Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-11-30
KILLED AND MANGLED.

ohA eoPiS AiAAC aANs IlAuy Alc ScTI.
ously Injured Railroad Wreck Near
Jamesport, Mo.-One Person Killed and
Eleven Others Badly Hurt-Sad Scenes.
STREAToR, ILL.,, Nov. 17.-The twelve
o'clock passenger train on the Fox River
branch of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
Railroad was telescoped by a heavy freight
train at Otter Creek, two and one half miles
north of Streator yesterday. The passenger
train had been tagged by an extra train
that was unable to move OH a heavy grade
south of the creek. The train stopped
north of the bridge. Another freight
was following close behind the
passenger. A tlagman went back but did
not get very far when the train came in
sight. The grade was so heavy that the
freight could not stop in time and suddenly
appeared around the curve. 1t crashed in
to the rear coach of the passenger, crushing
it into fragments and burying itself in the
ruins, instantly killing six Of the unfortu-
nate passengers and injuring twelve more.
The following is a list of the killed:
Dr.. J. II: Finley, S%,reator, H.; died since
from injuries; l.. g.. Pease. attorney, Dwight,
Ill, head crushed; Mrs. Alexander Hendcr.
sou and daughter, Wedson, ILL.,; MIR. Harri-
son, on his way to attend funeral of brother
at Pontiac; Rev. Samuel Dickson, Presiding
Elder German Evangelical Church, who died
Creek; cut in the head; died severa! hours
later.
The list Of the wounded are: Johh Henders,
Ottawa, cut on the head; - Smith, fireman
OF the freight train, one leg crushed, head
crushed, recovery doubtful; Hank Young,
engineer OF freight train, badly crushed; Con-
ductor Doyle, OF the extra, cut in the knee,
not serious; James Sullivan, Garfield, cut
about tho head and both hands hurt; j. T.
Murdoch, left hand burned; Frank Swartz,
Otter Creek, scalded on the back of the hips
and right hand, serious.
1t appears that the collision was followed
by an immediate explosion of the boiler, the
steam filling the coach instantly, scalding
the victims Of the collision. Everything
within a radius of ten feet from the boiler
was blown to atoms.
AS soon as word reached town an engine
and caboose were dispatched to the wreck
with a doctor and a relief corps. The dead
and dying were placed i'll the baggage and
smoking-cars and brought to this city. The
news of the accident spread rapidly, and
hundreds of people were soon on their way
to the wreck. Carriages were brought, and
the wounded carefully transferred 10 them
and taken to their homes or to the hotels to
be cared for.
The crowd surged AROUND the car where
the victims were lying, but only the doctors
and a few others were admitted. ATTORNEY
Murdoch, who was one of the slightly in
jured, says it all happened SO quickly
that he could not describe it. There
was a crash, the Car filled with steam,
and then in a few moments all was still.
He did not hear any cry or call from the
two women who were killed. They were in
the seat in front of him. He found them
breathing their last. Pearre, one of the
men killed, was sitting just behind him.
Ii it had been a flash OF lightning that
struck them it could not have come more
suddenly.
A special train on the Alton conveyed the
remains OF Hon. l.. G. Pearre to his home
at Dwight in the evening. The Coroner's
jury viewed the wreck, having gone on a
special train. The freight locomotive COM
pletely telescoped the passenger coach, and
the bursting OF the boiler caused three Of the
deaths.
Freight-engine No. 211 is completely tel
escoped in the passenger-coach; the tender
and first Car remained OH the track While
the succeeding two were thrown Off. Pieces
Of tile smoke-stack and the boiler-llead were
thrown a distance OF at least ITO feet.
|. DOWN AN EMBANKMENr.
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, Nov. l7.-About
eight O'Clock Friday morning Il ter.ible ac-
cident befell the west-bound passenger train
OIL the Chicago, Rock Island IL Pacific Road,
at a point about two miles west OF James
port, Mo. The train, which was due at
Kansas City at eight a. H., was several
hours late, and was running at a high rate
Of speed, when one OF the wheels of the rear
coach broke, precipitating the rear car down
a high %embankment and mixing up the
passengers in a struggling mass. The car,
which belonged to the Minneapolis &
st. Louis Railway, a branch of the Rock
Island, contained a large excursion party
composed of well-knoWn citizens Of st. Paul
II Minneapolis, ell route to California
with their families. When the car rolled
down the embankment the stoves upset
and the hot Goals scattered in all d.
r%ections, the scene being a terrible
one for awhile, as it was thought the car
would catch fire and burn with its load of
human freight. The flames were at once put
out, however, and the passengers removed
from the wreck through the windows and
doors. 1t was thought at first that several
were killed, but when the injured were re-
moved a Mr.. Adam Gotzian, of Minneapo-
jured, he dying Of his wounds shortly after
the wreck. His wife was seriously injured,
and will probably die, while aniece who was
travelling with them received two dangerous
scalp wounds. The railway company did
everything possible for the injured, a por-
ton being quartered at the hotels in
Jamesport, the remainder, who could
not travel, being removed to Trenton.
The train bearing the excurisionists reached
Kansas City at a late hour, and many start
ling tales were told by those who escaped.
At nine O'Clock p. NJ. the party, with the
exception OF the badly wounded, continued
their trip toward California over the Santa
Fe Road. The killed and wounded are as
follows:
A. Gotham, MINNEAPOLIS, dead: Mrs. Adam
Gotham, injured in back and head, can not
r%ecover: Miss Anna Gotham, scalp wounds:
Mr.; and Mrs; NJ. c. Smith and son, Valley City,
Dakota, badly cut and bruised; w. A. Wes-
singer, st. Paul, badly burned and cut on
head; E.. Bachner, Minneapolis, head burned;
". Henderson, st. Paul. ribs broken and cut;
M. 7. Nichols and daughter, St. Paul, badly
cut and bruised; MIR. Whitney, St. Paul, cut
on head.
To be Run by Electricity.
BANGOR, Me-, Nov. 1.-THE survey of