, 1873-05-25

4 Train on the Northwestern Road
Thrown from the Track. and Fifteen
Passengers Injured.

passengers Qn1areus
From the Janesus1te [Fis) Gazette, May r.
The Janesvi1le accommodation train from
Chicago, on the Chicago j. Northwestern Railroad,
duo here at 7;20 o'clock, was thrown from the
track last night just inside the city Limits, about
mile aud 3 half from the centre OF the city.
At the spot where the accident occurred the
track rune along gravel embankment some
eighteen feet high. The heavy rain OF yesterday
afternoon had washed out portion OF the gravel
just oTor oulyert, causing the track to settle
spot from the south a curve hid it from the view
Of the engineer until close upon It, As soon as he
perceived the danger, the engineer, A. J. Irpp,
OF this city, applied the steam brake, but the
train Was under such headway that it could not
be brought to stand IN time to prevent tho cataa~
trophe- Mr. Tripp and bis fireman, Il: B. Bliss.
also resident Of GAINESVILLE, remained at their
posts expecting, Of course, to be thrown down
The steep embsnk1nent. But as tie locomotive
struck the break in the track the coupling parted
and it 1eaped The chasm and struck the rails in
safety on the other side. The cars. however,
shared worse fate. Three in number, inciud-
ing baggage car and two passenger coaches,
we're hnTled down the embankment, which
here rises to height Of eighteen feet, the en-
tire train turning completely over before reach
ing bottom. The cars struck, right side up and
coupled together, just in the edge Of the second
growth onks which fringe the base OF the en-
bsnkment at this point.
It is only necessary for us to state that tho
train was moving at the rate Of twenty miles M
hour when the accident occurred to convey to
our readers an idea Of the force Of the con-
cusaion "a the three cars plunged down the steep
embankmant- The sign which warns the en-
gineer to slacken speed Was some forty rods
ahead in sight, bat not near enough for the
passengers to receive the benefit OF its mute ad-
monition- fortunately there were not moro
than twenty-five OF thirty passengers upon the
train, else the casualties must have been moro
numerous and serious. None we're killed, and
only two seriously hurt. The following is List
Of the injured:
side Friend, Chicago, scalp. wound and bruises
| upon leg and arm; John Riednger, WatertoWn,
Wis, badly bruised On leg and shoulder; D. Dun
widdie, Brodheaa, farmer, bruised On shoulder
and head; r.. 3, Douglass, St. Joseph, Mo-,
travelling agent to. seayey, Foster, Bowman s
Co., Chicago, cut On head, face, hand, and leg,
collar bone fractured, and internal injuries;
Mrs. E. 0. Dahlen, Whitewater, alieht internal
WstertoTn, Ivery-stab1e owner, Gut on face aud
eide and bad internal cuts; Q. G. Brown, Chicago,
travelling agent for II. Graf d Co., gro
ee1s, Chicago bad bruises upon head and
h1 & ssneG5n aea ;6on9P hssPo aas toseman on9 a of
b1nise on leg II: Hughes, Janesyille, nows-
+ dealer On train, bruised on leg and hip John
Manning, GAINESVILLE, baggageman, scalp wound;
Emmett Phelps, Chicago, compoaitorin the Times
covering Of the jugular vein; I. n: Bali Monroe,
farmer, severe cut on side Of head; Noah Dut-
ton, Janesyiue, injured in the back; Jesse
Miles, Janes7ille, cattle dealer, cut OF head and
bruised Oh body; Frank Burr, pastor Of Advent
and trifing injury OF tho back.
We visited the wreck at an early hour this
morning, and found the cars in the position left
by Last nights disaster. As indicated by our
diagram, the train Was standing directly upon
the cruahed fence, in straight Line and coupled
together. In their descent Of the enbankment
it bad turned completely over, becoming station
ary in the same position occupied before leaving
the track. Many Of those who made the plunge
With the train are ready to testify that the cars
turned over not less. than six times; others in
nit less: than three somersauits. But
the distance from the top Of the embank-
ment to the final resting p1ace of the wrecked
feat, and we conclude that the ideas Of the Be-
Yerely bumped, bruised, and 1acerated passen-
gers we're elightly confused. Inside the cars the
seats we're mostly torn from their fastenings,
many being broken into fragments. The stoves,
with one accord. obeyed the laws Of grasitation
as rapidly as the cars reyolved emptying their
contents over the passengers, barking shius and
here and there peeling nose or lacerating
scalp. The glass in the windows WAS mostly re-
duood to fragments, which mixed with the lamps,
broken rods, and other debris on the interior Of
the cars the whole combining wreck which in
duces observers to wonder bow it was that the
passengers escaped with injuries 80 slight
The wounded we're brought to the depot in the
tender Of the locomotive, and distributed about
among different hotels, where our surgeons at
tended to their necessities. All nre doing well
to-day, and no fears are entertained Of fatal re-
cults in even the worst cases.
4 gang Of men worked at the broken track un-
til nearly o'clock this morning, and since that
hour trains have been running regularly by tho
scene Of the disaster.