking down the beach on the other side, in one hour and fifteen minutes. They made it on a dark, stormy night in two hours, and had to fight wind and tide in getting the loaded boat out of the creek at the back of the station. That the only course offering a chance of success was taken by the crew is the opinion of all with whom I have talked, including Keepers Salmons and Truston of the adjacent stations. Had the schooner held together, this plan would likely have resulted in a rescue, but before the station men could effect a landing on the south beach I think it was all over with the vessel and her crew. (pp. 21-24)

 

(United States Life-Saving Service. Annual Report of the Operations of the United States Life-Saving Service for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1892. Washington: GPO, 1893.)

 

Sources

 

Appletons’ Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1891 (Vol. 16, new series). “Disasters in 1891.” NY: D. Appleton and Co., 1892. Google digitized at: http://books.google.com/books?id=FUcoAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Hurley, George and Suzanne. “Shipwreck of the Red Wing at Indian River Inlet, Delaware, 1891.” The Times & Tides of Ocean City, Maryland. Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum, Ocean City Museum Society Inc. Accessed 12-9-2013 at: http://www.ocmuseum.org/index.php/site/shipwrecks_article/shipwreck_of_the_red_wing

 

United States Life-Saving Service. Annual Report of the Operations of the United States Life-Saving Service for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1892. Washington: GPO, 1893. Google digitized: http://books.google.com/books?id=ZYtIAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

 

 

 

 

[1] We can not account for the large discrepancy in lives lost between Appletons and the U.S. Life Saving Service.

[2] Keeper Washington A. Vickers. (Hurley and Hurley.)

[3] 3,000 pounds, according to Hurley and Hurley.

[4] Another 1,000 pounds, including a Lyle gun, used to shoot a line to off-shore vessels, according to the Hurley’s.

—>13  Blanchard estimate — 13 named fatalities and note that a survivor was expected to die.

—  13  The News, Frederick, MD. “More Victims of Newark’s Bomb.” 10-2-1891, p. 1.^[1]

—  12  Waterloo Daily Courier, IA. “Twelve Were Killed.” 9-28-1891, p. 2.

—  11  Appletons’ Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of…1891. 1892, p. 256.

—  11  Boston Daily Globe, MA. “Eleven People Killed.” 8-26-1891, p. 4.

—  11  Davenport Morning Tribune, IA. “Killed Eleven People….Newark…” 9-27-1891, p. 1.

—  11  The Friend. “Summary of Events,” Vol. 65, No. 1010-7-1891, p. 80.

—    4  Daily Ledger, New Albany, IN. “Cannon Explodes.” 9-25-1891, p. 8.

Narrative Information

Sep 25: “Newark, N.J., Sept. 25. – Four Italians were killed and twenty injured last night by the explosion of an improvised cannon. The Italian quarter was decorated with Italian flags and streamers…in honor of St. Roca’s [Rocco] day. A number of fireworks were also exploded. Among the latter was a piece of gas pipe filled with dynamite, which was fired at about 10:30 o’clock, and before the detonation had died away the air was filled with shrieks. Cries of pain from nearly thirty people, who had been injured by the explosion of the gas pipe.

 

“Word was sent to the different police stations for help, and four patrol wagons were sent to the scene. The injured were taken to the different hospitals. Four persons are known by the police to have been killed by the explosion. Their bodies were terribly mangled and they are scarcely recognizable. Their names are:

 

Michael O’Neill,

a twelve-year-old boy named Carin,

a thirteen-year-old boy named Murray, and

Harris Buckmann, about twenty-two years old.

 

“Seventeen injured Italians are at the hospital, some of whom are certain to die. The police believe that many wounded persons and possibly some of the dead were removed by friends to their homes from the scene of the explosion.”  (Daily Ledger, New Albany, IN. “Cannon Explodes.” 9-25-1891, p. 8.)

 

Sep 25: “Newark, N.J., Sept. 25. – Eleven people are dead and 30 wounded as the result of the mortar explosion at the Italian celebration last night. The Italian colony resident in the neighborhood of Boyden and Nassau sts. had for several days been preparing for the celebration of the feast of St. Rocco. Alfonso Illario, a saloon-keeper, who, on account of his wealth, is known as ‘King’ Alfonso, was the chief mover in the arrangements.

 

“A platform for musicians was erected in the street, next door to the saloon. A statue of St. Rocco was next to the platform. The houses were decorated and at nightfall Chinese lanterns were lighted. The band played, fireworks were exhibited, and a great crowd blocked the street. A big copper casing mortar was used for the bombs. These were filled with colored fire and shot into the air, where they burst, throwing out a shower of vari-colored sparks.  It was this mortar that exploded and caused all the harm. The bomb casing is about five inches in diameter and 30 inches long. About 111 p.m. a large bomb was put in the mortar and lighted. IT is supposed that the bomb exploded in it. There were hundreds of men, women and children standing around watching with great expectancy. When it exploded the air was filled with the shrieks of the injured and dying.

 

“Intense confusion followed. A platoon of police were on the scene and they had great difficulty in preventing the frightened multitude from trampling the injured to death.

 

“The explosion is supposed to be due to an overcharge of powder.

 

“The names of the dead are:

 

Charles Stewart Carolin.

Michael Anzalona.

Michael O’Neil.

Pasqualli Rezzilano.

Fred Weiss.

Guiseppi Yarrosa.

Frank Miller.

Arthur Flynn.

Lizzie Hughes.

Lizzie Murphy.

Henry Burgesser.

 

“Nearly all the dead and many of the injured were children, and, with one or two exceptions, lived in Newark. The wounds of those yet living in some cases are of a frightful character, legs, feet, arms or hands torn off, eyes blown out, or bodies horribly lacerated.”  (Boston Daily Globe, MA. “Eleven People Killed. Thirty Others, Mostly Children, Severely Wounded. Bursting of a Mortar Causes Sad Havoc in New York. Celebration of the Feast of St. Rocco Ends in Mourning.” 8-26-1891, p. 4.)

 

Sep 26:  “Newark, N.J., Sept. 26. — Later returns from the explosion at last night’s Italian celebration place the number of killed at eleven and the wounded at thirty….The corrected list of

the dead is as follows: [rearranged for alphabetical order]

 

Michael Ansalona.

Henry Burgesser.

Charles Stewart Carolin.

Antonio Chieffo.

Arthur Flynn.

Lizzie Hughes.

Frank Miller.

Lizzie Murphy

Michael O’Neill.

Pasquale Rezilina.

Fred Weiss.

 

“….Rumors were abroad that there had been dynamite in the bomb, but this is denied. There is a city ordinance forbidding the display of fireworks except on legal holidays and at military reviews. The superintendent of the fire department granted the permit for the fatal exhibition.” (Davenport Morning Tribune, IA. “Killed Eleven People. Terrible Disaster at a Newark Celebration.” 9-27-1891, p. 1.)

 

Sep 28:  “Newark, N.J., Sept. 28. – It was officially announced that twelve people were killed by the explosion of the bomb on Thursday night at the celebration of the feast of St. Bocco. The last

victim reported was Lizzie C. Ogden, 13 years old, who died late during the night.”  (Waterloo Daily Courier, IA. “Twelve Were Killed.” 9-28-1891, p. 2.)

 

Sep 30:  “Newark, N.J., Sept. 30. –All the patients at the city hospital who were injured in the frightful explosion of last week at the Boyden street celebration of the feast of St. Rocco are now believed to be in a /air way to recovery. The attending physicians are working hard to allay blood poisoning.”  (The News, Frederick, MD. “Newark’s Dynamite Victims.” 9-30-1891, p. 1.)

 

Oct 2:  “Newark, N.J., Oct. 2. – Maggie Murphy, the 20-year-old girl who was injured in the bomb explosion of last week, it is said, will probably die before the day is over. Mrs. Anzaloni. Mother of the boy who was killed outright, and who was herself injured, is dead from her wounds.”  (The News, Frederick, MD. “More Victims of Newark’s Bomb.” 10-2-1891, p. 1.)

 

Sources:

 

Appletons’ Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1891 (Vol. 16, new series). “Disasters in 1891.” NY: D. Appleton and Co., 1892. Google digitized at: http://books.google.com/books?id=FUcoAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Boston Daily Globe, MA. “Eleven People Killed. Thirty Others, Mostly Children, Severely Wounded. Bursting of a Mortar Causes Sad Havoc in New York. Celebration of the Feast of St. Rocco Ends in Mourning.” 8-26-1891, p. 4. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=161071297&sterm=explosion+newark

 

Daily Ledger, New Albany, IN. “Cannon Explodes.” 9-25-1891, p. 8. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=198266768&sterm=newark+explosion

 

Davenport Morning Tribune, IA. “Killed Eleven People. Terrible Disaster at a Newark Celebration. By the Explosion of a Mortar…” 9-27-1891, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=18900618&sterm=newark+explosion

 

The Friend. “Summary of Events,” Vol. 65, No. 1010-7-1891, p. 80. Google digitized at: http://books.google.com/books?id=k0ErAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

The News, Frederick, MD. “More Victims of Newark’s Bomb.” 10-2-1891, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=32862722&sterm=newark+explosion

 

The News, Frederick, MD. “Newark’s Dynamite Victims.” 9-30-1891, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=32862719&sterm=newark+explosion

 

Waterloo Daily Courier, IA. “Twelve Were Killed.” 9-28-1891, p. 2. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=88020966&sterm=newark+explosion

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Article does not state the number of total deaths but notes the death of an additional injured person, Mrs. Anzaloni.

— 10  Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Still Another Victim at Aspen.” 7-16-1891, p. 1.

—   9  Appletons’ Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of…1891. 1892, 254.^[1]

—   9  Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Latest News from Aspen. One More Victim Dies…” 7-14-1891, 1

—   7  Boston Daily Globe, MA. “Victims Scalded by Steam…Near Aspen, Col.” 7-13-1891, p.1.

—   7  Engineering News and American Railway Journal. Vol 26, No. 29, July 18-1891, p. 45.

–6-7  Goshen Democrat, IN. “A Deadly Error…An Engineer’s Fatal Mistake.” 7-15-1891, p. 1.

 

Narrative Information

 

Engineering News: “The most serious railway accident of the week was a collision on the Colorado Midland R.R. at Aspen, Col., July 12. A special train of baggage car and one passenger car containing about 30 passengers was returning to Aspen from Glenwood Springs. The train was backing from the water tank on the switch to the Aspen track, where a road engine was run out of the roundhouse, and the rear end of the passenger train struck the engine, knocking off the check valve on the side of the boil4r. This exhausted the hot steam into the broken end of the passenger car, scalding 13 passengers. Seven persons were killed.”[2] (Engineering News and American Railway Journal. Vol 26, No. 29, July 18-1891, p. 45.)

