Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-08-19
RAILWAY HORROR.
IS Persons Boiled to Death.
40 Others Parboiled and Mangled

A Seething Locomotive PIows Under
a Crowded Car.
CHICAGO, Aug. ia terrible accident
occurred at half past ten last night near Ls-
mont, on the Chicago and Alton railroad,
al incoming freight train colliding with q
southbound express passenger train, almost
entirely wrecking the latter, killing six per-
SONS outright and fearfully mi ring some
thirty seven others, many of whom it is
said will die a number were seal led by
hot water from the locomotive boilers. LIE
mont is about twenty miles south of this
city, and the accident was not known here,
except to railroad officials, until bet een IL
and o'clock this morning, and then only
to parties who happened to ascertain that
surgeons had been sent for to 90 to the
wrecked train. 1t is impossible to give full
particulars at the present writing, but they
will be sent later, among those dangerously
injured is Hon. j. W. Smith, warden of the
Illinois State peniteniiary.
3 P. M.-The total number killed and
dead OF their injuries is eleven, and of
wounded thirty-fve. All the passengers
killed or injured were In the second-class
car, viii b was also used as smoking-car,
and, with the exception of the fireman and
engineers and train men, the casualties
were all caused by steam. None of the
regular passenger coachss or sleepers were
thrown from the track or in any way in
jured, and no one in any of them hurt.
Statement OF Railway Officials.
The regular passenger train for st. Louis
left here at 8 A. NJ. At 1920 P. M, when
at curve in the road, there suddenly APP
peared coal train Of thirty five ca s, run
ming at the rate Of about twenty miles an
hour. The passenger train was running at
the rate of probably thirty miles an hour,
and neither engineer saw the other engine
TIL 1t was too late to. reverse, fact &C.
counted for by the curve in the road and
partly by the dense fog. The two came
together with fearful force. Being on the |
curve, however, each engine left the track |
and passed each other, that attached to the
coal train striking the baggage car few
feet from the end and showing It off the |
track, breaking the coupling between it snd |
the smOking-csr, which the engine struck |
square in the ED, and with such force as to
throw the forward end in the air, SO thai
the engine ran under it, tearing the floor |
completely out, and hurting the fifty or |
sixty unfOrtunates who were in the Car in |
struggling mass to the lower end, whence
there was no chance for escape. And now
came scene, the horrors of which cannot |
be adequately described. The smoke stack
and dome OF the engine were knocked off |
by the collision, and the broken timbers of
the smoking car penetrated The boiler, let
ting loose a dense volume of hot steam,
which poured into the car, binding and
scalding the helpless inmates, who, with
heartrending shrieks, struggled vainly to
extricate themselves. Meantime, Conduc.
tor Russell, of tie passe 1ger train, who was
unhurt, and a number of passengers from
the rear coaches, came forward and en-
deavored to assis5 the poor victims; but
there was little left to do beyond taking
from the wreck the dying and the wounded,
many OF whom were fearfully scalded.
Seven died soon after they wers taken out,
and four have since died.
The Cause
OF the accident was the criminal reckless
ness of the conductor and engineer of tbs
coal train, whose duty it was to wait at Lee
mont till he passenger train had passed,
unless they had received positive orders to
proceed. The conductor of the coal train
is named Bean, and was considered first
cls man. He has not been seen since the
disaster, and is thought to have escaped and
fed, as the last seen of him he was in the
ca0oose of his train, which was uniplured
No blame is attached to the officers of the
passenger train, which had the right of the
track.
An Outraged People.
SPRINGFIELD, ILL, Aug. 1S.-There is
a great deal of indignation here over the ac-
ton Of the railway officials, both great and
small, in keeping even from the friends of
the victims, news OF the slaughter.
The passengers state that until the arrival
of the relief train in charge of Superin-
tendent McMulleD, everything that was
done to release from the wreck and allie
Viate the sufferings Of the scalded victims,
had to be done by the xninjured passen-
gers. The conductor left the wreck before
single person was extricated, and went to
Lemont to telegraph, win lie The passengers
carried the wounded and dying from tn
wreck, and with such appliances as they
had, ministered to their want, tearing up
the pillows from the sleeping cars fo- band
ages and improVisiDg beds, for them. Two
physicians came from Lemont, but brought
nothing in the way Of medicines or instra-
ments.
A Texan Heroine.
Miss Tralley, daughter of the editor of a
Houston, Texas, paper, who was with her
father on the train is spoken of in terms of
the highest praise for her noble attentions
to the wounded, whose condition was 80
horrible as to cause the stou es. heart to
grow sick and fail. When the relief train
from Chicago arrivei it brought everything
necessary Tor the comfort of the victims,
several of whom, however, had BY this
time found relief in death. Some of the
passengers state it was 2:30 A. NJ before the
arrival
serted 1t was AN.
Two More Victims.
CHICAGO, Aug. B.-Msj. j W. Smith |
and j. W. FleIry, of Sp ingfeld, ILL.,, vic
tims of the AltonIrailroad casualty, died
this morning
Deliberate Demonism.
Coroner Stephens has commenced an in |
quest at Lemont. The agent at that point |
testif1es that be strongly protested against |
the freight train pushing forward, and no.
tilted the train dispatcher at Bloomington |
that slaughter was impending. The num- |
Der OF deaths from the event have reached |
Is The managers of the road have caused |
the arrest OF John Buf5nberger, the freight |
engineer, and officers have been sent to |
Joliet for Ed. Bean, the freight conductor. |
The Latest.
The conductor and engineer of the coal |
train hsve been arrested on warrants for |
manslaughter, sworn out by the attorney of |
the railroad company, and every effort wi |
be made TO convict them under the man. |
slaughter statute, there being no statute |
bearing directly on the case. [AmoDg the |
dead we notice the name of Jos. B. Niche |
of Jackson, Tennessee The wounded |
number nearly forty, few Of whom will
die.
COSMOS.