31 Oct 1903
Page 1
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Newspaper
Indianapolis Sun
Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
Date
Oct 31, 1903
Page
1
A Purdue football team train wreck in Indianapolis left many injured and the killed nearly all Purdue players. The incident sparked widespread concern as officials and teams prepared for responses and safety reviews.
A list of deceased individuals including Furr from Covington substitute player and Hamilton and Hamilton of Purdue football, along with others such as Wallace Roush and M’Clure, trainer for Purdue, all reported as having died at City Hospital. The fragmentary notice names several students and locals from Indiana and surrounding states.
A roster of injured players and others from Purdue and nearby towns shows multiple football players with broken legs and serious wounds. Names include W H Leslie, H W Wright, Holter, L E Rush, Joe Knapp, Charles Tangeman, Captain Osborne, with several others listed as bruised or injured in a recent incident.
A Purdue student special crashed into a rear freight train in Indianapolis causing multiple deaths and many injuries. Police and volunteers aided the wounded as hospitals reported grim injuries including a leg and skull fracture and possible brain injury. Team members reacted by changing colors to mourners as officials fought to control the scene and restore traffic.
New liner advertisements today include Wanted ads for Asenta and Rolichara, a sale listing for a house, Women wanted, Rooms for rent, Housekeeper wants position, Blacksmith wanted, Uri wanted, and a note to read all liners on the ninth page Bee.
A catastrophic collision on the Chicago division near Eighteenth Street pits passenger coaches against a freight train. Engine and cars derailed, many killed in the front coaches, while bystanders and rescuers rush to aid amid dust, debris, and makeshift hospitals.
A 2 p m canvass counted 99 injured receiving care. City hospital reported at least four seriously wounded likely to die. St Vincent's admitted 11 injured, some not fatally hurt. Deaconess had one patient with both legs broken and a head injury, expected to recover.
Survivors among students recounts of a wreck where a bloodstained suitcase and a rug lay by the bank. A football covered in liquor was found near the scene and students carried the ball to Merit, placing it beside clothing as they fled.
A Sun reporter arrived at the scene and immediately began listing injured names while Purdue students urged speed for medical aid. The emphasis on saving lives outweighed rush to publish. Doctors were summoned promptly, underscoring the belief that human life matters more than headlines.
Dr William Bryan president of Indiana University and Athletic Director James Horne said they were overwhelmed by the awful catastrophe. Captain Ora Clevenger expressed that the news was awful and hard to comprehend.
News of a terrible train wreck in Indianapolis triggers intense public concern as families seek word on loved ones. The Sun's extra rushes to publish names of the dead and injured while newsboys and presses struggle to meet demand.
A Purdue team wreck left one player dead and multiple others injured or bruised. Key figures Walter Hamilton and J Kopp suffered severe or life threatening injuries while several teammates endured serious contusions and possible internal injuries.
Purdue University President Stone was aboard the wrecked train and was four or five cars back, not feeling the shock much. He went from the scene to city hospitals to check on injured students and recalled that he was on board but far back to notice the crash.
Fireman Irvin testified he could not see the freight cars ahead as the Purdue special passenger train wrecked on a main track after hitting coal cars at about 20 miles an hour. He recalled Engineer Shoemaker reversing the lever to brake, and both men failed to see the obstructing cars before the crash. Irvin wept near the wreckage as workers searched for the dead, and he suffered leg palm injuries before being taken to St Vincente hospital assisted by a SUN reporter.
A sub-guard named Furr was found dead beneath the engine tender of the firm team. His head was badly mashed when recovered. William Kaytor, a team manager, acted in the incident’s aftermath. During debt-clearing, Furr’s gold watch, still running at 1520.0, was recovered at the scene.
Coroner Tutewiler arrived at the wreck site and criticized the bodies being taken to separate undertakers. He insisted the county morgue at the police station was the proper place until he could examine them. Footage of the scene moved the boys to tears after W. H. Gryba's body was found.
A severed arm was found in the Big Four wreck debris shortly before 2 p.m. Saturday. Officials believed more bodies were buried beneath the wreckage as searchers continued at the site. A newsboy aboard the train had vanished since the catastrophe, and reports noted apples candy and other belongings scattered nearby.
Fully $4000 had been paid by football admirers for tickets to the big game on Saturday afternoon. Reserved and box seats contributed to the total, bleachers and other admissions would push receipts beyond $8000. After expenses, each team was expected to clear about $3000. It would have been Indianapolis first large sum in years, with Washington Park poised for a record crowd.
A Sun reporter recalls the last moments of wounded players at a football field described as a battlefield. Walter Bailey of New Richmond Indiana dies after refusing help for others and urging teammates to continue. The piece portrays calm courage amid severe injuries and dying teammates with vivid, graphic details.
The Sun proposes that about 4.00 worth of advance tickets be not refunded. The remaining 3,500 should go to Purdue University to aid doctors, cover expenses of the injured, and help funeral costs. The suggestion aims to ease suffering for those affected by the Indianapolis tragedy.
Report from Washington Park details a Purdue football team wreck with 42 players aboard. Dr J H Ford, chief surgeon of the Big Four, led hospital visits and gathered injury names. The disaster forces cancellation of the Indiana game and all remaining Purdue fixtures this season.
Forecast for Indianapolis and vicinity for the next 36 hours ending 8 pm November 1 shows showers Saturday night and Sunday. Morning temperature at 7 am is 46 degrees. At noon it rises to 64 and 2 pm to 66 with showers continuing in Indiana and adjacent states and variable winds.
A fragmentary society note describes a rough event at a circus or fair where a 209 pound female spectator and a colored heavyweight ear performer interact. The text is garbled but mentions weight, eye glasses, and a jewelry importer, suggesting a chaotic, tabloid style scene with unnamed locals and vendors.
Police raided Mike Toomey’s poolroom on Saturday at 2:15 p.m. and shut the business down. Captain Hyland and Sergeant Corrigan led the operation with four bikers and three detectives assisting, as Superintendent Kruger vowed the place would be closed for good.
The missing Purdue University physics department head Prof Ferry is feared dead under debris after a possible train incident near West Lafayette. In Rochester, three local labor leaders and one national figure surrendered to face indictments for conspiracy and coercion. Local ads and business names appear in garbled remnants.
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