 

July 13: “Aspen, Colo., July 13. – A horrible catastrophe occurred at Aspen junction,^[3] on the Colorado Midland railway at 1 o’clock yesterday morning, that has filled many once happy homes in this beautiful valley with desolation and death. A collision occurred between a Midland locomotive and the hind coach of the Saturday night excursion train running between Aspen and Glenwood Springs.^[4] The coach load of people returning from the Springs, where a few pleasant hours had been spent, were suddenly plunged into all the horrors of a frightful railroad accident, which resulted in killing two people outright, inflicting fatal injuries upon five more, and severely scalding and burning many others.

 

“Engineer Switzer, of the excursion train, had run his train up to the water tank at the junction for water. When backing down to get on the main track line, a light engine shot out from the coal chutes, which are located in such a way as to conceal the engine tracks from view of tracks leading to the water tank. The engineer on the light engine, thinking he could get out before the excursion train, took the main track and made the attempt, but struck the rear coach of the excursion train at the switch. The force of the collision tore the check valve from the engine and poured scalding steam and water into the wrecked coach load of people.

 

“Then ensued a scene of terror impossible to describe. The passengers were at the mercy of the roaring, screeching monster at their side. Through the broken valve torrents of scalding steam and water poured out upon the helpless victims. Of the twenty-five passengers in the car three colored men who were in the forward compartment were the only not ones injured.

 

“Conductor Miller with the train crew and the uninjured passengers immediately began the work of rescue. A 2 year old child of Mr. Frank Ellis, of Aspen, was taken out dead; Miss Annie Phelan, of Cardiff, died ten minutes after rescue.  Mr. and Mrs. Joe Leonard, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Ellis, Thomas O’Donnell, Miss Mary O’Donnel, James Leach, all of Aspen; Mr. and Mrs. A.B. Rogers, of Pratt, Kan , and Mrs. J. G. Baldwin, and Mrs. L. Willoughby, of Glenwood, were fearfully scalded and burned.

 

“The injured and dead were placed in the baggage car and brought to this city, where all the physicians in the city were in attendance, and every possible aid was given to the injured. The victims’ cries of agony were heartrending, and their scalded faces and arms and bodies a sight to bring tears of pity. In spite of all efforts to save their lives, Mrs. Frank Ellis, Mrs. Baldwin and Mrs. Willoughby died within two hours from the time of the wreck, Mrs. Rogers died at 5 o’clock yesterday morning and her husband at 10 o’clock. Mrs. Baldwin and Mrs. Willoughby were the most frightfully burned. The latter begged piteously to be kept alive until her husband could reach her. Of those still living, Miss Mary O’Donnell will die.

 

“Ten others whose names can not be learned were injured. It is thought that Mary O’Donnell’s injuries will prove fatal, while a majority of the others are in a serious condition. Mr. J. G. Baldwin, husband of the dead woman, is now in Chicago lying at the point of death. Mrs. Baldwin and Mrs. Ellis were sisters. Mr. Rogers was engaged on the Varney tunnel at Woody, Colo.

Arrested for Robbing the Wounded.

 

“While the injured people were at Aspen Junction the person of Mrs. A. B. Rogers was robbed of a gold watch and chain and also $120 in money. There were also other robberies reported but not authenticated.  With a warrant sworn out by R. A. Ropham before Judge Prentiss, Marshal Andy Sutton went to Aspen Junction and arrested J . G. Kuhn, a cook at the railroad eating house, charging him with the robbery. Marshal Sutton now has his prisoner in the county jail. He disclaims all knowledge of the money, but says that he was requested by Mrs. Rogers to take her pocket book from her dress and hand it to some one standing near whom she recognized, but could not reach. Kuhn claims that he did this. He turned the watch and some other trinkets over to the proprietor of the hotel, and disclaims all intention of robbery.

 

The Dead May Number Twenty-Two.

 

“Later. – Thomas and Mary O’Donnell are now considered at point of death. Miss O’Donnell has not a particle of skin on her above her hips. Mr. O’Donnell’s principal injuries are from inhaling scalding steam. It is also now reported that none of the injured can survive, the loss of cuticle and the shock to their nervous systems being too great. As but three of those in the car escaped injury these would bring the death roll up to twenty-two.”  (Goshen Democrat, IN. “A Deadly Error. Dreadful Disaster to Another Excursion Train. An Engineer’s Fatal Mistake.” 7-15-1891, p. 1.)

 

July 13:  “Aspen, Colo., July 13. – Mary Ann, O’Donell was the ninth victim from the Aspen Junction railroad collision. She died at 9 o’clock this evening, and it is thought her brother will not survive till morning. Mrs. Leonard will probably die, which will leave only Mr. Leich and Mr. Leonard.

 

“The Coroner’s inquest was held with closed doors, but Pat Rush was the only witness, other than seven railroad men, who testified that he was standing on the rear platform when the collision occurred. A reporter has just closed an interview with him, in which he repeated his evidence which is to the effect that the light engine was going ahead and had not started to back and that the train backed down at a lively rate against the engine and he jumped off just as the car hit the engine.  He saw a man with a lantern running about ten feet in advance of the engine but saw him give no signal. The jury was taken to the scene of the disaster, tonight and a verdict will be rendered to-morrow.” (Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Latest News from Aspen. One More Victim Dies…” 7-14-1891, 1.)

 

July 15: “Aspen, Colo., July 15. – The grand jury investigating the cause of Saturday’s railroad accident, late last night rendered a verdict that the collision Saturday night was due to the criminal carelessness of Conductor O. F. Richard and Brakemen Maloney, of the light engine. The jury further declared its belief that the local tracks at Aspen Junction are such as to render the handling of trains at that point dangerous to public travel.”  (Galveston Daily News, TX. “Guilty of Criminal Negligence.” 7-17-1891, p. 5.)

 

July 16: “Aspen, Colo., July 16. – Thomas O’Donnell, the tenth victim of Aspen junction wreck died yesterday. It is now reported that Conductor Rickards and Brakeman Mahony, upon whose shoulders the blame for the accident rests, have escaped from the country.”  (Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Still Another Victim at Aspen.” 7-16-1891, p. 1.)

 

Sources:

 

Appletons’ Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1891 (Vol. 16, new series). “Disasters in 1891.” NY: D. Appleton and Co., 1892. Google digitized at: http://books.google.com/books?id=FUcoAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Boston Daily Globe, MA. “Victims Scalded by Steam. Horrible Accident to an Excursion Train Near Aspen, Col…” 7-13-1891, p.1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=163234372&sterm

 

Chariton Herald, IA. “Literally Boiled.” 7-16-1891, 4. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=176732333&sterm=train+aspen+junction

 

Engineering News and American Railway Journal. Vol 26, No. 29, July 18-1891, p. 45. Accessed 12-30-2019 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=mCtKAQAAMAAJ&ppis=_e&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Galveston Daily News, TX. “Guilty of Criminal Negligence.” 7-17-1891, p. 5. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=47510443&sterm=train+aspen+junction

 

Goshen Democrat, IN. “A Deadly Error. Dreadful Disaster to Another Excursion Train. An Engineer’s Fatal Mistake.” 7-15-1891, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=196627364&sterm=train+aspen+junction

 

Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Still Another Victim at Aspen.” 7-16-1891, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=126719894&sterm=train+aspen+junction

 

Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Latest News from Aspen. One More Victim Dies and Others Not Expected to Recover.” 7-14-1891, p. 1. Accessed at:   http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=91228834&sterm=train+aspen+junction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Incorrectly has the date as July 6, 1891.

[2] Three additional scalding victims died from their injuries.

[3] Aspen Junction was noted as 18 miles west of Aspen. (Chariton Herald, IA. “Literally Boiled.” 7-16-1891, 4.)

[4] Glenwood Springs is about 41 miles to the northwest of Aspen.

–14-18  Blanchard estimate.[1]

—     18  Prout. “A Year of Railroad Accidents,” North American Review, 154/423, Feb 1892, 203.

—     17  Appletons’ Annual Cyclopaedia…Important Events of  the Year 1891, 1892, p. 254.^[2]

—     17  Clay County Enterprise, Brazil, IN. 7-8-1891, p. 1, col. 1.

–13-17  Iowa Citizen, Iowa City, IA. “Through a Trestle.” 7-8-1891, p. 2.^[3]

—     17  The Reveille, Rolfe, IA. “Had Been Burned Out. An Excursion Train…” 7-9-1891, p. 2.

—     15  Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Railroad Horrors…in West Virginia.” 7-6-1891, p. 1.

—     15  New Castle News, PA. “Spreading Rails Cause…Frightful Railway Disaster.” 7-8-1891.

—   >15  Waterloo Courier, IA. “Through a Trestle. An Excursion Train…” 7-8-1891, p. 4.^[4]

—     14  Brazil Democrat, IN. “Another Wreck. This One on the Kanawha…” 7-9-1891, p. 7.

—     14  Goshen Democrat, IN. “Another Disaster. Fourteen People Killed…” 7-8-1891, p. 1.

—     14  Railroad Gazette. “Train Accidents in 1891.” Vol. 24, Jan 29, 1892, p. 83.

—   >13  San Antonio Daily Express, TX. “An Excursion Wreck.” 7-5-1891, p. 1.

—   >13  The World, NYC. “Awful Fate for Thirteen…on a Train…” 7-5-1891, p. 11.

 

Narrative Information

 

Prout: “…July 4, the two rear cars of a passenger train ran off a trestle bridge eight miles west of Charleston, West Virginia, and fell about twenty feet. The conductor and seventeen passengers were killed, and forty-seven passengers and a mail clerk were seriously hurt. It is said that but one passenger in these two cars escaped uninjured. The cause of this accident has never been precisely determined, but it is said to have been the spreading of the rails from the partial destruction by fire of the cross-ties on the bridge. There seems to have been reasonable inspection of the structure, for it was customary every day for a section-man to walk over the bridge an hour later than the time at which the accident occurred.” (Prout, H.G. “A Year of Railroad Accidents,” North American Review, Vol. 154, No. 423, Feb 1892, p. 203.)

 

Newspapers

 

July 4: “Charleston, W. Va., July 4. – The worst wreck ever known in this part of the State occurred about 8 o’clock a.m. on the Kanawha and Michigan Railway, eight miles west of here. The passenger train for Columbus pulled out from here with two carloads of excursionists, among them the Order of United American Mechanics, who were going to Poca.^[5] The wreck occurred on a high trestle, which had caught fire during the night and burned so that the rails spread under the train…..Surgeons and a relief train were sent at once to the scene of the wreck.

