Detroit Free Press March 29, 1953
The headline read “AMMO TRAIN BLOWS UP”. A day after one of the biggest ammunition train explosions in history. Newspapers from all over the united states including life magazine published stories about this tragic event.
Column From Detroit Free Press
Lewis In. formerly know as Centerville, on the far southeast corner of Vigo County, in Indiana. At the time of this explosion there were 275 residents of Lewis. Over a hundred of the residents were attending an Eastern Star Installation at the Masonic hall. Lucky for them they were well away from the explosion.
Masonic Hall 2013
Paul Morse, the man they called Paul Revere after the crash, lived about 2 blocks from where the track separated and the train exploded. His parents also lived the same distance, but on the other side of the tracks. After getting his wife and two kids to safety, Paul rushed around and warned the neighbors. All the newspapers Detroit Free Press, New York Times, Palm Beach Post, and the St. Petersburg Times, reported that Paul lost his parents, but Life Magazine states they had just left for the filling station. Goldie died a couple of years later in 1955 and Mollie in 1974. Paul had passed away in 1982.
train explosion survivors
Morse, Paul E 1982
We will never really know how many lives he saved.
There was another train crash the day before in Pennsylvania, that involved three trains. At least 22 people killed. That wreck, was caused by an 18 in round pipe, 35 ft long that had bent a rail on another set of tracks, being used by a westbound passenger train. They never saw it coming. The passenger train was reportedly racing over 80 miles per hour when it hit the bent rail. The passenger train crashed directly into the freight train. A moment later another train slammed into the wreckage also running 80 mph. Here is a link to The Youngstown Vindicator who carried the story.http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wLs_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=lVcMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2243%2C3247861 You will find both stories on that site. It s a wonder how only 22 people lost their life.
http://books.google.com/books?id=4kgEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PA53#v=onepage&q&f=true
The above link is to Google books where you can find April 13 1953 Life Magazine with a feature story about the explosion. As I am writing thiis post, I am finding out more and more information,and i feel like I need to do some more research. Definitely watch for the next post !!!!
Love your site. Thank you for taking the time. I’ll check again to see what’s new and inform my people about your posting.
Thanks alot for leavin a comment ,glad to know someones reading. By the way i added a link to your site, if you want to return the favor that be great !
Mom, Grandma and Grandpa were at the crossing on the way home after church. Mom was worried about Paul’s (Mugg’s) son Bobby. Aunt Olive, Sue and Cheryl lived diagonal to the lodge across the state road. Grandma and Grandpa Scamihorn lived just northeast of town and fought their way into town to make sure they were all right. Uncle Bud was deployed in the navy at the time. Funny, there’s about as many houses left in town now as there was after the explosion. Every once in a while someone still digs up a shell and they have to get an ordinace team out to disarm it.
I’ve been a little busy and wasn’t able to tell you thanks for your input. There are so many different versions of what happened, that I wanted to spend a lot more time researching and I plan on writing a few more stories about it.