Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-10-10
A CLOSE CALL.

a vrain on which Ex-GoEernor Henor'cks
Was a Passenger Thrown from ths
Scene of the Accident Neai
Farmer City, Ill.-Its Cause a Broken
Rail-The Disting uisled Indianian Es'
canes with a Few ruises-Severa FER
sons Badly Injured.
ST.. LOUIS, Sept. 1e.-Between tour ana
five o'clock yesterday morning the west
bound passenger train on the indianapolis,
Bloomington & Western Railway encoun-
tered a broken rail a few miles west OF
Farmer City, ILL.,, resulting i'll the ditchlng
OF the engine, baggage-car, smoklng-caI
and two coaches. The train was going at
a high rate OF speed, ana after
being derailcd ran for nearly one hundred
wards over the ties and gravel before the
locomotive toppled into the ditch. The
night was very dark, and the panic and
confusion incident to the accident were
rendered doubly great. The locomotive
is a total wreck, and four cars are
smashed to kindling wood. The pas
sengers were nearly all asleep at the
time, and attached to the train was
a special car carrying Governor Hendricks,
John c. Shoemaker, of the indianapolis
Sentinel, and other prominent Democrats
on. their way to the Peoria rally. The en-
gineer and fireman saved their lives by
Jumping as soon as they realized the wheels
had left the track. There were only a few
passengers in the smoker and the forward
coach, and all these received dangerous
injuries.
Fifteen or twenty persons in the second
coach had an almost miraculous escape
from death. They were rudely awakened
from their doZe in the seats by the crash Of
fi,,horc TNl,a nov yvoc fhrpyv, 1roo1cijo m
the ground, and as the lights went out the
helpless and wounded passengers shrieked
for help, expecting every moment to be
their last. In the next coach the con-
fusion was greater. The passengers
in the special car were more fortu-
nate, and but a few received serious
injuries. Those who were fortu-
nate enough to escape at once set to work
extricating the wounded from the wreck.
The baggage car at this moment took fire,
but the flames were put out before they
could spread. Half a dozen passe myers
were dragged out unconscious and several
will doubtless die of their injuries. Nearly
twenty persons were seriously injured.
Following is a partial list:
Mrs. Sceava, Of Texas. O., badly bruised:
Mrs Mrs Williams, Mech1nicSbMrg O. hip broker
tanned internal injuries; Mrs. Jennie Valid.
lick, Columbus City, Ind, head badly injured:
J. S. Falls, Pittsburgh, Pa, collar-bone
broken, ribs broken and hip injured-will
probably die Mrs. Welisha, shcltVville, Ind,
skuI1 fractured; a little daughter OF the
rbove, badly bruised and injured; John W..
Wright, Springfield, o., nose crushed
and head iniured; Peter Martin, Nauvoo,
ILL.,, leg broken; Mrs. Mary Walker, Fairfield,
Ia, internal injuries; Captain William Pay.
son, Omaha, arm broken and shoulder hurt;
Henry Wilson, Kcokuk, collar-bone tract
ured; Mrs, Jenny Bailey, Fort Worth. Tex,
internal injuries; John c. Shoemaker, In.
d~ianapolis, bruised about the head: Ex-Gov.
ernor Hendricks, bruises on arm and head.
A large number of others refused to
give their names. Governor Hendricks had
a narrow escape from death. The seat
on which he was sitting was crushed
to splinters. His injuries are not dan
gerous. He was interviewed, and said that
it was a wonder that the loss of life
was not tremendous. He was awake
when the accident occurred, and was talking
to a friend. Re felt a sudden jar, aud then
heard the sound of cracking wood. AL
though injured, the Governor aided his
more unfortunate brethren out Of the wreck.
Many of the injured have gone on to their
destination. Others remain in the care OF
hOspitable people at Farmer CITY.