The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-08-18
RAILROAD HORRORS.
Collision near ChicagO-Six Persons
Killed and 81 others badly Injured.

CURED at half-past ten o'clock last night near
! Lemont on nth The Chicago & Alton Reilroad An
bound express passenger train, almost entirely
wrecking the latter, killing six persons out
right, and fearfully injuring 81 others, many of
whom it is said will die The cars caught fire
and numbers injured are badly burned while
others were scalded by hot water from the To-
connective boilers.
south of this city, the accident was not known
here except to railroad officials until between
II and one O clock this morning, and then only
to parties who happened to ascertain that sur
geons had been sent for to go to the wrecked
train. Among those dangerously injured are
Hon. j. w. Smith, Warden of Illinois State
Penitentiary.
Later Particulars-EIeven Killed, IS In.
jured- several Maine Men Among the
Injured.
The total number of killed, and those who
died of their injuries by the collision on the
Chicago & Alton Railroad last night, up to 3
o'clock this afternoon, II, and wounded 80.
The following is a list furnished by officials of
the road, and is DOUBTLESS correct. Killed:
John Witzler engineer ON the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad; two firemen, belonging to col
liding trains, names unknown, and Frank
Bridges, apparently fireman; N. Divilbiss,
jr., of Springfield, ILL.,; Thos. Morton, of Chi
cago; R. j. Brass, of firm of Farwell & Co. of
Chicago, and two men whose bodies are yet
unidentified. Injured: Capt. John A. Smith,
Warden Of the Illinois penitentiary at Joliet,
badly scalded and cannot recover; j. f. Fleu-
ry purchasing agent for the penitentiary at
Joliet fatally, will scarcely live till night; An
ton Finke-man of st. Louis, badly, probably
fatally; McCantrell of Chicago, badly bruised;
VIM. Mitchell of Ducks Island, Me-. badly
scalded; Alexander Monteith of Ducks Is
land, badly scalded Thos. Strong of Muske-
gon, Mich, scalded; Thos. Crowley of
Chicago, scalded; William Current Or
Conan of Ducks Island, scalded; j.
of hoI
John -Sherries of Glasgow, Scotland, badly
hurt; Alexander Halesett, Duck Island ,scald-
ed A. Borden, scalded; Sohn Whalen of Ak
ron O., back and hands scalded Henry Small
of Akron, o., scalded; j. E. Cunningham, bag
gage-man, leg broken; James O'Neil, engineer
Of passenger train, both legs broken; engeeer
of coal train badly bruised; George Renti of
Chicago, back and arms scalded; A. c
Hickman, artist Chicago, badly scalded in
head and hands and badly, bruised; Jacob
Wis, will probably die; Isaac Mills, of New
York, slightly; Martin Caretoe of Blooming
ton, VIM. Richardson of Chicago, L. A. Ham
lin of Dwight ILL.,, John O'Keefe of Akron,
Ohio, and James f. Doyle, John Speares, and
NJ st. John, Chicago, all scalded. The train
did not take fire as previously reported, and all
the passengers killed or injured were in the
second-class car, which was also used as
ger coaches or sleeping CATS We We're eGSeE
the track or were in any way injured, and no
person in any of them was hurt.
The following account of the disaster is from
the statements of officers of the road. The reg
ular passenger train for st. Louis left here at
| p. M, and consisted of a baggage car, an ex-
| press car, and three day coaches. The head
one second class or smoking car, and two
| sleeping cars. At 1920 p. m, when three miles
| north Of Lemont, and about % miles south OF
| this city at a curve in the road, there suddenly
appeared a coal train of IS cars, running at the
| rate of about 20 miles per hour. The passenger
train was running at the rate probably OF 3O
miles an hour, and neither of the engineers saw
the other engine until it was too late to rever Sc
| This sact is accounted for by the curve in the
road and partly by deuse fog. The two trains
came together with fearfnl force: being on 3
curve however, each engine left the track and
| passed each other. That attac he'd 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,
| fair in the end and with such force as to throw
the forward end of the train in the air, so that
the engine ran uuder it, tearing the floor COM
pletely out and hurting fifty or sixty unfortu-
mates who were in the car in struggling mass
to the lower end, where there was no chance for
escape, and then ensued a scene horror which
cannot adequately be describes. The
smoke stack and dome of both engines were
knocked off by the collision, and broken tim
bers of the smoking car penetrated the boiler,
| letting loose a dense volume of hot steam,
(which poured into the car binding and scalding
| the helpless inmates, VINO with ShrlekS, Strag-
gled vainly to extricate themselves. Meantime
| Conductor Russell of the passenger train, who
was unhurt, and number of passengers from
the rear coaches came forward and endeavored
to assist the poor victims, but there was little
left to do beyond taking from the wreck the
dying and wounded, many of whom were fear
fully scalded. Seven died soon after they were
taken out and four have since died.
The point where the accident occurred is neal
what is known as the Sag a low marsh mead
ow, about half way between Lemont and VIII
low Springs station, and there was not house
in the neighborhood. The unhurt passengers
however, took the bedding from the sleepers
and ministered as much rs was possible under
the circumstances to the wounded, while Con
ductor Russell hurried back on foot to Lemont
and telegraphed to Superintendent McMuller
here for surgeons and aid. McMullen hastily
got together half dozen physicians and sup
plies of articles az were necessary, and started
about midnight with special train for the
sceue of the disasted, arriving at 1:3O a. m
Everything was done for the sufferers, and al
six a. M, the train returned to the city bring
irg the injured coaches of the raecked tIair
and all the dead and wounded except two fire
men who were left at Lemont for burial
On the arrival of the train those of thu
. ] wounded who reside here were taken to theil
homes and the others were taken to hospitals