- South Bend train wreck
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South Bend Train Wreck 
Wood engraved view of wreck from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, New York, dated July 16, 1859 Details Date June 27, 1859 Time Just before midnight Location between Mishawaka and South Bend, Indiana Country United States Rail line Operator Michigan Southern Railroad Type of incident Embankment washed away Cause Blocked culvert Statistics Trains 1 Passengers 150 Deaths 42 Injuries 50 The South Bend Train Wreck (known also as the Great Mishawaka Train Wreck[1]) occurred on June 27, 1859 between Mishawaka and South Bend in Indiana on the Michigan Southern Railroad killing 42 people and injuring 50 more[2].
The train concerned was the Night Express from Chicago to Toledo carrying about 150 passengers. Just before midnight it was crossing an embankment known as the Springbrook bridge[3] over a 25 feet deep ravine at a speed of 10 to 20 mph when the embankment collapsed, plunging the entire train into a torrent of water, drowning many. According to the Chicago Journal "The engine was literally buried in the opposite side of the ravine in qucksand and mud, and the tender, baggage and express car, and two second class cars, were shattered almost into kindling wood, and piled on top of the engine. The two first class passenger cars followed, and were torn to pieces and carried down the stream, while the sleeping car, although making the leap with the rest was less injured".[4] There had been extreme rainfall in the area the previous afternoon and evening and it is thought that the culvert beneath the embankment became blocked causing build-up of water behind the embankment which collapsed as the train was crossing. The westbound train had passed over safely at 8.30 p.m.[4]
One body was found in the St. Joseph River a mile beneath the creek; other bodies were discovered buried completely in sand and a week after the accident the death toll was 41 persons[5], though some sources estimate the death toll as much as 60 or 70[6].
The site of the accident is close to the present intersection of Ironwood Road and Lincoln Way West[1].
References
- ^ a b http://www.mishawakacity.com/timeline Mishawaka's History Timeline
- ^ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=S7t8DW4iYDMC&pg=PA143&lpg=PA143&dq=Railroad+Wrecks+by+Edgar+A.+Haine&source=bl&ots=Tcn7fb3u4K&sig=z2ZYGUOLEOSdWqL317zu-x8F-BQ&hl=en&ei=atssTJiLOpCmsQbH_a2nAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false Railroad Wrecks by Edgar A. Haine
- ^ Railroad Wrecks by Edgar A. Haine, p99-100, publ 1993. ISBN 0-8453-4844-2
- ^ a b http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~instjose/disasters/train_wreck_june_1859.htm Chicago Journal
- ^ http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~instjose/disasters/train_wreck_june_1859.htm Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, IA 4 Jul 1859
- ^ http://www3.gendisasters.com/indiana/10900/south-bend-in-railroad-disaster-july-1859 Chicago Times, June 29
External links
Coordinates: 41°39′25″N 86°12′58″W / 41.65694°N 86.21611°W
Categories:- Railway accidents in 1859
- Railway accidents in the United States
- 1859 in Indiana
- Disasters in Indiana
- Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway
- South Bend, Indiana
- Rail transportation in Indiana
- Washouts
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