Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-09-19
nv WATER N FIRE.

the Burning of n Circus Train In Coll
orado-Other Casualties.
AWFUL WORK OF y CYCLONE.
EVANSVILLE, Ind, Aug. 30.-At an
early hour yesterday morning the weather
was unusually sultry, every one complain
ing of intense heat. There was something
in the atmosphere that seemed to fore
shadow some unusual barometrical phenem-
anon. At about $50 o'clock heavy black
clouds began to form in the west, while oc-
%casional livid streaks OF lightning lighted
M the dark and angry sky. Soon the
wind began to blow, and dust on the streets
for a few minutes whirled in clouds
that obscured the vision farther
than a block or two. Tlen the thun-
der pealed, lightning flashed, and rain
began, accompanied by a wind that seemed
almost irresistible. People on the streets
rushed to places Of shelter. The water
descended in sheets. and in a few minutes
the streets were flooded. The wind in-
creased in fury, and the storm continued for
more than half an hour, during which time
most widespread destruction took place.
The damage to property all over the city is
enormous. Hundreds of house S, mills. fac
tories, warehouses, stores, etc, were un-
oOICd uIil M llitl Nv llDuSCS
were blown down.
Communication with outside towns was
cut Off for several hours, so that the first
news of a terrible accident which happened
to the steamer Belmont about three miles
above Henderson was not received here till
about one O'Clock. The Belmont is a trans
fer steamer for the Louisville & Nashville
Railway between this point and Henderson.
She left here at eight o'clock yesterday
morning, towing a transfer barge with the
passenger train for Nashville, with about
sixty passengers. She also had about twenty
or thirty of a crew on board. The storm
was terrific OH the river, M the boat
and barges We're separated. The former
water in the river between this point and
Henderson. From the survivors it is learned
that the cables holding the boat and barge
together broke away. The hold of the
boat filled with water, and she became
unmanageable, the chimneys going over
board and the cabin topling over on the
barge. At this time several persons
escaped from the boat onto the barge and
were saved, but Immediately afterward the
boat sunk and fourteen persons are known
to have been lost. Following are the
names:
e. c. Roach and son, Mrs. NJ. s. Lyon, Miss
A<A'ht - 'AAs - NAti' - oIs III Nhlo WY
Mrs. Addie Murray and child, of Brookville,
Ala; Mrs, Woodville, OF Henderson, Ky;
Captain John II. Smith, Alice Bell icoloredi
ana two other coIorcd women; an old gentle.
man and wife, names unknown.
1t is impossible to give a complete list of
the survivors.
A newsboy named Spang jumped over
hoard and swan to shore, walked to Hen
dersOn, and gave the first information of the
disaster.
The Belmont was insured for SIS, 900,
$1,000 being in the Underwriters, of Louis
vile. Other boats were damaged at the
wharf, where the scene was terrific. White
caps dashed to fury by the storm, dashed
high up, and threatened to Swallow every
thing in their frenzy. The Keith was com
ing up the river, but wisely dropped back
to the elevator. The storm seized the Josh
Y. Throop, and tore her chimney off and
riddled her badly. All Of her crew deserted
her except Captain Throop, Jim Larue, Bill
Meyers and Dallas Webster. The Silver
Thorn also lost her chimneys.
Altogether the damage in the city will
amount to several hundred thousand dollars,
none of which could be covered by in.
Surance.
BURNED IN THEIR BEDS.
GREELEY, Col, Aug. 3o.--About eleven
O'Clock Thursday night a train of seventeen
cars belonging to Orton's Anglo American
circus left Fort Collins for Golden on the
Greeley, Salt Lake g. Pacific Railroad.
When the train. running about twenty-five
miles an hour, was nearing Windsor, a
small station a few miles from here, the en-
glneer discovered that the car next to the
engine was on fire. He at once re-
Versed the engine and sounded the alarm
whistle. In the burning car there were
sixty men arranged in three tiers of
berths on either side. The forward side
door was closed and the men in the bnn)1s
were sleeping against it. The rear side
door was also closed, and the men. when
they awoke, discovered that the lower I'M
occupied berth next to it, containing rub
Dish, was on fire, filling the car with smoke
and cutting OFF escape in that direction.
The only means of egress was through a
mall window between the car and the en-
CINE.
Owing to the sutfocating gases it was
difficult to arouse the sleepers. Some were
kicked and bruised in a shocking manner
and pitched out of the window. The
screams Of those unable to get through
the blocked aperture were terrifying. TIE
wild glare OF the flames and the screams
OF the burning victims outside, who Law
Writing in agony on the : cactus-beds
caused the wild beasts in the adjoining
car to become frantic with terror, max
ing the scene truly appalling. The per-
formers who occupied the rear cars gazed
with white faces on the awful spectacle. In
the midst OF the confusion two or three
heroic fellows bravely cut their way to
their companions to find them already in
the agony of death. Albert Lake, in'charge
of the animals, with his friend Kent.
walked over the cactus in his bare feet,
pouring buckets of oil on the blistered un-
tortunates. and wrapped them in blankets.
The heartrending cries of the men on the
prairie, the smothered appeals of the dying
within the car, the roar of the flames. and
the bowling of animals made the scene ter
rible beyond description. The odor of
roasting flesh and the distant cry of the
coyotes added to the general horror Of the
scene. The voices of the dying grew
fainter and soon ceased.
Meantime all engine had gone to Greelv
for assistance, returning with DR.. Jesse
Halves, President of the State Medical AS
sociation. Many of the rescued, in being
pulled through the small window, had
ribs broken and joints dislocated. The
hands and feet Of some were burned oft.
Roasted trunks of bodies were found in one
place, legs in another, and piles of roasted
and shriveled carcases We're pulled out Of
the ruins.
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