Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-08-20
Railroad Accident.

remarkable railroad accident occurred on
the Chicago and Alton railroad about %
miles south of Chicago, Saturday night. The
most striking feature of i. was that the ma
iority of those killed and wounded did not
receive injuries from the conclusion and the
flying debris, but were scalded by steam from
the engine. The regular. passenger train for
ST. Louis left Chicago at 9 P. NJ, and con-
sisted of a baggage car, an express car and
three passenger coaches, the head one Sec
ond-cass or smoking-car, and the other two,
sleepers When three miles north of Lee
mont and % miles south of Chicago, at a
curve in the road, there suddenly appeared
a coal-train of 80 cars, running.at the rate
of about 20 miles an hour. The passenger
train was running al the rate probably at 80
miles per hour, and neither engineer saw the
others engine until it was too late to re-
verse. The fact is accounted Tor partly by
the curve in the road and partly by the
dense fog. The two trains came together
with fearful force. Being on a curve, how
ever, each engine lett the track and passed
the other that attached to the coal train
striking the baggage-car few feet from the
end, breaking the coupling between it and
the smoking car, which the engine struck
square in the end, and with such force as to
throw the forward end into the air, so that
the engine ran under it, tearing the floor
completely out and hurting the so or 90 un
tortupates who were in the car in a strug-
Cling mass to toe lower end, where there was
no chance for escape. The smuke-stack and
dome of the engine were knocked off by the
collision, and broken the timbers OF the
smoking-car penetrated the boiler, letting
loose a Cense volume of steam, which poured
into the car, binding and scalding the help
| less inmates, who shrieked and struggled
vainly to extrIcate themselves. Meanwhile,
Conductor Russell of the passenger train,
who was unhurt, and a number of passengers
from the rear coaches, came forward and en-
deavored to assist tn, poor victims, but there
was little left to do beyond taking from the
wreck the dying and wounded, many OF
whom were feartully scalded, and died soOn
after they were taken out.
The total number killed and those who
died of their injuries up to clock, Sun
day afternoon, was IL and of the wounded
35
The train did not take fire, and all the
passengers killed or injured we're in the
second-ciass car, which was used as a smok-
ing car, and excepting the cases of the fire
uen, engineers and train-men, the casualties
were all caused by steam. None of the reg.
ular passenger coaches or sleepers were
thrown from the track or in any way injured
and no person in any of them was hurt.
The point where the accident occurred il
near what is known as the Sag, low
marshy meadow about half way between Le-
mont and Willow Spring station, and there
was not house in the neighborhood. The
unhurt passengers, however, took the bed
ding from the sieepers and min;stered as
much as was possible under the circumstan'
ces to the wounded, while Conductor Russell
telegraphed Superintendent McMullen al
Chicago for surgeons and aid. .McMullen
hastily got together half dozen physicians
and such articles as were necessary, and
started about midnight with a special train
for the scene of the disaster, arriving about
80 A. N.
Everything possible was done for the suf
! ferers, and at 6 A. n, the train returned te
Chicago.
The cause of the accident was the criminal
recklessness of the conductor and engineer o.
the coal train, whose duty it was to wait al
Lemont until the passenger train had passed
unless they had received positive orders t.
nroceed. This the officials Of the road say
was not the case, and the coal train shoule
have staid at Lemont.