 

“The scenes among the dead and dying were heartrending. One little baby lost father and mother ….^[6] It is feared there are one or two bodies not yet found.

 

After listing names of fatalities [see below] noted as “fatally injured” were:

 

1. B. Read, Elk City,

James Blackwood, Athens, Ohio, crushed about the head.

Mrs. R. S. Trusto, Charleston, skull fractured and concussion of the brain.

Will Ford, Elk City, head and chest crushed, and

1. J. Saltherwiate, of this city, dangerously hurt….”

 

(San Antonio Daily Express, TX. “An Excursion Wreck.” 7-5-1891, p. 1.)

 

July 5: “Charleston, W. Va., July 4. – The first fatal wreck to a passenger train in the history of the Kanawha and Michigan Railway occurred this morning. The wrecked train was passenger train No. 1, which left Charleston at 7.30 o’clock this morning for Columbus. It was composed of the engine, combination mail, express and baggage car and two day coaches.

 

“Holiday and excursion rates had been sold to all points on the road, so that both cars carried a full complement of passengers. Probably seventy-five or eighty persons were in the two coaches, and out of the entire number only one passenger, John E. Norville, of the Charleston National Bank, this city, escaped uninjured. Among the passengers were the Charleston Lodge of the Order of United American Workmen and their friends, who were going to Poca to celebrate the Fourth. A large number of Kanawha and Michigan workmen were aboard, going to their homes  along the line to spend the day with their families.

 

“The train was speeding along at an average rate, with the merry party of excursionists aboard, all laughing, joking and enjoying the occasion, when suddenly an awful crash came, which dealt death with an unstinted hand and brought sorrow to many homes. The engine and combination car had passed safely over the trestle, but the rails, which had been loosened by a fire on the trestle, gave way under the coaches and they were thrown upon the cross-ties on the trestle. After bumping along on the ties for thirty or forty feet, the forward coach was turned over to the left track and the rear car jumped on the trestle on the right side. The forward car was completely upset and now rests right side up in a field some ten or fifteen feet beneath the track. The other car fell to the ground fifteen or twenty feet below the trestle.

 

“Many were killed by the fall, but to make the disaster more complete, the trucks on which the end of the car had rested crashed down on top of the car, demolishing it to splinters and killing almost every person within range….

 

“As soon as the shock was over, those who could crawl out of the wreck did so, and at once began the heroic work of rescuing their unfortunate fellow-passengers. There were only four persons uninjured: John E. Norville, Postal-Clerk Hayes, Engineer Pat O’Connor and Fireman Wyatt.^[7] They at once secured assistance from the poorhouse, a short distance below the wreck. The dead were laid out and the injured cared for.

 

“The first relief train came from St. Albans, with Drs. Leo and Clark in charge. A little later one came from Charleston with Drs. Thos. Barber, Putney, Houston, Tompkins and Champe on board. The World correspondent arrived on the scene early by carriage. The horrors of the scene were dreadful to behold. On every hand were scattered the dead and dying….

 

“The funeral train left the scene about 1 o’clock. In one car were nine corpses lying on cots and shrouded in white linen. In each car were several of the injured…

 

“One of the saddest incidents was the death of Walter Welche and his wife, who were killed in the same seat, leaving a little baby, which was badly injured. One man’s head was severed at the throat and fished out from under the wreck several hours after his body was found. It Is feared there are one or two bodies yet under the wreck.

 

“What caused the burning of the trestle is not known, but it is supposed that it caught fire from cinders dropped by an engine that passed up after midnight. Only a few ties were burned. The engineer saw the smoke, but, thinking it was fog rising from the creek, proceeded. Persons living in the neighborhood also saw the smoke but thought it emanated from the camp fires of fishermen who had located there.

 

“The wreck was one of the worst that has occurred in years and the full horrors of it cannot be realized without a personal survey of the scene. The dead and injured were all brought to Charleston. Some of the injured were taken to their homes or to hotels, where surgeons attended them.

The Dead. [13]

Coulter, Amos, Elk City, W. Va.

Dougherty, Joseph, New Martinsville, W. Va.

Fife, W. E. Colonel, Buffalo, W. Va.^[8]

Huppman [or Hoffman^[9]], Charles, Blue Creek, W. Va.

O’Leary, Ella, Charleston, W. Va.

Robinson, Orville, Midway, W. Va.

Rowe [or Rose^[10]], L. C., Blue Creek, W. Va.

Thornton, Thomas, conductor K. and M., Middleport, O.

Sullivan, Elizabeth [or Mary^[11]], nurse, Kansas City.

Welcher, Walter, Elk City, W. Va.

Welcher, Walter, Mrs., Elk City, W. Va.

Wilson, T. [Theodore] N., late city editor of the Bulletin, Gallipolis, O.

White, James, Middleport, O.

Fatally Injured.

 

Blackwood, James, Athens, O., crushed about head; has never recovered consciousness.

Ford, William, Elk City, head and chest crushed.

Truslow, Mrs. R. S., Charleston, skill fractured and concussion of the brain.”

 

(The World, NYC. “Awful Fate for Thirteen. Excursionists on a Train are Literally Squeezed to Death.” 7-5-1891, p. 11.)

 

July 5: “Charleston, W. Va., July 5…. John Noevell, the only passenger who had escaped, had gone to the mail car to speak with the mail agent, when the shock came. First he says there was a jar and a jolting, and then he knew they had jumped the track. He seized one of the rods and hung on for life. In an instant the car was jerked back on the track and then with a crash the coaches swung off over the trestle. The jar burst all the windows and doors in the mail car but its occupants were unhurt. Immediately he and the train crew rushed back to the wrecked cars. There were so many in the train and so few to help that it seemed almost impossible to do anything, nor was there anything to bind the wounds with. He went to the county poor house near by and got bandages, and then began to use them….

 

“One doctor is reported as saying that he preferred any battle field he ever saw to this affair, so far as the horror of it was concerned.”  (Waterloo Courier, IA. “Through a Trestle. An Excursion Train on a West Virginia Road Goes Through a Burning Bridge. Twelve Persons Instantly Killed and Several Others Soon Die of Their Injuries.” 7-8-1891, p. 4.)

 

July 6: “Charleston, W. Va., July 6….Ten were killed outright and four have since died of their injuries.” Listed as dead, in addition to the names of 13 dead in World article, is Mrs. H. S. Tryslow, owner of the St. Albert hotel, Charleston – undoubtedly the same woman noted as fatally injured in The World article, though with a differently spelled name.^[12] Also noted is “an unknown woman.”

 

Those Most Seriously Injured.

 

“There were fifty-eight wounded. Those who were most seriously hurt are: R. J. Scatterthwaite, of this city, recovery doubtful; Jennie Jackson and G. W. Stabbing, of Charleston, badly hurt; William Ford, of Elk City, fatally; James Blackwood, Athens, O., fatally; C. C. Long, Point Pleasant, badly; W. B. Reed, Athens, O., badly; Mrs. Sallie Coulter and child — Mrs. Coulter badly and the child slightly; Samuel Stone, badly; Mrs. Mary Wall, Elk City, badly; Andrew Archibald, Raymond City, badly; Leon E. Bleigh, Poca, badly.”  (Goshen Democrat, IN. “Another Disaster. Fourteen People Killed in a Wreck in West Virginia.” 7-8-1891, p. 1.)

 

July 6:  “Charleston, W. Va., July 6. – At least thirteen persons were killed, four fatally injured and nearly sixty injured in a less degree in an accident on the Kanawha & Michigan railroad at 3 o’clock Saturday morning [July 4], at a point 8 miles west of here. The passenger train for Columbus left here with two carloads of excursionists, among them members of the Order of United American mechanics, who were going to Poca. The wreck occurred on a high trestle. The sleepers^[13] on the structure had caught fire during the night and burned so that the rails spread under the train. The engine and baggage and mail cars passed over safely, but the two coaches were thrown from the track. After running some 40 feet on the sleepers the forward car toppled to the left, the rear one to the right. The forward car turned completely over, landing right side up. The other fell 20 feet, turning upside down, and one set of tracks fell upon it, crushing the car to splinters. Following is a list of those who were killed in the wreck:  [13 names]

 

Amos Coulter, Red House, W. Va;

Jasper Dougherty, New Martinsville, W. Va.;

Col. W. E. Fife, Buffalo, W. Va.;

Charles Huffman, Blue Creek, W. Va.;

Ella O’Leary, Charleston, W, Va.;

Orville Robinson, Midway, W. Va;

1. C. Rose, Blue Creek, W. Va;

Polly Sullivan, Mason City W. Va., worked in Charleston;

Thomas Thornton, Middleport, O., conductor;

Walter Welcher, Charleston, W. Va:

Mrs. Walter Welcher, Charleston, W. Va;

James White, Middleport, O;

1. N. Wilson, Gallipolis, O.

 

“The forward car, which turned completely over, now rests right side up in a field some 10 or 15 feet beneath the level of the bridge. When the other car fell on the other side of the track many of the passengers were killed by the fall, but when the trucks crushed down on top of the car they smashed it to splinters and killed almost every person in its range. The top of the car was crushed beneath the weight of the heavy trucks and pressed down flat against the bottom of the car, literally squeezing the occupants to death.”  (Iowa Citizen, Iowa City, IA. “Through a Trestle.” 7-8-1891, p. 2.)

 

July 6: “Charleston, W. Va., July 6. The greatest disaster in the history of Kanawha county was that which occurred at Farm Station, some eight miles north of this city. There is a trestle at Farm

about thirty-five feet high. This trestle caught fire sometime during the night from a cause at present unknown, but probably from a cinder from an engine passing about midnight. While the bridge was not consumed, its foundations were so badly damaged as to render it unsafe to cross. No notification of the fact was received here, however, and the train, the first of the day, attempted to cross it as usual. The engine, tender, and baggage car passed over safely, but the two coaches went through. Engineer Pat Conner seemed to realize the situation and pulled open the throttle in the hope of pulling all over safely, but it was too late. Both coaches were crowded and scarcely any one of them escaped injury.  Fifteen persons were killed and nearly sixty injured in the wreck.

 

“Train No. 1. which left here at 7.25 a.m. for Columbia, consisted of an engine, combined baggage, mail and express car and two coaches. The coaches were filled with seventy-five or eighty passengers, most of whom were laboring people out for a holiday in the country and were all in the highest spirits. The Order of United American Mechanics were going to Poca to spend the day, many of them accompanied by their wives….”  (Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Railroad Horrors, Nineteen Killed in Ohio and Fifteen in West Virginia.” 7-6-1891, p. 1.)

