New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-11-03
RAILROAD HOLOCAUST.
The Limited Express. from Chicago
Goes Through an Open Switch Into
Stone Quarry.
The Cars Take Fire and Many Persons
Kelplessly Roasted to
Death.
AN OPEN SWITCH.
HORRIBLE DISASTER on THE RAN

AN OPEN SWITCH.
HORRIBLE DISASTER ON THE RAIL
PORTAGE, Wis, Special Telegram, Oct 26.
Limited Train No. 81, Conductor l. II.
Searles, which left Chicago last night, ran
into an open switch at Rio, Columbia county,
fifteen miles east of here, at about 1915 a
m. The train was composed of mail and
baggage car, one day coach and three sleep
ers, all of which except the rear car left the
track and went into sandbank A fire i'm
mediately 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 Seherer 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
to give their names, as they are unknown.
No one in the sleepers was injured A pas
senger who was in sleeper has reached the
city and gives the following account of the
disaster:
TOLD BY PASSENGER
The first thing knew about the accident was
when was thrown up against the end of the
berth. I 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 I could reach
the coach beyond the sleepers it was all 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
a hand in saving the unfortunate ones. A lady
appeared at a window with two children and
handed them to q gentleman outside This
was the most touching episode ! ever
Witnessed, and never want to anything like
it 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 she was caught in the seat, and the
flames driving about US, we were obliged to re-
inquish our hold upon her and she fell back
into the fire and persisted. Oh. it was a horrible
sight. The burning 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
I ever saw. When first noticed him blood was
oozing from his mouth and ears, but he was Civ
Ing orders to the men about uncOupling the
sleepers from the burning coach. Poor fellow,
he did his duty we'll. Had he not applied the
brake as soon as he saw the danger the result
would have been worse, and heaven knows it is
bad enough. The baggaceman told me that
when the accident occurred his stove door was
open and that the shock threw Goals out upon
the floor. Il 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 lost my baggage and
money, but when think of the people in that
burning coach say nothing.
BISHOP wH1PPLE'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
had done all in his power to save the suf-
ferers, but without avail. He and Mrs
where many friends called to hear of their
escape. The bishop said:
When the accident occurred they had retired
to their berths. The shock was not severe. but
sufficient to awaken them They got out OF the
car just as the flames burst forth from the
wrecked passenger coach, and in very few
moments their sleeper and all the other coaches
but one were burning There was no time to
save anything and the shivering. 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
filled with the groans and cries and stifed
the snap and crackle of the fa1nes the horrible
odor of burning flesh, the kissing Of the steam
as it 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.
It was between 1920 and 1890 last nistt
the train at Milwaukee We were !. itttie be.
hind time and our train was running certainly
forty-hve miles an hour. All of the passengers
agree on this. Just short distance west OF Rio
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 as soon as possible.
AS soon as we were on the ground we saw that
the passenger coach had been telescoped from
four to six feet at each end, and that fire had
broken out in it, This all within less than a
minute Then the horrors began. We none OF us
knew how many there were in the passenger
conclusion that there were from fifteen to TWEEN
ty-three. The conductor. in the shake-up, had
lost his tickets, and could not tell. but the gen.
eral impression seemed to fix on twenty three
OF these only three escaped The first, young
man, crawled through q hole in the top Of the
car, and there were two children belonging to
Mrs. Scherer Of Winona taken out by Mr.. Nc
Ginnis 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
unexampled When he got out Of the sleeper,
he found Mrs. Scherer, her mother-in-law and
her two children at one of the windows OF the
burning coach The two women were pinioned
down by the seats. Mrs. Scherer passed out one
of the children to McGinnis and Bishop Whipple
got the other.
SLOWLY ROASTED TO DEATH.
They then attempted to libeeate the women.
but it was impossible The seats held them
firmly in and the flames drove the rescuers away.
Mrs. Scherers clothescaught on fire and the flames
ran up TO her head There were shrieks and groans
for perhaps seven minutes and then all ceased
They were literally roasted to death before cur
eyes. AS to who was in that car, while we could
not get names, we did have descriptions, and as