Dunreith, Indiana train derailment photographs
Collection — Folder: SP118
Identifier: SP118
Scope and Contents
This collection includes black-and-white photographs from the Indiana State Police on January 1, 1968 of a collision between two Pennsylvania Railroad trains and their subsequent derailment, near Dunreith Canning Company in Dunreith, Indiana.
Dates
- 1968/01/01
Creator
- Indiana State Police (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Historical Note
On January 1, 1968, a tank car, believed to carry acetone cyanhydrin gas, on a Pennsylvania Road freight train from Rohan and haas Chemical Company of Louisville, Kentucky blew up after sideswiping another train, resulting in the derailment of at least 27 cars in Dunreith, Indiana. It caused multiiple explosions, including one at a nearby service station and flames spread to nearby houses and the Butterfield Canning Compnay plant, the latter of which was struck by the train. Three houses and the plant were destroyed. The surrounding area was littered with popped tomato juice cans from the neighboring canning factory. The entire town of less than 300 people was evacuated and the windows in homes within a 2-block radius shattered. The chemical carried on the freight train leaked out and poisoned a nearby creek, killing several cattle and fish and the environment had to be cleaned up by before residents could return home. Investigations reveiled that an 18-inch piece of track snapped and caused the westbound train to strike the other one.
Sources:
"Fire Engulfs Indiana Town: Periled Home Emptied." Indianapolis Star, January 2, 1968, 1, 4. Accessed November 13, 2021. ProQuest.
"Fire-Scarred Dunreith Paralyzed by Threat of Deadly Tank Cargo." Indianapolis Star, January 3, 1968, 1, 15. Accessed November 13, 2021. ProQuest.
"Today's Pictures." Indianapolis Star, January 3, 1968, 38. Accessed November 13, 2021. ProQuest.
Sources:
"Fire Engulfs Indiana Town: Periled Home Emptied." Indianapolis Star, January 2, 1968, 1, 4. Accessed November 13, 2021. ProQuest.
"Fire-Scarred Dunreith Paralyzed by Threat of Deadly Tank Cargo." Indianapolis Star, January 3, 1968, 1, 15. Accessed November 13, 2021. ProQuest.
"Today's Pictures." Indianapolis Star, January 3, 1968, 38. Accessed November 13, 2021. ProQuest.
Extent
0.01 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged by subject.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 2021/11/13 by Brittany Kropf. EAD finding aid revised 2021/11/13 by Brittany Kropf.
Creator
- Indiana State Police (Organization)
- Title
- Dunreith, Indiana train derailment photographs
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