 

July 6: “Charleston, W. Va., July 6….Ten were killed outright and five have since died of their injuries. The following is a list of the dead:  [we omit from the listing the thirteen names consistently found in newspaper reports and note the inclusion of R. J. Satterthwait, one of those survivors noted in some reports as fatally injured, an unknown woman, and Mrs. R. S. Truslow, who was elsewhere noted as still living but critically injured.]”  (New Castle News, PA. “Spreading Rails Cause…Frightful Railway Disaster. Fifteen Persons Killed.” 7-8-1891, p. 4.)

 

July 7: “Charleston, W. Va., July 7. – Pat O’Connor, the engineer of the fated Kanawha and Michigan passenger train that was wrecked near here, says that in the darkness he saw the smoke of the burning trestle some time before he reached the spot. It was dark at the time, and as fogs at that time in the morning are quite common in that region, he thought it was fog. It was not accompanied by light. He did not discover the presence of fire until he was too close to reverse his engine, and then he turned on a full head of steam, hoping to go through with a rush, with what result all the world knows.”  (Indiana Democrat, Indiana, PA. “Thought It Was a Fog.” 7-9-1891, p. 2.)

 

Recap of Fatalities

 

1. Coulter, Amos. Elk City (or Red House), WV.
2. Dougherty, Joseph [or Jasper] New Martinsville, WV.
3. Fife, W. E. Colonel                                                Buffalo, WV.
4. Huppman [or Hoffman or Huffman], Charles Blue Creek, WV.
5. O’Leary, Ella Charleston, WV.
6. Robinson, Orville Midway, WV.
7. Rowe [or Rose], L. C. Blue Creek, WV.
8. Satterthwait, R. J. Charleston, WV.
9. Sullivan, Elizabeth [or Mary or Polly], nurse. Charleston, WV.
10. Thornton, Thomas, conductor K. and M. RR. Middleport, OH.
11. Welcher, Walter. Elk City [or Charleston], WV.
12. Welcher, Walter, Mrs. Elk City [or Charleston], WV.
13. White, James. Middleport, OH.
14. Wilson, T. [Theodore] N., ex city editor of the Bulletin. Gallipolis, OH.
15. Unknown woman.^[14]

 

Noted as Fatally Injured

 

1. Blackwood, James, of Athens Ohio
2. Ford, Will, of Elk City.
3. Reed, W. B., of Elk City Ohio.
4. Truslow, Mrs. R. S., of Charleston, WV.

 

Sources:

 

Appletons’ Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1891 (Vol. 16, new series). “Disasters in 1891.” NY: D. Appleton and Co., 1892. Google digitized at: http://books.google.com/books?id=FUcoAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Brazil Democrat, IN. “Another Wreck. This One on the Kanawha and Michigan Railway.” 7-9-1891, p. 7. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=196369112&sterm

 

Clay County Enterprise, Brazil, IN. 7-8-1891, p. 1, col. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=193569056&sterm

 

Goshen Democrat, IN. “Another Disaster. Fourteen People Killed in a Wreck in West Virginia.” 7-8-1891, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=196627360&sterm

 

Indiana Democrat, Indiana, PA. “Thought It Was a Fog.” 7-9-1891, p. 2. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com.

 

Iowa Citizen, Iowa City, IA. “Through a Trestle.” 7-8-1891, p. 2. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/iowa-citizen/1891-07-03/page-18?tag=train+charleston&rtserp=tags/train-charleston?ndt=bd&pd=3&pm=7&py=1891&pe=19&pem=7&pey=1891&psb=dateasc

 

Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Railroad Horrors, Nineteen Killed in Ohio and Fifteen in West Virginia.” 7-6-1891, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=126719856&sterm

 

Madison Daily Herald, IN. “Inquiries About the Charleston Wreck.” 7-8-1891, p. 2. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=196818118&sterm

 

New Castle News, PA. “Spreading Rails Cause Another Frightful Railway Disaster. Fifteen Persons Killed.” 7-8-1891, p. 4. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=57585132&sterm

 

Prout, H.G. “A Year of Railroad Accidents,” North American Review, Vol. 154, No. 423, Feb 1892, pp. 196-208. Accessed 12-30-2019 at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25102325?seq=8#metadata_info_tab_contents

 

Railroad Gazette. “Train Accidents in 1891.” Vol. 24, 1-29-1892, p.83. Accessed 12-30-2019 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=Z5wxAQAAMAAJ&ppis=_e&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Ripley Journal, Osgood, IN. “Terrible Railway Wreck,” 7-9-1891, p. 6. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=190002081&sterm

 

San Antonio Daily Express, TX. “An Excursion Wreck.” 7-5-1891, p. 1, col. 5. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=58080673&sterm

 

The Reveille, Rolfe, IA. “Had Been Burned Out. An Excursion Train Goes Through a Bridge.” 7-9-1891, p. 2. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=186101937&sterm

 

The World, NYC. “Awful Fate for Thirteen. Excursionists on a Train are Literally Squeezed to Death.” 7-5-1891, p. 11. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=141478125&sterm

 

Waterloo Courier, IA. “Through a Trestle. An Excursion Train on a West Virginia Road Goes Through a Burning Bridge. Twelve Persons Instantly Killed and Several Others Soon Die of Their Injuries.” 7-8-1891, p. 4. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=88429367&sterm

 

 

 

 

 

[1] If one is to accept newspaper accounts there would appear to be fourteen named fatalities, and one unidentified woman, for a total of 15, with several other people noted as “fatally injured.” However, the Railroad Gazette in its annual review of railroad accidents notes 14 deaths, whereas Prout in the same sort of review for the North American Review, notes eighteen. We have been unable to ascertain the true mortality.

[2] Though this piece, and a number of newspaper articles note 17 fatalities, the newspaper reports, upon which the Appletons note is based, usually write of 13 immediate or near-immediate deaths and then of four “fatally injured.”

[3] Thirteen reported killed with four additional fatally injured.

[4] Fifteen is our number based on statement that 12 died at the wreck and “several” others soon died.

[5] Poca, WV is about 17 miles to the northwest of Charleston.

[6] According to the Lebanon Daily News of July 6, the child was 2 years old and had “three fingers of its right hand…cut off.” (“Railroad Horrors, Nineteen Killed in Ohio and Fifteen in West Virginia.”)

[7] Elsewhere it is stated that Baggage-master Armitage was unhurt. (Ripley Journal, Osgood, IN. “Terrible Railway Wreck,” 7-9-1891, p. 6.)

[8] An internet biographical portrait of Col. Fife can be found at: http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/m/i/t/Russell-G-Mitchell/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0607.html

[9] Goshen Democrat, IN. “Another Disaster. Fourteen People Killed in a Wreck in West Virginia.” 7-8-1891, p. 1.

[10] Goshen Democrat, IN. “Another Disaster. Fourteen People Killed in a Wreck in West Virginia.” 7-8-1891, p. 1.

[11] Goshen Democrat, IN. “Another Disaster. Fourteen People Killed in a Wreck in West Virginia.” 7-8-1891, p. 1.

[12] However, a July 8^th article stated that both she and Mr. William Ford of Elk City, were still living, though in critical condition. (Madison Daily Herald, IN. “Inquiries About the Charleston Wreck.” 7-8-1891, p. 2.)

[13] Thick-sawn timber.

[14] Written in July 6 article that she was “dressed in red and still in the wreck, the rescuers being unable to get her out.” (Brazil Democrat, IN. “Another Wreck. This One on the Kanawha and Michigan Railway.” 7-9-1891, p. 7.) It is not clear, however, that this is not a double count of one of the other named female victims.

— 6  Appletons’ Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of…1891. 1892, p. 254.

— 6  Logansport Daily Pharos. “Death on the Illinois Central.” 6-20-1891, p. 1.

— 6  New Philadelphia Times, OH. “An Open Switch.” 6-25-1891, p. 2.

Narrative Information

June 20: “New Orleans, June 20. — The fast express train on the Illinois Central railroad, due here at 7:20 p.m., passed Kenner’s station nearly two hours behind time.  Five miles south of that point, and an equal distance from this city, the train was wrecked. Six persons, it is reported, were killed, and twenty more injured. A relief train has been sent to the scene of the accident with doctors and a number of ambulances ordered to the station to receive and convey the wounded to the hospital.  The wreck knocked down all the wires of the Western Union company on the Illinois Central railroad, cutting off telegraph communication with Kenner. The wreck occurred near the old Sauve plantation.”[1]  (Logansport Daily Pharos. “Death on the Illinois Central. Six Persons Reported Killed and Twenty Wounded.” 6-20-1891, p. 1.)

 

June 22: “New Orleans, June 22. – A collision on the Illinois Central railroad Friday night near Sauve was caused by an open switch, where a freight train was side-tracked and was run into by the south-bound fast express. Four men were killed and six severely injured. The killed were: Engineer W. D. Mitche, Fireman John Lawson, Charles Munn of McComb City, Miss; Bill Williams (colored), of Hammond, Ind. The wounded: Engineer Charles Corcoran, of New Orleans, about the head; Postal Clerk L. T. Binford, of Jackson, Tenn., about the spine, breast and legs; Postal Clerk T. J. Frazer, of Trenton, Tenn., severely scalded about the lower limbs, hands and face; Yson Lewis (colored), severely injured about the legs, head and hands; Jim Lewis (colored), of Hammond, severely scalded about the head, face and hands; Calvin Neits (colored, badly scaled about the head and upper portion of the body and both legs broken. Frazer and Neits died in the hospital here Saturday night [June 20].” (New Philadelphia Times, OH. “An Open Switch.” 6-25-1891, p. 2.)

 

June 23: “Postal Clerk T. G. Frazer, of Trenton, Tenn., and Edwin, Metz, a colored laborer of Aberdeen, Miss., who were injured in the Illinois Central train wreck Friday night, died in the hospital at New Orleans Saturday night.” (Alton Daily Telegraph, IL. “The News in Brief.” 6-23-1891, 4.)

Sources:

 

Appletons’ Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1891 (Vol. 16, new series). “Disasters in 1891.” NY: D. Appleton and Co., 1892. Google digitized at: http://books.google.com/books?id=FUcoAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Alton Daily Telegraph, IL. “The News in Brief.” 6-23-1891, p. 4. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=116104163&sterm

 

Logansport Daily Pharos. “Death on the Illinois Central. Six Persons Reported Killed and Twenty Wounded.” 6-20-1891, p. 1. Accessed at:

http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=83516736&sterm

 

New Philadelphia Times, OH. “An Open Switch.” 6-25-1891, p. 2. Accessed 12-30-2019 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/new-philadelphia-times-jun-25-1891-p-2/

[1] The Sauve plantation became the River Ridge community in Jefferson Parish suburb of New Orleans. (Wikipedia.)

