The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1872-12-27
Loss of Life at the Centre
street Fire in N. Y.
Great Snow Storms East,
South and in the
Rocky Noun
tains.
Other Items, Etc.

lars Of the Goose Greek railroad disaster
The cars turned completely over and bot
tom side up, and fell perpedicularly to the
ground, distance of twenty feet. When
the cars struck. the trucks crushed through |
the bottoms of them and as the stoves
Of the passenger cars were directly under |
the trucks they were crushed to pieces |
and Immediately the woodwork of the cars !
took fire OF torty-six people known to |
have been in two cars but one escaped un- |
injured, namely, brakeman on the pas
senger coach who jumped clear off the |
cars as they were falling. The woodwork |
Of the passenger Car, thickly coated with |
varnish, burned freely and before anything |
could be done by the force at hand to pre- |
vent it the flames enyeloped both ends Of
the car and crept rapidly toward the cen
tire. Penned in at this time with no posi-
BILE chance to extricate themselves were
forty three adult passengers, the conductor
and one child. OF those seated in the
ends of the car none escaped, but help ar
irving about twenty-five dead and living
were taken out of the centre of it and the
flames were extinguished, or more correct
ly speaking, went out for lack of anything
further to feed upon. The roll foots up as
follows: Saved, all more or less injured.
I IL utdA- ~ ullSstilG Q. i lit uttu Will
four exceptions were burned so as TO be
unrecognizable from the features and there
are but three that could possibly be identi-
/ fed from shreds of clothing adhering to the
roasted flesh Five were headless and
without limbs The remaining ones had
/ the flesh all burned off the extermities.
! The eight missing are supposed to have
/ been completely consumed and there are
pieces Of skulls, watches and the ike sut-
/ fcient TO partially justify such belief
Four others are known to have been on
the train, namely Catharine Kelly, Ryan
and Mr. and Mrs Wilbur, F. Rice, all of
Titusville, Pennsylvania. 1t is thought
they will be identified tomorrow as friends
are here for that purpose. The case of
the last named is a peculiarly sad one
Mr.. Rice was the only son of James Rice
a leading citizen Of Titusville, and his wife
the ouly daughter Of Austin Jackson. Of
Rochester New York They were married
on the 9Th of this month and were on the
way II Rochester 10 spend Christmas.
Judging from the clothing, baggage and
appearance Of those coming In identify
them number of the dead belonged to
the lower classes. The bodies are laid out
in the freight house and viii be kept sew
eral days for Identification
4 special from Maysville, New York,
near scene of the Goose Greek railway
horror of the 24th inst, says the bodies
thus far identified are w Haight, Of
BroctOn, New York ". Fl. Osborne,
Westfeid, New York; Herman Ryan,
Fordham Edwin II. Bell, Sherman, New
York; Con, Maloney, Brocton, New York;
Frank Taylor, Cory, Pa; Jno. White,
Lancaster, New York; August Cordat,
Arkenwright New York; Chas Mitz,
Eden Corners, New FORK Mr. and Mrs.
Wilbur, F. Rice. Titusville, Pa Joseph
Curtin, Titusville; Kate Riley Dunkirk,
New York; VIM. Rankin, laborer, from
Canada Jas H. NTcCarter, Wilber Sta
ton, Pa Four bodies are yet unrecogniz-
ed At the inquest to-day, Mr. Douglass,
who was in the burning ear twenty five
minutes, said several were killed outright
Others were writhing about until killed by
= suffocatiOn Some were conscious until
burned to death.
In the Stokes case to-day Mrs Mary
Bissell, new witness testified she lives
= opposite the residence lately occupied by
. Mansfield, on Twenty-third street; that
on the day of the shooting she saw Fisk $
carriage, unOccupied, drive up and down
several times afterward saw coupe,
supposed to be Stokes stop at Mansfield 5
| house. Mansfield came to the window
looked out, the man got out of the car
riage, got in again and was drawn away.
During the Stokes trial this afternoon
new evidence Of a startling character was
- offered Andrew Parker testified that
some weeks before Fisk was murdered he
Parker was introduced TO Stokes, and in
! a conversation which ensued relative to
| the trial then pending, Stokes said Fisk
was id blackmailer and he Stokes
would shoot him, Fisk and said that he
(Stokes) carried pistol. Stokes repeated
that Fisk was black mailer twice. AT
this point Stokes became very much excit-
ed and rose up before he could be pre-
vented saying This is false; all false. y
On cross examination the witness said he
had been removed by Fisk from running
the hotel at Meadville, Pa, owned by the
\ Erie railway, and on stating the fact tC
Stokes the latter made remarks about
= Fisk blackmailing him, and made threats
J, to shoot Fisk. A recess was then taken
After recess some additional testimony
was offered but nothing new was elected
! The evidence for the prosecution closed
and Townsend opened for the defence
Is The report of the loss of life by the fir,
IL
and one boy, known to have been in tn,
building at the time of the fire, have no
d since been heard Of They were employ
e ed by Dunn and Barlow They coulC
e have been saved had there been propel
fire escapes The ruins are covered witt
a mass of ice which renders search for tn,
bodies impossible.
a very heavy drifting snow storm com
menced early this morning and still contin
ues with great fury. Street car travel i
greatly obstructed,
4 Dispatches from the south and eas
state there was the severest weather yes
q terday and last night for many years, tn,
thermometer ranging from to 43 degree
below zero.
All vessels arriving at this port repor
bad weather and damage therefrom Will
crews frost bitten
Great snow storms are telegraphed from
all parts of the east, and in Maryland, ant
n Virginia, through the Canadas, and tn,
region of the Rocky mountains.
:. SALT LAKE, Dec 26.-There is a heav,
snow storm in the mountalns-six TO eigh
feet A fearful avalanche occurred a
5 Little Cottonwood, near Central City, thi
morning. An immense body of snow
600 feet wide and 12 feet dee]
came down carrying away eight or tel
teams and teamsters, taking them LOO
yards across Cottonwood Creek Thre,
teamsters have been shoveled out alive
} badly bruised. Four more are known t
be buried that were not rescued, and it
thought impossible to find them befor,
n spring, although between 100 and 200 wer