The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-12-18
Mr., j, B. Hitchcock

stove to theScar. Mr.. j, B. Hitchcock
OF Oberlin, Kan, was standing in the
front end OF the smoking car and was
thrown against the stove. He received
some bruises not OF serious nature.
In the express car were Charles Robe,
express messenger. and n. w. freeman,
baggageman The former was thrown
forward and stood on bis hoad between
the stove and the side Of the car. Ons
hand was seriously burned and he was
badly bruised. Mr.. Freeman was injured
about the legs by falling boxes. but not
otherwise hurt The, only person in the
| baggage car was boy of IL years namsd
Grant Martin, on his way from Chicago to
| Davenport, Iowa. He was sitting on the
floor when be felt the thumping of the
wheels on the ties. and undertook to get
on his feet. n was struok down by a
filling trunk. but had no sooner got cut
ftom under il than others threatened TO
crush hin. The car was nasrly full of
trunks, and tie boy relates that he had a
lively time do1ging them as they were
tossed about.
| GOALS FROM THE STOVE
were thrown upon him and set bis clothes
on FIRE. He was hauled out through the
Tbanksin great profusion were showered
upon the engineer. Ed. Bugan,
to whom the passengers realized
the preservation of their lives was
due. Had he neglected for an instant to
lapply the air brakes. or had.ha reversed bis
engine, the inevitable result would have
been tho pilling up of thu cars on one
another. and there must have 5asn great
loss of life. AS it was, the rsar car we're
checked in their speed at least one>third
before the truck Of the tender was de"
tached and threw the cars following it of
the track. The train was heavily loaded
aud especially was the smoking car filled
t, its utmost capacity. As the passengers
10 this anu the following car rode By theft
two cars which we're wreck on the en-
baukmnnt above them. they believed they
belonged to some other train than there
own. rue passengers in the rear cars
were %; disturbed il their seats. They
felt.
THE HEAVY PRESSURE OF THE BRAKES
but were surprised to learn later Of thu
wreck ahead of them. A Wi ecking train wa,
ordered down from Joliet, aud 10 five
hours one OF the tracks was cleared. In
= the meantime a special train was sent uI
from Chicago with two baggage cars and
h~otr har
transferred. and the express train again
moved on. DIR. n n, Hurst. of Chicago
tas oompany's physicians, came out on
the special train and cared for Mrs
cars who realized what was trauspiring
some were cool and clung to their seats
with tenacity. Women screamed and
attem pied to jump out of the windows
but were pulled back and held down by
, their husbands. One man grabbed the
bell rope to signal the engineer. but it had
already been broken and he guocseded
only in pulling great length of rope into
the car, Others rushed for the doors
but were ouly thrown together in a heap
with force enough to break the back of one
of the seats. Tho car Immediately fol-
lowing the smoking car was tipped half
ovor. though still on the rails. It was
, considerably damaged. and was left stand
ing on the track. The iron in the broken
axle 0; the tender ia said by those who
claim to be competent judges to have been
apparently of an inferior quality.