Kipton in Lorain County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Great Kipton Train Wreck
August 6, 2016
1. Great Kipton Train Wreck Marker
Inscription.
Great Kipton Train Wreck. . On April 19, 1891, a head-on collision between two trains of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway occurred at the Kipton depot. Eight people lost their lives, and the depot was heavily damaged. The crash occurred when a fast mail train heading east near Kipton and a passenger train going west from Elyria collided. The passenger train was supposed to let the mail train go by, but the conductor had not realized that his watch had stopped for four minutes and then restarted. As a result the passenger train was late getting to the stopping point. Looking into the matter, the railway company enlisted Webb C. Ball, a well-known Cleveland jeweler, to investigate time and watch conditions throughout its lines. Ball instituted the current railroad industry's timekeeping program, which specified watches trainmen could use. His attention to accuracy and promptness led to the well-known saying, "Get on the Ball"
On April 19, 1891, a head-on collision between two trains of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway occurred at the Kipton depot. Eight people lost their lives, and the depot was heavily damaged. The crash occurred when a fast mail train heading east near Kipton and a passenger train going west from Elyria collided. The passenger train was supposed to let the mail train go by, but the conductor had not realized that his watch had stopped for four minutes and then restarted. As a result the passenger train was late getting to the stopping point. Looking into the matter, the railway company enlisted Webb C. Ball, a well-known Cleveland jeweler, to investigate time and watch conditions throughout its lines. Ball instituted the current railroad industry's timekeeping program, which specified watches trainmen could use. His attention to accuracy and promptness led to the well-known saying, "Get on the Ball"
Erected 2005 by The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 24-47.)
41° 16.028′ N, 82° 18.306′ W. Marker is in Kipton, Ohio, in Lorain County. Marker can be reached from Ohio Route 511, 0.1 miles west of Ohio Route 511. It is located in the Kipton Community Park which is in Lorain County in northeast, Ohio. It can be seen best from the North Coast Inland Trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 57-63 Rosa Street, Kipton OH 44049, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 27, 2018. It was originally submitted on August 6, 2016. This page has been viewed 1,889 times since then and 232 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on August 6, 2016. 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 24, 2018. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
