Erie Railroad - Rittman, Ohio Accident, June 4, 1918

From the June 4, 1918 Issue of the Marion Daily Star:

(Portions of the newspaper was illegible)
Erie Railroad Men from Marion and Negro Porter Killed in Rittman Crash
Six men were killed, five of them from Marion, this morning, when an empty equipment train crashed into a light engine, No. 4027, about one-half mile west of Rittman near Sterling. Cause of the wreck was due to mistake in train orders.

Killed were: Charles Wolfe, conductor on the equipment train; William Shelton, brakeman on the equipment train; W.F. Evans, engineer on the equipment train; James H. Henry, fireman on the light engine; Clyde F. Boyer, fireman on the equipment train; a negro porter on the tourist train, whose name is not known.

William Smith of Galion, engineer on the light engine, was badly injured. Boyer, the only one of the six men who was not killed instantly, died on the way to a hospital at Wadsworth. He was terribly scalded about the head.

Sauders (sp.), the operator at Silver Creek, is said to have received orders to allow the equipment train which was coming from the east with empty troop coaches to proceed as far as Rittman, which is three miles east of Sterling.

Mistake is Fatal
In making out a copy of the order for Engineer Evans, the operator at Silver Creek, by mistake, is alleged to have changed the name Rittman to Sterling.

Evans received this order, and proceeded with his train towards Sterling. The light engine, No. 4027, had cut loose from its train at Sterling and had gone to Silver Creek for water. It was backing west toward Sterling, when near Rittman it was struck by the equipment train and knocked several hundred feet down the track.

The Marion wrecking crew was called out shortly after the accident to clear the track which was torn up for several hundred feet near the collision. Because of this all the Erie trains have been forced to detour at Sterling and Akron over the Baltimore & Ohio tracks.

Employed Many Years
Charles Wolf was 48 years old and had been employed by the Erie for the past twenty-five years. He moved from Galion to Marion about six years ago. Mr. Wolf is survived by a widow and one son, Herbert, aged seventeen years, of Marion, and a brother, George Wolf, of Mansfield.

W.F. Evans, aged fifty-four years, had seen service with the Erie for about thirty-two years. Besides a widow, he leaves three sons, Russell, aged thirteen years, Charles, aged eight years, one daughter, Jane, aged three years, one brother, Charles Evans of Galion, and two sisters, Mrs. Jackson Schaffer, of Mansfield, and Mrs. Florence Phelps, of Summerfield, Florida.

Former Yardmaster
William H. Shelton, aged thirty-eight years, was for thirteen years yardmaster for the Big Four railroad. Two years ago he was employed by the Erie. He had been a resident of Marion for about eighteen years. He is survived by a widow, one son, James William, aged eleven years; one daughter, Alice, aged four years; his mother, Mrs. Jane Shelton of Broadway; two sisters, Mrs. Jennie Truitt, of West Jefferson; Mrs. Mary Stevens of Broadway; and four brothers: Charles Shelton of New Carlisle; John E. Shelton and Grant Shelton, of Broadway; and Bert Shelton, of Marion.

Clyde F. Boyer, twenty-six years of age, had been with the Erie for the past three years. He is survived by a widow; an uncle, John Boyer, of Columbus; and two brothers and three sisters, residing near Lancaster. Mrs. Boyer went early this morning to Wadsworth where her husband was taken following the accident.

Eyes Scalded Out
Mr. Boyer's eyes were said to have been scalded out and he ran several hundred yards across the fields before he was caught and rushed on a relief train to Wadsworth.

James H. Henry was about twenty-eight years old. He leaves a widow and a baby. He had been employed by the Erie for the past four years.

The bodies of the men were taken to an undertaking establishment at Wadsworth this morning.

Report Denied
A report which circulated this afternoon that the body of another negro porter was found in the wreck was denied by the Erie station agent at Wadsworth.

Claybourne V. Hudson, a flagman on train No. 4027, who was reported to have been killed or seriously injured in the wreck, was uninjured, according to word which has been received by his family on Mary Street.

W.S. Smith, the Galion engineer who was seriously injured in the collision, was taken to his home at Galion this morning on train No. 3. His condition is quite critical.

The bodies of the five Marion men will be brought here tonight at 12 o'clock on train No. 7. A probe will be started at once to fix the blame for the wreck, it was announced this afternoon.

