South Bend train wreck
Encyclopedia
The South Bend Train Wreck (known also as the Great Mishawaka Train Wreck) occurred on June 27, 1859 between Mishawaka
and South Bend
in Indiana
on the Michigan Southern Railroad
killing 42 people and injuring 50 more.
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
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". 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.
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, though some sources estimate the death toll as much as 60 or 70.
The site of the accident is close to the present intersection of Ironwood Road and Lincoln Way West.
Mishawaka, Indiana
Mishawaka is a city on the St. Joseph River and a Twin city of South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 48,252 as of the 2010 Census...
and South Bend
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
on the Michigan Southern Railroad
Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway
The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, sometimes referred to as the Lake Shore, was a major part of the New York Central Railroad's Water Level Route from Buffalo, NY to Chicago, primarily along the south shore of Lake Erie and across northern Indiana...
killing 42 people and injuring 50 more.
The train concerned was the Night Express from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to Toledo
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
carrying about 150 passengers. Just before midnight it was crossing an embankment known as the Springbrook bridge
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". 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.
One body was found in the St. Joseph River
St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan)
The St. Joseph River is a river, approximately long, in southern Michigan and northern Indiana in the United States. It drains a primarily rural farming area in the watershed of Lake Michigan...
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, though some sources estimate the death toll as much as 60 or 70.
The site of the accident is close to the present intersection of Ironwood Road and Lincoln Way West.