The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1873-08-21
RAILROAD HORROR.
Eleven Killed and Thirty Five
Wounded.


CHICAGO. August IA terrible accident occu r
red at halfpast 10 last night, near Lenont, on the
Chicago and Alton Railroad, an incoming freight
train eolliding with the sonth-oound express
passenger train, almost entirely wrecking the
latter. The; following account OF the accident Il
from statements of Shicers of the road:
The regular passenger train for st. Louis left
here at 9 d. m, and consisted OF the baggage car,
express, three day coaches-the head one a sec
ond-class or smoking car-Rnd two sleepern. At
1920 d, M, when three miles north OF Lemont,
and about twenty-five miles south of this city, at
train Of thirty-hve cars, running at the rate Of
twenty miles an hour. The passenger train was
running at the rate Of probably thirty miles an
hour, and neither engineer saw the others en-
CINE until it was too late to REVERSE fact ac-
counted for by. q curve in the road, and
partly by a dense fog. Tit two came togsther
with fearful force. Being en- q curve, however.
each engine let the track and passed each other;
that attached to the coal train striking the bag
gage car a few feet from the end and showing Il
ofthe track, breaking the coupling between IL
and the smoking car, which the engine struck
throw the forward end in the air, so that the en-
CINE ran under it, tearing the floor completely
who were in the car in a struggling mass to the
lower end, whence there was no chance for es-
cape.
And now a scene, the horrors of which can not
adequately be described, occurred. Tn smoke
stack and dome of the engine were knocked on
by the collision, and the broken timbers of the
smoking car penetrated the boiler letting loose
a dense volume OF hot steam, Which poured into
the ear, binding and scalding the helpless in
gled to extricate themselves. Meantime, Con-
ductor Russell Of the passenger train, who was
unhurt, and u number of passengers from the
rear coaches, came forward and endsavored to
assist the poor victims, but there was little left
and the wounded, many Of whom were fearfully
scalded. Seven died soon AFTER they were taken
out, and four have since died.
The point where the accident occurred, is near
what is known As the Sag" q low, marshy mead
ow, about half way between Lemont and Willow
Springs Station, and there is not a house in the
neighbOrhood. The unhurt passengers, however,
took bedding from the sleepers, and ministered
as much as was possible under the circumstan-
ces to the wounded, while Conductor Russell
hurried back on feot to Lemont and telegraPhod
superintendent McMullen here for surgeons and
aid. Mr.. McMullen hastily got together half 3
dozen physicians, and . supply OF such articles
a. were necessary, and started about midnight
with a special train for the scene of the disaster,
arriving there about 1:30 this morning. Every
thing possible vas done for the sufferers, and at
O'Clock this morning the train returned % the
city, bringing the uninjured coaches OF the
wrecked train, and all dead and wounded except
two hremen, who We're left at Lenont for burial.
On arrival here those ofthe wounded who reside
here were taken tS thsir homes, and the others
were taken s the hospital, with the exception Of
Captain smith and Nj. Fleury, who were taken
to the West Side, Briggs House. Neither OF
these gentlemen, it is feared, can recover
The cause Of the accident was the criminal
the coal train, whose duty it was to wait at Lee
mont till the passenger train had passed, ualess
they had received positive orders TO proceed.
This the officers of the road say was not the case,
and that the coal train should have staid at Lee
mont. The conductor ofthe coal train is named
Bean, and had been running the train for q year,
and was considered a frst-class man. He has net
been seen since the disaster, and is thought to
have escaped and hed. as last seen of him he was
in the caboose of his train, which was uniDJured.
No blame is attached to the officers of the pas
senger train, which is said to have been on time,
and hsd the right of the track, The track has
been cleared of the wreck, and trains viii run out
from here tonight as usual.
NAMES OF THE KILLED AND WOUNDED.
The total number ofthe killed and dead either
M-N.-rAa 49, ~ - - - a.
Railroad, near LemOnt last night, is, up to 8
o'clock this afternoon, eleven, and Of wounded
thirty-hve. The following is a list furnished by
the officials of the railroad, and is doubtless cor
rect;
Kiled-IOAn Metzler. an engineer belonging
to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad; tive hremen
belonging to the eollidlng trains, names an
Divelbiss, jE, Springfield, illinois; Themas Nor
ton. porter in Anderson,s Hotel CHICAGO. r ]
Bross, of the firm of ] V Farwel 4 Co, Chicago;
two men whose bodies are yet unidentified.
In~iured-CaptRin John A Smith, Warden Of Il
linois Penitentiary at Joliet, badly sealded, and
can not recover; j F Fleury, purchasing agent
for the penitentiary at Joliet, fatally, will scarcely
live till night; Anton F~inkleman, st. Louis, bad
ly, probably fatally; @ Cantrell, Chicago, badly
bruised; VIM Mitchell. Ducks Island, Maine,
badly seRlded; Thos. Strong, Muskegon, Michf-
gan, scalded; Thomas Crowley, Chicago, scalded
VIM. Carran or Conant, Ducks Island, sealded; j
Lemotte, Philadelphia, badly sealded; John sher-
ries, Glasgow, Scotland, badly hurt-ruptured;
Alex HOckett, Ducks Island, scalded; A Borden,
Bloomington, back and Lands scalded; Henry
Small, Akron, Ohio, sealded; ] Z Cunningham,
baggageman, leg broken; James o,Neil, engineeF
Of the passenger train, both legs broken; George
Rentl; Chicago. body and arms scalded; A @
Hickman, artist, Chicago, badly scalded on head
and hands and bruised; Jacob close, fatally; JAG.
CordovRnt, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin, will probably
die; Isaac Mills, New York, slightly sealded;
Martin Carleton, Bloomington, Illinois, sealdedi
Albert Adams, bloomington, scalded; VIM. Rich
ardson, Chicago scalded; L A Hamlin, Dwight,
illinois, slightly scaldedI John O'Keefe, Akron,
Ohioi James F Doyle, ecaidsd; John Spears, Chi
eago, sealded; N St. John, Chicago sc4lded.