–5  Appletons’ Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events…1891. 1892, p. 254.

–5  Bedford Mail, IN. “Five Killed…Explosion of Dusard Brothers’ Saw-mill.” 6-5-1891, p3.

 

Narrative Information

 

“Joe Dusard galloped into town on a horse Wednesday forenoon about 9:30, with the startling intelligence that the boiler of the saw-mill owned by himself and brother, John, had exploded a short time before, killing and injuring a number of men. He was after physicians…

 

“The mill was a portable one…and had recently been purchased by the Dusards. It was stationed on William Pitman’s farm one mile north of Fayetteville…Wednesday morning a new engineer, Geo. Hayden, took charge. He did not arrive until about 8 o’clock, and John Dusard fired up. When the engine was turned over to Hayden it is said to have been carrying about 30 pounds of steam. The young man asked Dusard how many pounds of steam he wanted, and the latter replied about 60 pounds, as they were going to saw short, small logs, and would need but little power. John then went off a distance of about 75 yards with Joe Dusard, to attend to some horses, and had been gone but a few minutes when the boiler blew up.

 

“The force of the explosion was tremendous. The boiler, composed of iron 3-16ths of an inch thick was not ripped open, as is the case where excessive pressure is carried on weak boilers, but was shattered into a hundred fragments, as though it had been filled with dynamite. Some of the pieces were less than two inches in diameter, and were driven deeply into surrounding objects as though they had been shot out of a cannon. A large piece, several hundred pounds in weight, was hurled to a distance of 100 yards. The cast-iron fly-wheel was broken up fine and the pieces projected through the air with he force of grape-shot. The report was heard a distance of seven or eight miles, and was distinctly noticed by many persons in Bedford… The mill was totally demolished, and of the seven persons in it at the time five have died. The list is as follows:

 

“Dove Kern…about 21 years…of Fayetteville…blown some 40 feet against a lumber pile….

 

“James Perkins, aged about 20 years, unmarried, and lived at Fayetteville. He was thrown into the pit…he died within an hour…

 

“Edward Dusard, of Bedford, aged about 29 years…had both legs broken and was awfully scalded. He was taken to Fayetteville and lingered until nearly three o’clock….

 

“Gordon G. Evans, aged 22…of Fayetteville, had one leg broken and was scalded all over. He died at 4 o’clock p.m. at Fayetteville. He was a school teacher…Evans was the support of his mother, with whom he lived.

 

“George Hayden, a young man, married, was the engineer, and had been in charge of the engine less than twenty minutes when it blew up….”  (Bedford Mail, IN. “Five…” 6-5-1891, p. 3.)

 

Sources

 

Appletons’ Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1891 (Vol. 16, new series). “Disasters in 1891.” NY: D. Appleton and Co., 1892. Google digitized at:

http://books.google.com/books?id=FUcoAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Bedford Mail, IN. “Five Killed…Explosion of Dusard Brothers’ Saw-mill.” 6-5-1891, p. 3. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=196315092&sterm

 

 

 

 

 

–9  Appletons’ Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of…Year 1891. 1892, 253.

–9  Tyrone Daily Herald, PA. “A Midnight Horror. Nine Lives Destroyed…” 4-7-1891, p. 1.

Narrative Information

“Rochester, Pa., April 7. – Nine persons met an awful fate here. The poor people were burned in their beds early yesterday morning. The scene of the horrible calamity was a block of houses on New York street, near Rochester avenue, in the business center of Rochester. The buildings burned were three small two-story frame houses. The first floors were occupied by stores. The second stories were occupied as tenements. The lire started in the house occupied by E. J. Keene, dealer in shoes, etc. It was about 12:20 in the morning that Tom McManus, flagman on the Cleveland and Pittsburg freight train No. 89, saw the fire. He ran to the building and secured a plank, by which means he climbed to the second story from a window of the middle house and looked in the window. He heard moans and struggles from the occupants, but the heat was so intense at that time that he could offer no assistance and was compelled to retreat.

Burned Like Tinder.

“From the time the fire was first discovered it was impossible for anyone to enter the buildings, as they were entirely enveloped in flames, such intense flames as only dry wooden buildings can

furnish. The buildings burned with fearful rapidity, being ruined or destroyed in less than thirty minutes after the fire was discovered. The destroyed building was a mere shell, and it is astonishing that any of the occupants escaped.  It was a large two-story frame structure. On the ground floor were three store rooms. The first was occupied by E. J. Keene as a shoe store and the family lived above the store. George Edward, a tea and coffee dealer, had possession of the second store, over which an Italian family and two boarders lived. Mrs. L. A. Hall had a millinery establishment in the third store, and with her husband and an assistant, occupied the rooms above.

“The origin of the fire is a mystery. It is supposed that the flames started in the rear of Keene’s store, but this is not certain, as the fire spread so rapidly that the entire building was enveloped before the occupants awakened. The scene was horrible beyond description. When the fire was discovered by several citizens the front of the building had been burned away, and the spectators could plainly see the frantic efforts of the victims to escape. The Italian girl, aged 17 years, rushed to a window and was about to jump to the ground, when her mother appeared and called her back. It is supposed the mother wanted assistance to save her baby. The girl returned to the window and jumped out, but the mother was not seen again. The girl escaped with slight injuries,

but was so shocked that she has not been able to speak since.

“All the bodies have been recovered, at least the number found corresponds with the list of persons thought to have been in the building at the time. All are so badly burned that it is impossible to recognize them. E. J. Keene and his son Walter, aged 11 years, were sleeping above the shoe store. Evidently they never awakened, as the two bodies were found directly under their bed room.

List of the Dead.

40. J. Keene, aged 40.

Walter Keene, his son, aged 9.

Baptisto Tecchio, aged 40.

Annie Tecchio, aged 35.

Yosef Tecchio, aged 13.

Rosa Tecchio, aged 8.

Annie Tecchio, aged 2.

Victorio Tecchio, aged 37, brother of Baptisto.

“All that is left of the buildings is a few feet of Mrs. Hall’s store, which adjoins the large brick building of the First National bank. Aside from this the structures were burned so completely as to leave only a mass of blackened embers. The heat of the flames was so intense as to crack the glass windows across New York street. It was with great difficulty that the flames were prevented from spreading. The three houses were owned by John S. Smith….”  (Tyrone Daily Herald, PA. “A Midnight Horror. Nine Lives Destroyed…” 4-7-1891, p. 1.)

Sources:

Appletons’ Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1891 (Vol. 16, new series). “Disasters in 1891.” NY: D. Appleton and Co., 1892. Google digitized at: http://books.google.com/books?id=FUcoAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Tyrone Daily Herald, PA. “A Midnight Horror. Nine Lives Destroyed…” 4-7-1891, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=139248759&sterm=rochester+fire

 

 

 

 

 

 

–11  Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette, IA. “Eleven of the Lunatics Perished.” 3-16-1891, p. 1.

–11  Daily Alta California, San Francisco. “The Nashville Asylum Fire.” 3-17-1891, p. 5.

–11  San Antonio Daily Light, TX. “More Added.” 3-16-1891, p. 1.

–11  Waterloo Daily Courier, IA. “Eleven of the Asylum Fire Victims.” 3-17-1891, p. 2.

–10  American Journal of Insanity. “Notes and Comments.” Vol. 47, April 1891, p. 587.

–10  Daily Sentinel, Carroll, IA. “Ten Lives Lost at Nashville.” 3-17-1891, p. 1.

–10  The News, Frederick, MD. “Victims of the Asylum Fire.” 3-16-1891, p. 1.

—  9  Appletons’ Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1891. p. 253.

—  9  Galveston Daily News, TX. “Insane Asylum Burned.” 3-15-1891, p. 4.

—  8  NYT. “An Insane Asylum on Fire. Eight…Inmates…[TN]…Burned to Death.” 3-15-1891.

—  8  Prince. The Fire Protection of Hospitals for the Insane, p. 12.

—  6  Goshen Democrat, IN. “Six Lunatics Cremated.” 3-18-1891, p. 1.

—  6  Laredo Daily Times, TX. “An Asylum on Fire.” 3-15-1891, p. 1.

—  6  Newark Daily Advocate, OH. “Insane Asylum Burned.” 3-14-1891, p. 1.

 

Narrative Information

 

American Journal of Insanity: “The Fire at the Nashville Hospital. – Once more we are called upon to record a disastrous fire in a hospital for the insane. On the night of March 13, 1891, the entire male wing of the Central Hospital for the Insane, situated near Nashville, Tennessee, was destroyed by fire, and ten patients were burned to death. The origin of the fire was in a patient’s bedroom; its cause could not be ascertained. The deplorable event occurred during a dark, cold and stormy night, and with a most unfavorable wind. When discovered, at 11 o’clock, the fire was confined to one room and a hallway, but the only means at hand to fight the flames were buckets of water handed from one to another. The Nashville fire department was notified by telephone, but an engine was not on the scene until about 2:30 a.m. All of the patients were safely removed from the burning building except eight occupying rooms on the first and second floor, approach to which was prevented by flame and smoke. The lives of two others were lost by their rushing back into the flames after their rescue had been accomplished.

 

“In an official report of the disaster to the Governor and Assembly of Tennessee, it is mentioned that temporary accommodations have been afforded the houseless unfortunates at the West Tennessee Hospital at Bolivar. Insurance was held to the amount of $75,000, and it is estimated that the building will be re-built without expense to the State. The catastrophe forcibly illustrates the necessity of having good local protection from fire, especially in institutions situated at a distance from organized fire departments.” (American Journal of Insanity. “Notes and Comments.” Vol. 47, April 1891, pp. 587-588.)

 

Prince: “March 13, 1891, 10:15 p.m. West wing Tennessee Central Hospital, Nashville. Origin – unknown. Loss, $50,000. Eight lives lost.”

 

Newspapers

 

March 13:  “Nashville, Tenn., March 13 – Fire broke out at the Central Insane asylum, one mile from this city at about 11 o’clock tonight. It started in the rear of the male wing, which has been destroyed, and the flames continue to rage. There were twenty-eight patients in the wing and six of them were burned to death.  The fire has reached the main building. The inmates are escaping. Governor Buchannan has ordered out the state militia and will leave for the scene on a special train.”  (Laredo Daily Times, TX. “An Asylum on Fire.” 3-15-1891, p. 1.)

