Purdue Wreck
Encyclopedia
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, 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 October 31, 1903, that killed 17 people, including 14 players on the Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
football team.
Two special trains operated by the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, also known as the Big Four Railroad and commonly abbreviated CCC&StL, was a railroad company in the Midwestern United States....
(the "Big Four Railroad") were chartered to carry over 1,500 passengers from Lafayette
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
to Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
for the annual Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
/ Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
rivalry
Old Oaken Bucket
The Old Oaken Bucket is the name of the trophy that is annually awarded to the winner of the Big Ten Conference college football game between Indiana University and Purdue University. It is one of the oldest football trophies in the nation...
football game. It was to be played for the first time at a "neutral" field at Washington Park
Washington Park (Indianapolis)
Washington Park was the name of two different minor league baseball parks in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the early 1900s. They were used primarily by the Indianapolis Indians before that club moved to Perry Stadium in 1931.The first Washington Park was at 3001 East Washington Street...
in Indianapolis. Seventeen passengers in the first coach were killed when the lead special collided with a coal train after rounding a curve near 18th Street in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. Thirteen of the dead were members of the Purdue football team. A fourteenth player died of his injuries in November 1903. Due to a breakdown in communication, the crew of the coal train was never notified the specials were approaching. They backed their train onto the main line just before the lead special arrived. The engineer of the special was able to throw the engine into reverse, set the brake, and jump clear of his engine, but he was not able to prevent the collision. As survivors of the wreck, including Purdue University President Winthrop E. Stone
Winthrop E. Stone
Winthrop Ellsworth Stone was a professor of chemistry and served as the president of Purdue University from 1900-1921.Born in Chesterfield, New Hampshire, to Frederick L...
, comforted the injured and dying, others ran back up the track to stop the next special 10 minutes behind, thereby preventing an even greater tragedy.
One of the passengers was future Governor of Indiana
Governor of Indiana
The Governor of Indiana is the chief executive of the state of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term, and responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government. The governor also shares power with other statewide...
Harry G. Leslie
Harry G. Leslie
Harry Guyer Leslie was a Indiana Republican Party politician, speaker of the state house and the 33rd Governor of the state. His term as governor was marked by the start of the Great Depression.-Family and education:...
. While at Purdue, Leslie was captain of both the school's football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
teams and became one of the school's "immortal" players. As one of the school's star players, his team was on course to win the state championship in 1903. During the collision, one member of the team miraculously landed on his feet and was unharmed after being thrown out a window. The other eighteen boys, including Leslie, were pronounced dead at the scene and taken to the morgue.
A few hours later at the morgue, as the morticians prepared to embalm his body, they discovered he still had a pulse and immediately rushed him to the hospital. Barely alive, he needed several operations and edged on death for several weeks. His recovery was slow, but he eventually regained his health, although he walked with the aid of a cane for the remainder of his life. He returned to school at the end of 1904 and after another year he graduated with a degree in law. His survival of the Purdue Wreck received significant attention across the state and he became a famous folk hero.
Memorial Gymnasium (renamed Felix Haas Hall in 2006) was constructed in 1909 on the Purdue University campus to honor the memory of those who perished. The stairway leading to the front door has one step for each of the victims. To mark the centennial of the Wreck in 2003, a tunnel in Purdue's Ross-Ade Stadium
Ross-Ade Stadium
Ross–Ade Stadium is a stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States. It is the home of the Purdue University Boilermakers football team.-History:...
was dedicated to the victims. The Purdue football team passes through the tunnel at the beginning and end of each home game.
Although the section of railroad no longer exists, satellite photographs still show traces of the rail bed leading to the accident site. Interstate highway 65 crosses the accident site. It is bounded on the north by W 21st St, on the south by W 16th St, on the east by Senate Blvd., and on the west by W Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St., W 18th St., and Mill St. The rail bed enters the site from the northwest. After crossing W Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. just south of W 21st St, the rail bed begins a turn to the south until reaching Interstate 65. Beyond this point, the rail bed is no longer visible. A map of Indianapolis from 1916 shows the tracks continued south across W 16th St. at Lafayette St., then along Lafayette St. into the downtown area to Union Station. Other than Interstate 65, current prominent landmarks at the site are Methodist Hospital to the east and the Peerless Pump factory to the north.