St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-08-22
A Conductors Fatal Carelessness.
ELEVEN PERSONS KILLED AND THIRTY
FIVE WOUNDED.

remarkable railroad accident Oc-
CURED ON the Chicago and Alton rail
road about - miles south of Chicago.
Saturday night. The most striking fea-
ture OF 1t was that the majority of those
killed and wounded did not receive in
jurles from the conclusion and the fly
ing debris. but were Scalded by steam
:, from the engine. The following ac-
count of the accident is from the state
mentS of the officers of the road: The
regular passenger TAIN for st. Louis
left Chicago at . p. NJ. and consisted Of
Il baggage ear, an express car and three
passenger coaches. the head one Il see
Ond-cla>S or Smoking-car. and the other
two. SlecperS. At 1920 T.. NJ. when
three miles north of Lcmont and -
miles south of Chicago, at il curve in
the road. there suddenly appeared IL
c0al-traln of thirty-tivr cas-. running
ut the rate of about 20 miles an hour.
The passenger train was running at the
rate probably of 30 miles per hour. and
neither engineer saw the others engine
until II WAS to late to reverse. The
fact Is accounted for partly 10y the curve
III the road and partly 10y the dense fog.
The tW" trains came together with fear
tll force. Being ON IL curve. however,
each engine left the track and passed
the other: that attached to the coal
train striking the baggage-car Il few
feet from the end. breaking the coup
ling between il and the Smokimg-car
which the engine struck square in the
end. and with such force aS to throw
the forward end into the air. 80 that the
engine ran under it, completely tearing
the floor ont and hurting the 30 or 90
untortunates who were i'll the car i'll IL
struggling mass to the lower end. where
| there was no chance for escape.
Then enSucd IL scene ofhoIrors which
cannot he adequately described. The
Smolle-Stack and dome of the engine
were knocked off 10y the collision. and
broken the timherS of the smoking
ear penetrated the boiler. letting lnoS,.
Il dense volume of steam. which poured
into the car. binding and Scaldiug the
helpless inmates. who Shrlckcd and
struggled NalnlN to cNtricatc them
selves. Meanwhile. Conductor Russell
of tn" passenger train. who WAS unhurt.
and Il number of passengers from the
! rear coaches, came forward and cndca-
| VOrCd to assist the poor victims. hut
there was little left To do beyond taking
/ from the wreck the dying and wounded.
many of whom were tcaItullN >caldcd
and died soon after they were taken
ont.
The total number of killed and those
who had died of their injuries up I" 3
o'clock. Yesterday afternoon. WaS H.
and of the wounded 30.
The train did not take fire. and all
the Passengers killed or injured were in
the >cCond-cla>> can. which waS also
used a. Il >mukiug-car. and excepting
the ca>t> OF the tircmrm. engineers and
train-men. the casualties were all caII>-
ed 10y steam. None of the regular pas
Srngcr coaches or >lccpcrs were thrown
from the track OF in amy WAY injured.
and no person in amy of them WAS hurt.
The cause of the accident wa~ the
criminal reckle>sncSS of the conductor
and engineer of the coal train. whose
duty il was To wait at Lrmnnt until the
passenger train had passed. unless they
had received positive orders To proceed.
This. the officials of the road say. WIS
not the east, and the coal train should
have >taid at I.emnnt.
The conductor of the coal train i.
named BERNARD. He has been ruuuinu
the train for Il ,r;,,. and WAS considered
a tir>t-cIa>> man. He has not been seen
since the disaster. and il i, thourht that
he has escaped and fled. as the last seen
of him he WAS in the rnhunSe of his train
aud h, WA, uuiniur.d
FURTHER PARTICULAR. OF THE "A''l-
"tNI
The ears We're well tilled. particu-