The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1881-01-13
Terrible Railroad Accident.
SIN LABORERS CRUSHED TO DEATH BY A PASSIN


SIN LABORERS CRUSHED TO DEATH BY A PASSING
TRAIN.
OMAHA, Neb., Jan. 4th, 1881. One Of
the most frightful accidents which ever
occurred in Nebraska took place at about
half past ten o'clock this forenoon on the
Nebraska division of the Chicago, st.
Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railroad,
six men being killed and one seriously
wounded. The point at which the acci-
dent occurred is within the limits of the
Omaha Indian reservation, one mile south
of Middle Creek Here there is deep,
curved cut, about eight hundred feet in
length, which has dritted full of snow
during the late storms and had but re-
Gently been cleared by the shovel brigade
for the passage of trains. Combined
winds and cold weather had made it
necessary to clear the cut at frequent in
tervals, and this morning Conductor
earns was dispatched from Oakland with
a train of dumps and twenty five men.
just before the time for the train south
ward to arrive, the flats were taken to a
siding about a mile from the cuts while
several men We're left behind, for what
purpose does not appear, but probably to
loosen the snow in the cut and facilitate
operations when the working train should
return.
The cut was narrow and its side per
pendicular, but in the opinion of the men
there was sufficient room on each side
for the train to pass and they remained
in the cut. At half-past ten o'clock the
south bound passenger train Ell route
from Sioux City to Omaha, at the rate
OF 20 miles an hour approached the cut,
increasing its speed as it drew near, III
order to clear snow which might have
drifted into the cut after the train of fats
had left it. When near the middle of the
cut, and in the midst of binding cloud
Of snow, which was thrown into the air
by the snow plough, the engineer became
aware of the fact that he had encounter
ed some obstruction in the cut which Wis
IDLY affected the motion of the engine.
He WhlStled down brakes at once and
finally came to a stop five hundred feet
south of the mouth of the cut.
Looking backward into the defile
pile of dark objects could be discerned
half buried in the snow. The passengers
crowded out upon the track, and, with a
horrible apprehension, proceeded back to
lttli ii W idt Tue OUJtClS were. Inc Sl9uU
which the removal of the few spadesful
Of snow revealed can be better imagined
than described. 1t was a dismembered
heap of mangled human bodies, of which
but two were found alive and one Of those
died soon afterwards in the cars. The
body of one man was found on the for
ward truck of the forward car, still warm
and bleeding, but with life extinct, while
his clothing was literally torn to shreds
The fragments in the cut We're found
to be all that remained of six men. One
of the men found alive lad both legs cut
Oft, and was unable to speak. The body
of this man and the survivors were taken
into the passenger train and carried down
to Oakland, and a messenger was dis
patched for the working train which
soon arrived and with many eNclama-
tions and groans the laborers proceeded
to collect the remains Of their comrades
in some instances too much distigured to-
be recognizable. These We're placed on
the working train and taken to Oakland,
The theory of the accident is that the
rapid motion of the train created a
draught in the narrow defle 50 strong
that the men who were at best but a few
inches from the cars were drawn beneath
them. There were no stains OF blood up
on the pilot Of the engine or anything to
show that they were Oh the track when
! the train struck them.