Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-11-05
RAILROAD HOIO CAUST.
The Limited Express from Chicago
Goes Through an Open Switch Into
q Stone Quarry. 5s5
The Cars Take Fire and Mary Persons
HelpIessly Roasted ID
$ IS Death. $4.s. 4 sxsss
AN OPEN SWITCH.

4 u Il
AN OPEN SWITCH.
HoRRIDLE DISASTER ON THE RAIL taa
PORTAGE, Wis, Special Telegram, Oct 2s.
Limited Train No. 81, Conductor T. a.
Searles. which left Chicago last night, ran
into an open switch at Rio, Colunbie county,
fifteen miles east Of here, at about 12:45 a
m. The train was composed Of mail and
baggage car, one day coach and three sleep
srs, all of which except the rear car left the
track and went into sandbank A FIRE i'm
mediateiy broke out In the wreck, consum-
Ing everything except the rear sleeper. All
the persons in the day coach were killed or
consumed in the flames except one man and
two children named Sc herer OF Winona,
whose mother and grandmother were
burned under most distressing circum-
stances. At least fourteen persons were
killed, probably more; but it is impossible
20 give their names, as they are unknown
No one in the sleepers was in jured A pas
senger who was in a sleeper has reached the
city and gives the following account Of the
disaster: - s. =, >.t..
=. # "a TOLD BY A. PASSENGER
The first thing knew abo ut the accident was
when was thrown up against the end Of the
berth / was sleeping at the time, but this
| thoroughly awakened me. Some one at this
juncture shouted, get the passengers out" /
needed no second invitation but was out Of that
car in NO time. Luckily was all dressed and
enabled to be on hand in very few seconds
after the thing happened Before could reach
the coach beyond the sleepers it was al on fire
inside and flames were bursting through the
| windows and roof. Groans and shrieks came
from the interior, but we were powerless to lend
| hand In saving the unfortunate ones. A lady
appeared at q window with two children and
| handed them to gentleman outside. This
was the most touching episode I ever
witnessed, and never want to see anything like
1t again. Take my children!" she cried Il am
hurt, and cannot get out" Their name is Scherer
| and their home Winona. They were young
| things, the elder about four years, and the
younger scarcely as many months. We put
forth our most strenuous efforts to save the
mother but che was caught in the seat, and the
flames driving about US, we were obliged to re-
linQuish our hold upon her and she fell back
into the lire and persisted. Oh it was q horrible
sight. The burn ing coach was run together,
the top bulged up making sort Of an up
| turned shaped mass OF ruins. The train men
and surviving passengers did everything in
| their power to save the doomed inmates, but all
their efforts were without avail, not soul ex-
cepting the two children escaping.
HEROIC ENGINEER.
The engineer Of the train was the nerviest man
T ever saw. When first noticed him blood was
! oozing nom his mouth and ears, but he WAS Civ
Ing orders to the men about uncoupling the
sleepers from the turning coach Poor fellow.
he did his duty well. Had he not applied the
brake as soon as he saw tho danger the result
| would have been worse, and heaven knows 1t is
bad enough. The baggageman told me- that
when the accident occurred his stove door was
open, and that the shock threw Goals out upon
| the floor. 4 could easily have extinquished the
fire then, he said. but was under . trunk with
| my leg broken, and was consequently power
less. The flames instantly communicated to
| the coach. By this wreck l lost my baggage and
! money, but when think Of the people in that
burning coach say nothing
RIsHop wHppLE's EXPERIENCE
! The bishop described the scene as one of
| the most terrible he had ever witnessed. He
had Witnessed the burning Of the cars, and
ferers, but without avail. He and Mrs
Whipple spent last night at the Merchants,
where many friends called to hear Of their
escape. The bishop said:
When the accident occurred they had retired
shsr bertns Ihe shock vas not + PIT
| car just as tho flames burst forth from the
wrecked passenger coach. and in a very few
but one were burning. There was no time to
save anything, and the shiverine, poorly-clad
ones who had escaped were compelled to stand
there In the cold night and watch their fellow
passengers slowly burn to death. The air was
filed with the groans and cries and sttded
curses and vain plesdings for help. There was
! odor of burning flesh. the Kissing Of the steam
| 10 tt escaped from the disabled locomotive, all
combined to make the horrors those Of an in
ferno. ,..
Capt John Ames OF Mortified, who was in
the wreck, describes it as the most awful
one that ever occurred in the Northwest
His story is very graphic:
CAPT AMEs' STORY.
Il was between 1870 and 12:3O last night
md was In one OF tho sleepers, having boarded
the train at Milwaukee. We were b little be-
hind time and our train was running certainly
forty five miles an hour. All OF the passengers
agree on this. just short distance west Of Rio
freight train had left the main track aud taken
switch. This switch WAS left open. The first
known Of the accident by the passengers was
three solid jerks to the cars, after .which-the
train went about three lengths and then came
to dead stop. Our car porter told us there was
no trouble. but we got out az soon as possible.
As soon as we were on the ground we saw that
four to six feet at each end, and that fire had
broken out in 1t. This al within less thsn
minute. Then the horrora began We none OF US
knew how many there were in the passenger
coach, but by comparing notes we came to the
conclusion that there were from fifteen to TWEEN
ty-three. The conductor. in the shake-up. had
eral impression seemed to fix on twenty-three.
or these only three escaped The first, q young
man, crawled through hole In the top Of the
Mrs. Scherer of Winona taken out by Mr.. Nc
Glnnts Of Morris and Bishop Whipple. The
heroism Of these two men was something won
derful, working as they did to save not only the
children but others. McGinnis bravery was
nnexampled. When he got ont Of the sleeper,
be found Mrs scherer, her mother-tn-law and
burning coach The two women were pinioned
down by the seats: Mrs. Scherer passed out one