 

March 14:  “Nashville, Tenn., March 14….The scene within the quadrangle in the rear of the superintendent’s office was all glare and confusion at 1 o’clock [a.m.] when an Associated Press representative arrived. In the hall connecting the east and west wings and in the corridors of the east wing the unfortunates were huddled together – men, women and bed-clothes being so intermingled that it was hard to distinguish between them. They did not seem to comprehend the awful situation.

 

“At 3:17 the inmates, who had been huddled for several hours in the yard in front of the main building, were returned to the east wing. About 25 had escaped, the majority of whom were harmless. The dangerous lunatics were kept locked up all the time in the east wing, and none of them were subjected to exposure or danger during the progress of the flames.

 

“At 3:47 the fire was reported fully under control, and the inmates were comfortably housed, and all was quiet….”  (Bangor Daily Whig and Courier, ME. “A Pile of Ruins.” 4-16-1891, p. 1.)

 

March 14:  “Nashville, Tenn., March 14. – The Center insane asylum, situated seven miles from here, was almost entirely burned last night. Half a dozen unfortunate inmates were burned to death. The following is a corrected list of those killed [9 names]:

 

Dr. Frank Hollowell of Davidson county,

John Poindexter of Wilson county,

1. R. Goodlett of Davidson county,

John S. Johnson of Rutherford county,

1. J. Settles of Wilson county,
2. H. Beasley of Hickman county,^[1]
3. Brooks of Davidson county,
4. Kelly of Wayne county,

John Nance of Smith county.

 

“Those who escaped number between thirty and forty, many of whom have been captured, some of them many miles from the scene of the fire.  Loss to the building is estimated about $50,000, fully insured. The fire is supposed to have been caused by Lee Alford, an inmate, who in some mysterious manner escaped. It is reported that he was recaptured  today. About 125 of the inmates will be transferred to the West Tennessee asylum until the asylum here is rebuilt.” (Galveston Daily News, TX. “Insane Asylum Burned.” 3-15-1891, p. 4.)

 

March 14:  “Nashville, Tenn., March 14. — Fire last night, partly destroyed the insane asylum seven miles from this city. There were about 500 inmates, and of those six were burned to death, as follows:

 

1. S. Johns,
2. Burt Dexter,

Blue Preston,

John Kelly,

1. H. Bearsley, and
2. F. Holloway.

The loss is not known, but the insurance — $75,000 — will cover it.”  (Goshen Democrat, IN. “Six Lunatics Cremated.” 3-18-1891, p. 1.)

 

March 14:  “Nashville, Tenn., March 14. Today the beautiful central insane asylum, situated seven miles from this city is almost a mass of ruins; beneath it are the charred bodies of nine of  the unfortunate inmates; in the outhouses nearby are huddled the poor demented creatures, who found an asylum in the grand old structure now laid low; and on the lawn the long, parched trees, denuded of branch and foliage, stand; the spectral trunks with gaunt outstretched arms marking the spot where stood the massive building, alive with human beings, the observed of all who passed that way, and one of the most beautiful and attractive spots in lovely middle Tennessee….

 

“There were twenty-eight men in the wing when the fire caught, and twenty-two of them were quickly removed to the main hall, the other nine [?] being left to the fate behind their impassable wall of flame….[provides names of nine male fatalities]….

 

“The scene within the quadrangle in the rear of the superintendent’s office was all glare and confusion at 1 o’clock when an Associated Press reporter arrived. The flames in the west wing were towering above the parapeted walls and guards were hurrying hither and thither. A moment later the inner wall of the burning building fell in with an awful crash, and clouds of sparks covered the entire visible heavens. In another instant a shower of cinders and charred fragments of wood fell upon the roofs of the remaining buildings and rattled upon the stone-paved court. In the hall connecting the east and west wings and in the corridors of the west wing the terrified unfortunates were huddled together like sheep…

 

“Dr. Callender sat in his office with an expression of despair on his features and great beads of perspiration stood upon his brow. Crouching in the corners were the figures of inmates, who, perhaps, had a clearer appreciation of the impending danger than their companions and had stolen in, thinking themselves safe with the superintendent. By midnight nothing remained for the men who had fought so nobly to do but stand aside and await the coming of the engines of the city. It was a heartrending sight to see hundreds of men who had gathered from the country for miles around talking in groups or gazing helplessly on the work of destruction while within the hall, a few steps away, the wild eyes of a mass of miserable creatures glared about in the unearthly light, and the minds behind them were too weak to know that in a short while they might be out in the cold night wind with nothing but the sky for a covering.

 

“When one of the reporters was about a mile this side of the conflagration on the way out, he met a couple of lunatics in shirt sleeves trudging along the highway with their arms locked about each other’s neck. As they passed one of them cried out: ‘Fire, fire; cold, cold.’ On his return the same pair was overtaken just within the corporation line. This time they were heard to say: ‘We are free, we are free; but don’t you tell, don’t you tell,’ and, turning around, saw that their arms were still locked about each other’s neck. Hiding in the shrubbery immediately around the asylum were many who had escaped when the sudden exodus was made from the west wing. Most of them were partially dressed, but almost without exception their faces were covered with smiles, as if the downfall of their refuge was a source of pleasure to them and the biting wind a thing unfelt….

 

“It was reported at 3:30 this morning that one of the women inmates of the asylum had been drowned in the lake on the lawn, but her name could not be learned. The fire was at this time reported entirely controlled and the inmates were comfortably housed and all was quiet.

 

“The escaped numbered between thirty and forty, many of whom have been captured, some of them many miles from the scene of the fire…

 

“The fire is supposed to have been caused by Lee Alford, an inmate, who, in some mysterious manner, escaped. It is reported that he was recaptured today near Lavorgne [La Vergne]. About one hundred and twenty-five of the inmates will be transferred to the West Tennessee asylum at Bolivar until the asylum here is rebuilt.”  (Indiana State Sentinel, Indianapolis. “Freed by the Flames. Lunatics Rejoice at Their Misfortune and Gaze on the Burning Asylum with Glee…Only Nine Lives Believed to Have Been Lost. A Sleepy Fire Chief Responsible for Much Loss.” 3-18-1891, p. 1.)

 

March 14:  “Nashville, Tenn., March 14. — This morning the Central Insane Asylum, situated seven miles from this city, is almost a mass of ruins, and beneath it are the charred bodies of half a dozen of the unfortunate inmates. At 10:15 last night Watchman Fitzhugh discovered an ugly tongue of flame breaking through the roof of the western main wing of the building. How it caught none could learn, but it reached from the ground through the second and third stories, and cut off the few rooms that were behind it. In a moment the alarm was given, and the 400 inmates of the institution were thrown into wild commotion. There were twenty-eight men in the wing when the fire caught, and twenty of them were quickly removed to the main hall, the other eight being left to their fate behind the impassable wall of flames.

 

“The city was telephoned to for aid, but Chief Carrell of the Fire Department could not be found, and his subordinates refused to move without instructions. Finally, after two hours’ delay, the Chief was found, and he, with two engines, left for the scene of the disaster. In the meantime the west wing had collapsed, the fire had spread, and the inmates, made frantic by their danger, were beginning to break from the guards and scatter like frightened animals over the surrounding country. The fire engines arrived on the scene at 2:15, and in a few moments a stream of water was playing on the main building. Previously, the inmates of the asylum, the servants, and the guards had rendered fire service with buckets and succeeded in holding the fire in check to some extent. The doomed inmates were in the west wing. They were all males and white.”  (New York Times. “An Insane Asylum on Fire. Eight of the Inmates of a Tennessee Institution Burned to Death.” 3-15-1891.)

 

March 14:  “Nashville, March 14. — The insane asylum, seven miles from this city, caught fire at midnight last night and was entirely destroyed. There was about 500 persons in the asylum at the time, but it is believed that all but six were rescued.”  (Newark Daily Advocate, OH. “Insane Asylum Burned.” 3-14-1891, p. 1.)

 

March 16: “The work of removing the bodies of the victims of the fire at the insane asylum, Nashville, Tenn., Friday night [March 13] was begun Monday morning [March 16], but at an early hour only one body had been taken out. This was so badly charred that it could not be recognized. It is thought all the bodies will be taken out soon, when the coroner will begin his inquiry.” (Banner Plain Dealer, North Vernon, IN. “Delving for Charred Corpses.” 3-18-1891, 6.)

 

March 16:  “Nashville, March 16 – A list of those who lost their lives in the fire at the insane asylum is now increased to eleven. Aside from those known to be dead now only one patient is missing, James Burton. As he is known to have made several attempts to throw himself into the fire, it is feared he, too, is among those who were burned to death.”  (Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette, IA. “Eleven of the Lunatics Perished.” 3-16-1891, p. 1.)

 

March 16:  “Nashville, March 16^th. – The number of dead by the Insane Asylum fire has increased to eleven. One more missing inmate is believed to be in the ruins.”  (Daily Alta California. “The Nashville Asylum Fire.” 3-17-1891, p. 5.)

 

March 16:  “Nashville, March 16. – Victims of the Central Tennessee insane asylum fire now number eleven.”  (San Antonio Daily Light, TX. “More Added.” 3-16-1891, p. 1.)

 

March 16:  “Nashville, Tenn., March 16.—Following are the names of the person who perished in the insane asylum fire early Saturday morning [same names of nine male fatalities noted above]…It is reported, also, that a woman was drowned in a pond on the grounds, but it is not known who she is.”  (The News, Frederick, MD. “Victims of the Asylum Fire.” 3-16-1891, p. 1.)

 

March 17:  “Nashville, Tenn., March 17. – One hundred and twenty-five patients will be removed from the burned insane asylum here to-day to the West Tennessee asylum at Bolivar. A special train will carry the party. A corrected list of the dead now shows that ten lives were lost, all of them hopelessly insane. Several bodies were removed, but none of them were recognizable.”  (Daily Sentinel, Carroll, IA. “Ten Lives Lost at Nashville.” 3-17-1891, p. 1.)

 

March 17:  “Nashville, Tenn., March 17. – No effort has yet been made to recover the bodies of the Tennessee insane asylum fire victims. The list of the dead has lengthened to eleven.”  (Waterloo Daily Courier, IA. “Eleven of the Asylum Fire Victims.” 3-17-1891, p. 2.)

