The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-09-27
A TERRIBLE COLLISION.
Two Sections of a Heavily Loaded
Train on the r.. L. Il p. Road
Collide at Midnight.
A Terrible Crash of Cars i'm Which the
Engineer and Fireman Lose
Their Lives.
DEATH ON THE RAIL.

officials, with their customary bull headed
secrecy on such occasions, would vouch-
safe no particulars of the accident to res
porters today. This is a peculiar failing
of railway men, and one which is abso
solutely foolish. They ought to know
that it would be just as easy to turn the
waters of the Mississippi river up hill as
to keep an item such as the wreck of last
night out of the newspapers. knowing
this it seems to us that it would be just as
well for them to give the newspapers a
straightforward and correct statement of
the accident But they seem to think
differently, and after the report OF
an accident occurs they growl at
the newspapers that publish ii
because sometimes it is not entirely cor
rect as to detail as they understand it.
Bright people are some of these railroad
men. Now to the wreck of last night.
On the c., M. & st. P. road yesterday
afternoon train of SO carloads of live
cattle-came in bound for Peoria.
These were part of the 10000 head of
cattle which are to be fatiened at the dis
tilleries in Peoria, as noted in the ARGUS
heretofore. These So carloads were made
up into four trains for the Peoria road,
three trains of thirteen cars and one of
fourteen. These trains were started for
Peoria short distance behind each other.
The first two sections sped away and
eventually reached their destination in
safety.
1t was about midnight when the third
section reached the Toulon hill, steep
grade near the little town of Toulon, in
Stark county.
THE NIGHT WAS DARK,
and slight DRILLING rain served to make
the track very slippery. As is usual with
such trains the engineer made dash fol-
the hill from the opposite eminence. He
got almost to the top when his train CAME
nearly to a standstill. Then began 8
struggle for the top of the hill, for tht
engineer we'll knew that another section
of the train was not far behind him. HI
used every means possible to drag his I'M
willing train to the top and in bis efforts
to jerk the train to the top of the hill,
SEVEN CARS BROKE LOOSE
and started back down the track. Witt
each turn of the wheels the speed of thu
runaways was increased, and in few
minutes they had gained terrible veloc
ity.
| RUSHING TO MEET THEM
came the last section of the train The
engineer of this train like his predecess
ors was making a swift run for the Tou
Ion bluff On he come like the wind
The rain was dashing against his cal
window and the inky darkness prevented
/ him from seeing the runaway freight car
coming like a whirlwind down the oppo
site band. On they come and both were
at their highest speed in valley when
THE AWFUL CRASH
occurred The reader can better imaS I'M
than can he described the result of thi!
terrific collision. The stock cars with thei
loads of live stock leaped upon the engine
which in turn ran further beneath then
and the whole was dashed to the grOunt
in an awful confusion OF broken cars anC
killed and manned cattle. The terrible
bawling and almost human groans of thu
cattle in each train was heart rending
No sound had come from the cab of the
broken engine and the bruised and bat
tered men who were In the caboOsc a:
soon as they could get to the cab began 6
search for the engineer and fireman
MIKE RADIaAN,
the engineer, was unconscious but alive
buried beneath the wreck of the engine.
After much trouble he was extricated anG
| all the means at hand were employed fol
his relief In the meanetime others were
searching for
| LAUMBACHER, THE FIREMAN,
but he could not be found, and at las
accounts he had not been found, and it i!
supposed that his mangled remains arc
beneath the wreck. Mike Radigan, the
engineer, died this morning about ivt
o'clock He was well known and
well liked in this city. He begal
railroading here some eight years ago and
ran the switch engine in the R. l. & P
yard here for long time. Fol year o
more he has had regular run on the roaG
between here and Peoria He married
Miss Hunk here several years ago, ant
she IS now i'll in Peoria. 1t is understood
that the remains will be brought here 70
burial.
| THE LOSS.
The loss 10 the r. l. Il ?. will pr0babl
reach S., 900 to $1,000 The engine i
completely wrecked and many of thu
cars are badly smashed up. Besides thi
a great many of the cattle were kille'
and others injured SO that they will hav
to be killed. Radigan carried no insur
ance on his life, while his fireman ha
81, 900 on his life in the Brotherhood 0
Locomotive Firemen
| THE TRAINS.
| All trains on the Peoria road toda,
have been behind time because of tn
wreck. 1t is stated that a track wa
built around the wreck, on which the pas
senger trains passed. 1t was, as befor
stated, one of the worst wrecks whicl
ever occurred on the R. I. & P.