The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1864-06-09

aster. Happily, and almost miraculously,
they were few. The Engineer, JOHN DURF,
of Milwaukee, the Fireman. LOUIS WARREN,
also of Milwaukee; U. s. Express Messenger,
7. K1TTRIDGE, of Chicago and train boy
- RIDER, also of Chicago, were soon extri-
Gated, and proved to be the only persons Sc
riously injured. They were badly bruised
and scalded. At this writing, Tuesday morn
ing, two of the unfortunate men-the Engi
neer and Fireman, have been relieved, by
death, of their suferings. They died the,
night after the accident. The express mes
senger lies in a critical condition. The inju-
ries of the train boy, are severe but it is
thought they are not likely to prove fatal.
TO return to the accident. The train as
usual, was going slowly as it came to the
bridge, and had gone nearly the length of
the train upon it, when from some cause
the engine, run off the track The Engineer
as the engine made the plunge, gave one
scream Of the whistle to put on the brakes,
but the train moved slowly on. The bridge
here was abouttwenty feet from the ground.
The Baggage car followed the engine and
tender off the bridge and pitched over and
beyond it being, literally smashed to pieces.
| The Mail Agent came down in In this Car
among the ruins, but received no serious in
jury, further than slight cut overthe eye.
The Express car pitched off and came
down on top Of the engine and tender and
the baggage car that preceded it. This car
was also badly smashed Next to this was the
emigrant car, filled with about one hundred
emigrants, mostly German, on their way to
Minnesota. The forward end of this car
pitched off but was held from falling by the
coupling, the forward end resting on the
ruins below. And there it hung, not perpen-
dicularly but at an angle of about forty five
degrees, with its freight of human beings
thus suspended on the brink of eternity. So
terrified and crazed were the occupants of
this car by the shock, that it was with
difficulty they were induced to come out at
the back door and get back into the next
car which was standing safe upon the track
They were all finally extricated with few
injuries save some slight bruises. One wo-
man and her infant child, only a few days
old were so severely injured that the child
has since died. Had this car broken it's cou-
ping and fallen in the general crash, there
must have been terrible addition to the
list of casualties. The escape was almost
providential.
The 100 day soldiers of Co. c. were all in
the next car, a second class passen niger and
smoking car. Some of them jumped out of
the windows AMI off the platfor m, down the
embankment, and thus received some slight
bruises. The rear passenger car broke its
coupling and was thrown back on the track
several feet in the shock, but doing no other
damage.
A crowd of our citizens were Oh the ground
rendering all the assistance possible. The
wounded were carried on doors to the near
est residence where their wounds were dres
sed and the best medical assistance procured
at once. Their friends may rest assured that
they were tenderly and assiduously taken
care of. The Fireman, Engineer, and express
Messenger were taken to the house occupied
by Mrs. A. H. Daniels, and the train boy
was taken to the residence of Mrs. Cooper
There are as usual, conflicting theories as
to the cause of the accident. The driving
wheels of the locomotive seem to have been
thrown off first, by some obstruction, some
say large stone lying in the sand on one of
the ties, others by an accumulation of sand be-
tween the rails by the wind, 1t is difficult to
arrive at the truth. If it was stone it must
have been placed there, by design and fora
purpose. But we are 10th to believe we have
a person wicked enough, in this community,
to commit such an outrageous and bar
barous crime. On the other hand, it seems
hardly possible that the sand should accu-
mulate in a short time in such quantities,
and become so closely packed, as to throw
the engine off the rails. Which ever one of
these theories may be the correct one, it is
certain that nothing of the bridge or road
bed gave way. The engine must have run
twenty feet over the ties before it went off
the bridge, and yet the trestle work was as
firm and mistaken as before the accident
The west end of the cross ties were broken
and smashed, and three rails torn up, and
one of them bent almost double, but the
bridge gave no token of weakness, well at
testing the strength and excellence of its
material and tructure.
This is the FIRST serious accident-almost
the first Of any kind-that has ever occurred
on this road since it was opened; period of
over ten years. During the most of that
time, four to six regular trains have been
run over the road daily; and such has been
the earefulness and caution of the manage
ment of the road that fatal accident has new
er before happened. There is no other road il
the country that can show such record
Nor has the vigilance or carefulness relaxed
This accident if not the result of design, was
one of those fortuitous circumstances thai
will sometimes occur in spite of the great
est care and watchfulness. The very fac
that the accident was no worse--not " hole
sale slaughter, such as we frequently read o
was owing entirely to the great care will
which trains are run on the road. The trair
was going so slow that it was under the con