From the June 5, 1918 Issue of the Marion Daily Star:

Five Funerals Here Thursday
Marion Rail Victims Will Have Separate Services -- Bodies Arrive From Wadsworth Last Night -- C.W. Hudson Sole Survivor of His Train Crew -- Fateful Order Secured from Body of Dead Engineer by Trainman -- Dead Porter's Body is Shipped to Chicago
The bodies of the five Marion victims of yesterday's tragedy, when Erie tourist equipment train, No. 3153, crashed into a light engine, No. 4027, a short distance west of Rittman near Sterling about 4:30 a.m., were brought to this city last night from Wadsworth on Erie train No. 7, which arrived here at 11:27 o'clock. The funerals will all be held tomorrow from the homes of the men, where the bodies were taken today.

The funeral of Charles Wolfe, a conductor on the equipment train, will be held from the residence, No. 435 S. Prospect St., at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, Rev. H.J. Herber of the First Reformed church officiating. The remains will be taken to Mansfield over the Erie on No. 16 at 1:10 p.m. and short services willl be held at the cemetery at that place for the friends there. The services at the grave will be in charge of the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen of Marion.

Services for William H. Shelton, a brakeman on the equipment train, will be held at the home, No. 133 E. Farming Street, tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 o'clock. Rev. O.A. Lang of Columbus, former pastor of the Greenwood Evangelical church, and Rev. A.F. Beery, the present pastor, will conduct the services. Burial will be made in the Marion cemetery. Kosciesko Lodge No. 58, IOOF, will hold services at the house.

In Marion Mausoleum
The body of W.F. Evans, engineer on the equipment train, will be placed in the Marion mausoleum following the funeral services at the residence, No. 606 Center Street, tomorrow afternoon at 4 o'clock. Dr. Jesse Swank will conduct the services.

The funeral of James W. Henry, a fireman on the light engine, will be held at the home on Park Boulevard tomorrow afternoon at 6 o'clock, following which burial will be made in the Marion cemetery.

Services for Clyde S. Boyer, a fireman on the equipment train, will be held from the home, no. 420 Windsor Street, tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock. Rev. M.I. Powell, pastor of the English Lutheran church, will conduct the services and burial will be made in the Marion cemetery.

The dead porter, whose name was Cullen, lived in Chicago, where his body was shipped today by an undertaker at Wadsworth. Cullen was found sitting in a seat in one of the coaches in a natural position as though nothing had happened. There were fifteen colored porters on the equipment train.

Only One of the Crew
Several hours before the bodies of the five trainmen arrived in Marion, Claybourne V. Hudson, flagman on the troop train and the only member of the entire crew of the equipment train left to tell the story of the terrible accident, returned to his home on Mary Street. Hudson was uninjured. At the time of the crash he was in the caboose which was fourteen cars from the engine. Hudson today said he is not sure whether Conductor Wolf and Brakeman Shelton were riding in the engine or in the first coach at the time of the crash. The first coach, it is said, slid underneath the engine when the collision occurred, and was demolished.

John Shipley, of west Church Street, who was a brakeman on the train pulled by the light engine, was riding in the engine when the collision occurred. He jumped when he saw the trains were going to hit, thus probably saving his life. He suffered a badly sprained foot and slightly wrenched his back in jumping. It was his first trip as brakeman.

Condition Still Serious
W.E. Smith, of Galion, who was engineer on the light engine, No. 4027, is still in serious condition. he was removed to his home after the accident. Smith tried to reverse his engine but when he saw the crash was inevitable he and brakeman Shipley jumped. Fireman Henry did not jump soon enough and was killed when the engines met. Smith was badly bruised about the body and probably injured internally.

Delton (?) Drake, student fireman, residing on Patterson Street, who was hurled out of the engine, arrived home late Tuesday. He was badly bruised about the legs and back and sustained a bad cut in the forehead. His condition is quite serious, suffering mainly from the shock.

After the wreck one of the trainmen secured the order off the dead body of Conductor Wolf. The orders told him to proceed to Sterling which verifies the alleged report that the operator at Silver Creek by mistake had changed the name of Rittman to Sterling. Engineer Smith of the light engine had orders to take his engine to Rittman which is east of Sterling.

Recalls Another Tragedy
It was learned today that engine No. 3153, which had pulled the troop train, was the same locomotive which hauled the caboose in which Walter E. Gillis, John Diday and Charles Kyler, Marion trainmen, lost their lives in a wreck December 14, 1916.

The troop train was running light to Chicago where it was to take aboard a load of soldiers for transport east. The tracks at the scene of the wreck were cleared yesterday afternoon about 2 o'clock by the Marion wrecking crew. Both engines and one coach left the track.

W.J. English, Superintendent of the Kent Division of the Erie, of Marion, and Assistant Superintendent H.H. Adams, of Kent, visited the wreck yesterday afternoon and are conducting an investigation.

The Interstate Commerce Commission investigation of this accident is available online.

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