 

Sources:

 

American Journal of Insanity. “Notes and Comments.” Vol. 47, April 1891. Google preview accessed 12-28-2019 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=ok0XAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=true

 

Appletons’ Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1891 (Vol. 16, new series). “Disasters in 1891.” NY: D. Appleton and Co., 1892. Google digitized at: http://books.google.com/books?id=FUcoAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Bangor Daily Whig and Courier, ME. “A Pile of Ruins.” 4-16-1891, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=10071263&sterm

 

Banner Plain Dealer, North Vernon, IN. “Delving for Charred Corpses.” 3-18-1891, p. 6. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=198266271&sterm

 

Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette, IA. “Eleven of the Lunatics Perished.” 3-16-1891, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=52001361&sterm

 

Daily Alta California, San Francisco. “The Nashville Asylum Fire.” 3-17-1891, p. 5. Accessed at: http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DAC18910317.2.93#

 

Daily Sentinel, Carroll, IA. “Ten Lives Lost at Nashville.” 3-17-1891, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=160035670&sterm

 

Galveston Daily News, TX. “Insane Asylum Burned.” 3-15-1891, p. 4. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=42764946&sterm

 

Goshen Democrat, IN. “Six Lunatics Cremated.” 3-18-1891, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=196627303&sterm

 

Indiana State Sentinel, Indianapolis. “Freed by the Flames. Lunatics Rejoice at Their Misfortune and Gaze on the Burning Asylum with Glee…Only Nine Lives Believed to Have Been Lost. A Sleepy Fire Chief Responsible for Much Loss.” 3-18-1891, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=198033330&sterm

 

Laredo Daily Times, TX. “An Asylum on Fire.” 3-15-1891, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=111416475&sterm

 

New York Times. “An Insane Asylum on Fire. Eight of the Inmates of a Tennessee Institution Burned to Death.” 3-15-1891. Accessed 12-3-2013 at: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9501E0D81239E033A25756C1A9659C94609ED7CF

 

Newark Daily Advocate, OH. “Insane Asylum Burned.” 3-14-1891, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=441362&sterm

 

Prince, L. H., M.D. The Fire Protection of Hospitals for the Insane. Chicago, C. H. Blakely & Co., 1891. Google preview accessed 12-28-2019 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=CU0WAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

San Antonio Daily Light, TX. “More Added.” 3-16-1891, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=45385583&sterm

 

The News, Frederick, MD. “Victims of the Asylum Fire.” 3-16-1891, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=32861902&sterm

 

Waterloo Daily Courier, IA. “Eleven of the Asylum Fire Victims.” 3-17-1891, p. 2. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=88020635&sterm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Listed as W. H. Heaseley in Bangor Daily Whig and Courier, ME. “A Pile of Ruins.” 4-16-1891, p. 1.

Document created by Wayne Blanchard, Dec 2019, for website: Deadliest American Disasters and Large-Loss-Of-Life Events. https://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

— 12,472  Blanchard compilation based on State breakouts below.

 

California                  (    13)

—     13  Apr                                        USMHS. Weekly…San. Rpts., V.VI, N21, 5-22-1891, 239

Connecticut               (     33)

—     33  Statewide      Apr                  USMHS. Weekly…San. Rpts., V.VI, N21, 5-22-1891, 239

—     26        “               May                 USMHS. Weekly…San. Rpts., V.VI, N26, 6-26-1891, 294.

Chicago, IL                (6,800)           

–6,800  Mar-Apr                    Evans. “The 1890 Epidemic…Influenza…Chicago…” ~1918, 845.

Iowa                            (    17)

—     17  Statewide      Apr                  USMHS. Weekly…San. Rpts., V.VI, N23, 6-5-1891, 261.

Michigan                    (    14)

—     14  Detroit           Apr                  USMHS. Weekly…San. Rpts., V.VI, N22, 5-29-1891, 251

Missouri                     (    13)

—    13  Kansas City    Apr                  USMHS. Weekly…San. Rpts., V.VI, N22, 5-29-1891, 252

New York                   (5,572)

–1,000  Statewide      Mar                 USMHS. Weekly…San. Rpts., V.VI, N23, 6-5-1891, 261.

–4,500^[1]       “             Apr                  USMHS. Weekly…San. Rpts., V.VI, N23, 6-5-1891, 261.

—     33  Buffalo          Apr                  USMHS. Weekly…San. Rpts., V.VI, N27, 7-3-1891, 304.

—     13        “               May                 USMHS. Weekly…San. Rpts., V.VI, N27, 7-3-1891, 304.

—     26  Rochester Last week Dec      Peck. History…Rochester, Monroe Co., NY, V1. 1908, 107

Rhode Island             (    10)

—    10                         Apr                  USMHS. Weekly…San. Rpts., V.VI, N22, 5-29-1891, 252

Narrative Information

Chicago, IL

 

“In 1891 the disease recurred for we find Dr. J. D. Ware, then health commissioner, saying in his annual report, “During March and April there were 3,400 deaths in each month largely due to pneumonia and influenza which seemed to be epidemic”.”  (Evans and Heckard (MD’s, Chicago Dept. of Health), ~1918, p. 845.)

 

Rochester, NY

 

In the latter part of 1889 the malady known as the grip (an Anglicization of the French form, la grippe) made its first appearance here, and throughout the succeeding winter it was very prevalent, being directly fatal in many cases but in a greater number bringing with it lifelong infirmity and the susceptibility to other diseases; the next year it was just as bad, twenty-six deaths occurring from it during the closing week of 1891…”  (Peck 1908, 107)

 

Sources

 

Evans, W.A. and M.O. Heckard (Chicago Dept. of Health). “The 1890 Epidemic of Influenza in Chicago and Its Influence on Mortality, 1890 to 1893 Inclusive.”  Circa 1918.  Accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1362262/pdf/amjphealth00232-0033.pdf

 

Peck, William F. History of Rochester and Monroe County, New York (Vol. 1). NY & Chicago: Pioneer Publishing Co., 1908.  Digitized by Google at:  http://books.google.com/books?id=ivssAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

 

United States Marine Hospital Service, Treasury Department. Abstract of Sanitary Reports, Vol. VI, No’s 1-52,1891.  Digitized by Google at:  http://books.google.com/books?id=ZMAsAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

 

[1] “…in April [“the epidemic of influenza or la grippe”] has apparently been the cause of 4,500 to 5,000 deaths, excess above April, 1890, all allowances being made.”  (NY Monthly Bulletin for April, in:  USMHS. Weekly…San. Rpts., V.VI, N23, 5 June 1891, 261.)

–>109 Blanchard.*
— 109 Cole (Mine Safety and Health Administration, District 4). “History of MSHA,” slide 4.
— 109 Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). 1982, p. 312.
— 109 ExplorePAhistory.com. Mammoth Mine Explosion Historical Marker. Accessed 5-21-2020.
— 109 Mine Safety & Health Admin. Historical Coal Mine Disasters in the Anthracite Region.
— 109 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC. Mining Disasters. 2010.
— 108 Pittsburg Dispatch, PA. “Not Ready To Talk. Mine Inspectors Unable…” 1-30-1891, p.1.
— 100 Simonds. The American Date Book. 1902, p. 92.
–>100 Willsey and Lewis. “Pennsylvania,” Harper’s Book of Facts. 1895, p. 619.

* While 109 was the official death toll, a reading of the Pittsburg Dispatch of Jan 30, when the death toll was thought to be 108, discloses, just after the discovery of a dead boy in the mine, that “there are undoubtedly some bodies under the debris. There are four Hungarians missing, a trapper, two diggers and a hauler…” Our experience with reporting on other mine disasters at the time and for a long time to come, was that there were at times people in mines other than those officially on the mine payroll. Fathers would bring their sons or other relatives or “subcontractors” to help, particularly when pay was based not on hours worked but on tonnage attributed to a miner. Sometimes salesmen were in a mine, etc. Thus while there may well have been exactly 109 deaths, we use the symbol “>” to indicate “at least” 109 deaths.

Narrative Information

Cole: “Congress responded [to this and other recent mine disasters] March 3, 1891 – ‘An Act for the Protection of the Lives of Miners in the Territories.’ First federal statute for mine safety. (Cole, History of MSHA, slide 4)

• Established minimum ventilation requirements at underground coal mines.
• Prohibited operators from employing children under 12 years of age.
• No Enforcement Provisions. (Cole, History of MSHA, slide 5)

Willsey: “Over 100 miners killed by an explosion of fire-damp in the shaft of Frick & Co.’s coke works, near Mt. Pleasant…27 Jan. 1891.” (Willsey. “Pennsylvania,” Harper’s Book of Facts. 1895, p. 619.)
Newspapers

Jan 27: “(From a Staff Correspondent.) Mammoth, Pa., Jan. 27. – ‘More volunteers to go down the shaft,’ yelled a grimy-faced man at the shaft entrance to the Mammoth No. 1 mine, as he flashed his torch in the countenances of the men who crowded around. There was no lack of response, for down in the bowels of the earth lay the bodies of over a hundred of their comrades.

“At 9 o’clock this morning occurred the worst disaster ever known in a bituminous coal mine in the State of Pennsylvania, if, indeed, it was ever equaled in this country. Mammoth was the scene of the catastrophe.
The Scene of the Disaster.

“At this place on the Sewickley branch of the Southwestern division of the Pennsylvania Railroad are located the mammoth mines and coke works of H. C. Frick & Co. There are two mines, No. 1 and No. 2. The form4r is entered by a shaft 107 feet deep, and the latter by a slope. The two mines are connected by interior workings.

“Gas, or fire damp, the bane of a coal miner’s life, was remarkable here for its absence. No trace of it had ever been found, and for that reason the common coal diggers’ lamp was used.

“Early in the morning Fire Boss William Smith had made his tour of the mines, in accordance with the laws of the State, and had found everything apparently in the best of order.

Going to Work for the Last Time.

“The men were ordered to work – 110 of them is estimated – and went down the pit shaft where in so short a time they were to meet their death, with laughter and with jests.

“A few minutes after 9 o’clock there was a dull rumbling sound like the dim mutterings of thunder behind distant hills, a cloud of smoke and dust shot up the shaft of Mammoth No. 1, 50 feet above the tall derrick and slowly settled down.

“For a few moments there was silence, and then the workers from Mammoth No. 2 began pouring out of the slope and rushing toward the shaft of No. 1. Many of these men had been bruised and shaken up by the force of an explosion, but none were injured seriously.

Discovery of the Deadly Fire Damp.

“Superintendent George Keighley called for volunteers, and at once 20 men stepped forward and were lowered down the shaft in the cage, which had not been injured by the explosion. When the party reached the bottom of the shaft, one glance, and the odor of the deadly fire damp was enough. Death lurked in these underground corridors. He had seized all he found there and was clamoring for more victims.

