Springfield Republican, December 25, 1883, p. 5. FROM THE WEST A Serious Railroad Accident Near Salem, Indiana The bridge over Blue River on the Louisville, New Albany and Chicago Railroad about a mile and a half south of Salem, Indiana was undermined by the water yesterday and a southbound passenger train went down with it. Baggage master Charles Sanford of New Albany, Indiana, and Rev. Jacob Helfrich, 70, of New Albany, were killed and several other passengers are missing and believed to be dead. John Vaughn, the engineer of New Albany, the fireman and eight others were hurt. The train was running at the rate of 40 miles an hour when it reached the bridge. The locomotive crossed safely, but the baggage and mail car, the express car and the smoking car, plunged into the stream. The women's and buffet car remains on the track. The portion of the train not submerged caught fire and in less than half an hour the whole train was consumed. Engineer Vaughn was so seriously hurt that he cannot live. Rough, the fireman, was slightly hurt. Baggage master Sanford was wedged into his car by the baggage and drowned. Rev. Jacob Helfrich was burned to death. A passenger from Quincy, Ill., who got on at Salem, and two from Chicago who were going to Louisville to work at street paving, are among the missing. Four unrecognizable bodies have been taken from the wreck. The wounded were taken to hotels. Their names could not be learned. Two others are believed to be fatally hurt. The loss to the company is estimated at $35,000.