The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-09-13
ANOTHER RAILROAD HORROR.

Sr Twenty PeFDons Killed and Many
Dsslfouss, Iowa, Aug. -. B
TIE bridge on the Rock Island Road
where the disaster occurred was over what
10 known a. Little Four Mile Creek, nine
miles east of DesMoines. It 10 little
stream, generally quiet, and never before
known to be % high as It was made by
the unprecedented rainfall of yesterday
morning and the night before. The bridge
rested on . stone arch twelve feet In the
clear, by walls five feet thick. The
bridge is approached from the east
round . curve and down . grade.
It is thought the rails were left standing
alone - the train approached, and the
engineer, who had slackened his speed
till he came in sight of the bridge. sup
posing all was right, dashed upon It. The
channel Of the stream was forty or fifty
feet wide, and the banks about twenty
feet high. The locomotive, in it's wild
dash, landed at the foot of the western
side and half buried itself in the earth.
Barnum's car was next the engine. It
dropped into the channel. The baggage
and m all car followed, passed directly
over it, smashing it to pieces, but going
to the bottom, bar of iron running clear
through it. The men in that car escaped
alive. Even the lamps were not put out.
| The first passenger-car pitched head
down into the channel, where the water
was at least fifteen feet deep. The next
car was plunged under this, telescoping
with it, and the next telescoped hall
through the two preceding it. The sleep.
ing-car did not 60 into the wreck simply
because there was not room for it. Its
occupants were Jared, but none of them
seriously hurt. The most of the killed
were in the car in front of the sleeper.
The scene at the time Of the accident Is
described as having been terrific. Rain
was falling in torrents, accompanied by
wind, lightning and violent thunder.
The crash put out the lights, and the
scene of terror ensuing may we'll be imag-
ined, The men who were notinjured and
could get out, went to work at once to res
cue the living and the wounded. They
had to 60 q mile to farmhouse to get
axes to chop them out, but they worked
heroically. and by daylight had the most
of the wounded rescued.
There were many pitiful scenes and
tender incidents. One mother was killed
sitting between two children who escaped
unhurt. One little girl who had lain in
the water for four hours with q heavy
man lying dead beneath her body, was
discovered to be breathing, and was res
cued and restored, and now shows NO sign
of injury.
reaching here at eleven O'Clock. Some
twenty-five of the wounded came with
them. The officers of the road were at the
wreck all day, caring for the dead and
wounded, and have been and are doing
now all that can possibly be done for
them.
The number of killed is estimated all
the way from ten to fifty. All the train
but q sleeping-car went down into the
stream. The engine is completely out of
sight. A special to the State Register
from the wreck says that there were six.
teen killed % far as known. Twelve bod
les are out on the banks and four dead
bodies are still seen in the wreck, but can
not be got oat at present.
A PASSENGERS ACCOUNT.
OAAHA, Neb., Aug. 80.
r. NJ. Cherrie, of the firm of A. B.
Meeker & Co., Chicago, and niece, ar
disaster on the Chicago & Rock Island
Railroad, east of DesM0ines. Mr.. Cher
rie says:
1.-THE accident occurred about half past
two O'Clock in the morning. 1t was rain
ing fearfully at the time pouring down.
l was in the sleeper, partially awake, and
felt two or three slight jars. raised
the window and looked out, and
heard the rush of water below. I knew
something had happened, though l could
see nothing. 1t was verk dark. got up
and put on my pants, and the fret thing
l saw was people rushing out of the rear
end of the Car next to Us, and it was not
long before knew the character of the
terrible accident. Of courge, everything
was confusion, and it was some little time
before those who were unhurt could get to
work and relieve the others. 1t seems q
stone culvert had recently been built and
on each side of it was trestle work that
was being filled up with earth. The fire.
man, who escaped, says everything
looked right when they ran on to the
bridge, but the next thing he knew was
that he was lying alongside the engine in
the mud tbelow. Engineer Rakestrard
called 10 him, but that was the last the
fireman heard of him, and he probably
died almost instantly afterward. There
we're thirteen persons in Barnum's adver-
Using car. The car was completely ami
Inflated. Seven of the occupants were
probably die, and three more slightly
wounded. TWAS miracle that anybody
at all got out of this car. One Of the
wounded men was carried down stream
and landed on . small island, from which
he was afterward taken of. The baggage.
car shot across and over the engine, and
landed ON the bank beyond, with . rail
through 1t lengthwise, and one through it
sideways. 1t sits nat on the track, right
aide up, but without the trucks which dis
appeared in this wonderful leap. The en-
pl0yes in this car were net hurt, strange to
say, and even some FLOODED pigs that
were being shipped BY express were
unframed. The baggage was mot DAM
aged at oil. The smoking-car then came
along, plunging downward, tho rear end
raising up and allowing the next passen-
ger coach to 60 under it, and then the next
car went under this last coach, and the rear
ends of the two last coaches resting on the
bank. There were threecars thus wedged
in, one on top of the other. A lady
crawled up through hole and got on top
of the sm0king-ca with child in her
arms, and got down on the roof Of the
next car, where. she left the child. She
and brought up another child in the same
way, and next helped out an old lady
from the same place. helped her down
from the car myself. Outof that hole which
she had left, we took five or six others,
among whom was the conductor, who was
badly wounded, while several persons
| got out themselves without aid. All that
we helped out were severely wounded.
We then went into the car and made .
thorough examination, but found nobody
but dead persons, of whom there were
four or i've. BY this time It began to
grow . little light, 20 We could see better
10 work. Up to this time We had feared
that the cars were going to tip over, but
We now saw that they would remain up
right. We got under the rear of the top
car, - we'll q under the other two cars,
and released four more that were fastened
in. We used rope to pull them out A
corps Of physicians and train-wrecke1
now arrived from Des Moines, and they
all went to work with will. The ply.
sicians especially deserve the great
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