“The party returned to the top of the shaft and the ventilating fan, one of the most powerful in use at any coal mine, was at once started up at its utmost speed.

“Again Superintendent Keighley and his party descended. The force of the explosion was visible on every hand. The coal wagons used in the mines were splintered to pieces in some cases. In other places several of them had been jammed together in a solid mass. Mules were seen which had been driven against the ribs of the workings with such force that their bodies had utterly lost all semblance to the living reality. Here and there lay human bodies.

Appearances of the Human Victims.

“Some were mutilated and all were blackened by the deadly flame which had swept through the works. The bodies of those who had been killed by the effects of the explosion lay in distorted attitudes while others, who had apparently escaped the flame and concussion, but had rushed from the rooms in which they were working into the flats had succumbed to the stealthy, suffocating fire damp.

“There they were, some at full length with heads resting upon their hand as if asleep, others face downward with their heads in pools of water. One man had climbed into a wagon which had not been wrecked, and there, with his dinner bucket by his side, had laid down as if to dream of pleasant things.

“Enough had been seen for experienced miners to know that all the men in flats Nos. 2, 3 and 4 of the No. 1 Mammoth mine had perished.

Spreading the Sad Intelligence.

“General Manager Thomas Lynch at once notified the managers of the other coal mines belonging to H. C. Frick & Co., and sent messengers to Mt. Pleasant, Greensburg, Scottdale and surrounding towns for physicians. Drs. Wilson, Painter, Brown, Myers, McCormack and Clark at once responded and while they could render no aid to the dead took charge of the arrangement of the bodies, attended the rescuers who were overcome while working in the still foul mine, and helped in many instances to distinguish traces of humanity in the heaps of debris which the less-learned miners were passing unheeded. The physicians took their turns below nothing daunted by the unaccustomed danger and worked with a vim.

“….50 coffins were brought from Pittsburg, with a similar consignment to follow to-morrow….

“As soon as the mine experts had arrived a systematic plan for the recovery of the bodies was agreed upon. The first party went down the shaft to the Forrest flat No. 4. Three hundred feet from the shaft they found a wall of earth, coal wagon and human bodies which blocked further progress. This was tunneled through and the party turned off at right angles along a haulage road. At the extremity of this was found a man with his head completely blown from his body.

Some of the Rescuers Overcome.

“At this point several of the party, among them Superintendents Robert Ramsey and Laird, were overcome by the after damp, and had to be carried back to purer air. The entrance to each room opening into three flats was hastily closed with brattices to give a clearer sweep to the air being forced into the mine, and a few of them were explored.

“In the haulage road of No. 4 flat 35 bodies were found, and 15 were counted in one heap in flat No. 2. One man had both legs blown off. The body of a boy was found with a stick driven through his arm. Fire Boss W. Snaith was torn almost to pieces, and a rubber boot was found still encasing the foot and leg of a miner. The big pumps, which lift tons of water out at a time, were broken and scattered as if they had been made of straw.

The First Body Brought to Light.

“It was but a few minutes after the explosion when the first body reached the surface. It was still warm, but life was utterly extinct. The next man brought up appeared to be still breathing, but the utmost exertions of the physicians failed to resuscitate the victim.

“Then commenced the dismal procession of the dead, to which rank after rank is added as the cage comes to the surface. All day long it moved across the open lot in front of the shaft, and as the daylight faded and the darkness of night settled down upon the frowning hills the line of stretchers, almost unbroken, kept passing from the shaft to the building which had been hastily utilized as a morgue.

“The morgue is a roomy two-story frame structure, formerly used as a residence by former superintendent. It is a roomy building, and the bodies were taken into what had formerly been the sitting room. Here the undertakers with sleeves rolled up and swathed in apronts, endeavored to bring back to the maimed, scorched and blackened bodies some semblance of their former appearance.

“Then they were garbed in black shrouds and laid out on the long back porch. The porch was soon filled with bodies, 20 lying in a row at one time. The caskets were brought up, and as soon as a corpse was identified it was placed in a neat black walnut casket and the vacant place occupied by a new arrival.” (Pittsburg Dispatch, PA. “A Horror Without Parallel.” 1-28-1891, p. 1.)

Jan 28: “Mammoth, Jan. 28. – Mammoth mine No. 1 has yielded up the bodies of 107 victims of the explosion and afterdamp and 79 have been returned to the earth in the little cemetery at Scottdale. The work of the rescuers was continued with unflagging energy from within a few minutes after the explosion occurred on Tuesday morning until noon to-day. Then Superintendent Keighley came out of the mine and said: ‘We can find no more bodies. I think we have got all of them out, with perhaps the exception of one or two who may be buried under the piles of debris piled together by the force of the explosion. It will take several days to clear this away. I am going home to sleep for a few hours.’

An Inspection of the Mine.

“During the day the mine was inspected by Mine Inspectors William Jenkins, of the Second district, Davis, of the Pittsburg district, Black, of the Fourth district, and ex-Inspectors August Steinert, Captain Schoomaker and General Manager Lynch. They arrived at the conclusion that the danger was over and that within a week or 10 days work would be resumed in the mine.

“Mine Inspector Jenkins, within whose jurisdiction this mine comes, was asked for a statement this evening in regard to the accident. He said, although with some reluctance: ‘We have carried out 107 dead men, and we can see no more bodies in the mine, still there may be some there yet, buried under piles of coal and earth caused by the explosion. I only know of one mine explosion which equaled this in its fatal results, and that was at Avondale in 1869, when 109 men were killed. The mine is all right, and as soon as all the after damp is forced out through the slope of No. 2, we can start work to repair whatever damage may have been done. I could not give an explanation of all the causes leading up to the explosion….

“There is no question but that, as stated in yesterday’s dispatches, the ordinary naked lamps and not the safety ones were used by the miners in the Mammoth. The officials explain this by stating that the pit was believed to be entirely free from gas.” (Pittsburg Dispatch, PA. “A Little Gas in No. 3 Flat Found to have been the Immediate Cause of the Mammoth Horror. Just 107 Bodies Have Been Recovered…” 1-29-1891, p. 1.)

Jan 29: “(From a Staff Correspondent.). Mammoth, Pa., Jan. 29. – The frightful disaster on Tuesday will result in abolishing the torchlight from the mines of the bituminous region, and in making the use of safety lamps imperative. This is the general opinion of the miners of Mammoth, and is indorsed by Mine Inspectors William Duncan, Thomas R. Adams, James Blick and William Jenkins, and ex-Inspector Davies.

“The Mine Inspectors seemed troubled today, the mine officials were reticent, and the atmosphere was impregnated with anxiety and apprehension. Here and there about the works stood knots of gloomy men talking in undertones of a public ball held at Mammoth on Monday night…

“Mine Inspectors Blick and Adams were interviewed immediately upon their ascension from the pit this afternoon. They were very reticent, would volunteer no information and were not eager to answer direct questions. The conversation went this way: ‘Have you found the vein of gas which caused the explosion, Inspectors?’ ‘No.’

Only One Fire Boss.

“‘Is it true that on the third flat, where a pillar had been withdrawn, a big block of slate, four feet thick, had fallen from the roof and exposed the rock?’ ‘Yes; I believe it is,’ replied Inspector Blick.

“‘Doesn’t the gas in such mines as these always come from the rock?’

“‘Generally it does.’

“‘Is it still coming into the mine?’

“‘There is no gas in the mine now.’….

No Opinion to Express.

“‘Then you cannot say what caused the explosion, or whether it was the result of negligence?’

“‘No; we are here just to help Mr. Jenkins, the Inspector in this district. He will make a report to the Secretary of Internal Affairs, and I presume he will testify at the inquest on Thursday….

“The body of Andrew Loras, a Bohemian boy, was found early this morning. It was lying in the mud in the fourth flat, and had been overlooked. The falls have not yet been cleared away, and there are undoubtedly some bodies under the debris. There are four Hungarians missing, a trapper, two diggers and a hauler, and how many others may be found can only be conjectured. Several of the men around the shaft insist that there are 20 or 30 bodies still in the pit.

“The company’s clerks yesterday prepared a list, giving the names of 92 of the 108 killed. Thirty-one of the victims leave wives and families, and 61 of those identified, and probably all the unidentified, are single….” (Pittsburg Dispatch, PA. “Not Ready To Talk. Mine Inspectors Unable or Unwilling to Explain the Causes Which Led to the Mammoth Disaster.” 1-30-1891, p. 1.)

Sources

Cole, Jesse P. (MSHA District 4 Manager). “History of MSHA,” Leadership Intensive Course Mine Safety and Health Administration. No date. 48 slides. Accessed 1-11-2009 at: http://www.usmra.com/repository/category/mining/modified_History_of_MSHA.ppt#256,1

Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1982.

ExplorePAhistory.com. Mammoth Mine Explosion Historical Marker. Accessed 5-21-2020 at: https://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-2CA

Mine Safety and Health Administration. Historical Coal Mine Disasters in the Anthracite Region (District 1 – Coal Mine Safety and Health). Arlington, VA: MSHA, U.S. Department of Labor. Accessed 1-3-2009 at: http://www.msha.gov/District/Dist_01/Fatals/HISTFAT.HTM

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Safety and Health Research.. Mining Disasters (Incidents with 5 or more Fatalities). NIOSH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2-26-2013 update. Accessed at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/disall.htm
and http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/content/allminingdisasters.html

Pittsburg Dispatch, PA. “A Horror Without Parallel.” 1-28-1891, p. 1. Accessed 5-21-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/pittsburgh-dispatch-jan-28-1891-p-1/

Pittsburg Dispatch, PA. “A Little Gas in No. 3 Flat Found to have been the Immediate Cause of the Mammoth Horror. Just 107 Bodies Have Been Recovered…” 1-29-1891, p. 1. Accessed 5-21-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/pittsburgh-dispatch-jan-29-1891-p-1/

Pittsburg Dispatch, PA. “Not Ready To Talk. Mine Inspectors Unable or Unwilling to Explain the Causes Which Led to the Mammoth Disaster.” 1-30-1891, p. 1. Accessed 5-21-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/pittsburgh-dispatch-jan-30-1891-p-1/

Simonds, W. E. (Editor). The American Date Book. Kama Publishing Co., 1902, 211 pages. Google digital preview accessed 9-8-2017 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=JuiSjvd5owAC

Willsey, Joseph H. (Compiler), Charlton T. Lewis (Editor). Harper’s Book of Facts: A Classified History of the World. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1895. Accessed 9-4-2017 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=UcwGAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false