Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-11-04
A SICKENlNG CALAMITY
Terrible Wreck of a Limited Train
on the st. Paul Road, Near POr-
tage, Wis.
Persons Killed and the
Bodies Roasted Before the Eyes of
the Survivors.
4 REARTRENDING SCENE.

limited
at East Rio Siding, a small station about
thirteen miles east of this city,.on the
main line of the Chicago, Milwaukee &
st. Paul road. There are two side tracks
at the place, and at the time the train
was due there last night both were oc-
cupied by freights, one by a wild
train and the other by train No. IA, Con-
ductor Fl. Hankey, of this city, which had
Just pulled in from the west to allow the
limited to pass. No. II was very long,
and the conductor was at the head Of the
train relying on the brakeman to attend
to the switch. One report says the rear
brakeman whose business it was to close
the switch after the train, for some rea-
son neglected altogether to do so. The
other, and the more probable story, is
that he started back to close the SWITCH
but before he could reach it the limited,
which does not stop at any except at
the large places, came tearing down grade
at
FIFTY MILES AN HOUR,
and left the rails at the open switch. The
siding is in a cut where the road curves
so that the switch-ight cannot be seen
from the east until a train is within few
rods; so the engineer Of the limited could
not see the switch-light turned wrong I'M
til too late to stop. The engine left the
track and ran short distance and
brought up against the side of the cut
topping over. The baggage car and two
regular coaches followed, while four Sleep
ers kept the rails. The engine and sleep
er that went off were badly smashed, and
soon took
FIRE FROM THE STOVES.
Engineer Little and Fireman Cagan
crawled out from under the locomotive
badly bruised and scalded. The baggage
man had a leg broken. All passengers
IN the sleepers got out uninj ured. except
slight bruises, but in one day-cOach
TWENTY-FIVE WERE PENNED IN
and literally burned to death. Many
others were injured by the severe shak-
ing-up. The names of the victims are
not yet known.
The whole train excepting one sleeper,
which they were able to uncouple and
draw away, was burned up.
Supt. W. 6. Collins was on the east
bound passenger No. 2, which was wait
ing at the station a few miles this side of
the wreck for the limited, and was soon
on the scene.
It was most
HOhhIBLE AND 6IChENlNG
spectacle, the roasting people making the
night hideous with their yells while by
ISLANDERS were unable to render assistance.
It was the worst wreck ever known in the
Northwest.
STATEMENT OF PASSENGERS.
4 commercial traveller who lost the
trunks of samples in the burning baggage
said:
"The accident happened on the hill
this side of Rio, where there is side
track. There the soUth-bOund freight
passes the limited, which is boBnd
north. The freight train had run on the
switch and waited several minutes. The
limited was due at 1920. The last car of
the freight train was so placed that it hid
the switch light from the engineer of the
limited, and the switch was not closed af-
ter the freight train had run on it. AS
the engine ran off the track, Engineer
Thomas Little put on the air-brakes be-
fore the engine turned over. This partly
stopped the train, but the baggage and
mail cars and the forward coach ran off
entirely, and the first sleeper was half off
the track before it stopped. The engi-
neer got cut on the head and bruised
ankle, and the fireman was badly hurt, as
was the baggageman. Wade Clark, of
OconomOwOc, the brakeman on the linn
tied, b ad leg broken.
THE CARS CAUGHT FIRE
at Icv and burned fiercely, the NAL ben
saved and the baggage burned. Conduct
or Lucius Searle and the baggagemen
were injured by the baggage falling on
them. The first coach presented an ap-
paIling spectacle. 1t was completely
wrecked, and the passengers, with three
exceptions, were wedged in by timbers so
that they could not get out. These three
exceptions were a man who had his leg
broken and was bruised; baby in arms, 4
or months old, and little girl OF
years old. The baby's mother was wedged
in at the waist. The flames spread with
great rapidity and in seven or eight
minutes every shrek was hushed and the
car and its helpless inmates had become
a smOuldering mass. An attempt was
made TO uncouple the sleeping cars and
pull them away from the flames, bat the
coupling had become blocked, so the three
sleepers were burned. None of the pas
sengers in the sleepers were injured. It
was narrow escape, and if it had not
been for the engineers presence of mind
ia putting on the airbrakes we would have
Jared badly. He saved our lives and the
company ought to know it." He said
that he had been travelling for eighteen
years without an accident before.
TALES OF HORROR.
B. Lpwenbach, a Milwaukee job prin-
ter, who was on the wrecked train, says
the scene after the accident was soul
narrowing. The passenger coach, which
he says, contained from fifteen to twenty
persons, was telescoped at both ends
and the fire and smoke which envel
oped the wreck prevented the imprison-
ed and injured passengers from
escaping. Passengers from the sleep
ers gathered around the blazing
cars, but they were powerless
TO render assistance. Men and women
could be seen tearing their hair while the
air was filed with the frightful screams
of the doomed. One heavy woman, in
particular, he says, tore up one of the
seats, with almost superhuman strength,
and endeavored TO break her way out of
the flaming pyre, but her strength soon
failed and she fell to the floor
and met a horrible death. Only
~