Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-10-29
TERRIBLE WRECK.
4 LIMITED PASSENGER TRAIN DE-.
EAILED AND FIRED.
a Number Killed, and Wounded Men
and Women Burned to Death
Heertrending Scenes.
IBy telegraph 70 the Dispatch. I

| ""N 't' dlli fnliTOuu, NHiCu tiJ Htlt Ei-t
night at 10 O'Clock, was derailed at Rio.
when about three hours out, and thrown
into an old stone quarry. Particulars are
hsId TO get, but It is admitted at the general
once Of the company in this city that one
coach and three sleepers were wrecked and
i've or six persons Killed. Physicians left
this city on the early train for the scene OF
| tie disaster.
| Another report says that out Of ten per
sons who occupied the passenger couch
seven were killed. A gentleman from Chi
| cago and two children from Wlnona, Nina,
| were The only ones saved from the plssen.
| ger coach. None Of the occupants OF
| sleepers were injured.
There is reason 10 believe the loss Of life
IS greater than at frat reported. although
the widest stories were In circulation. II
| Is said the most distressing and narrowing
scenes took pace after the wreck. The 1c.
cident was tie first one 10 the new limited
express, which runs At q very high rate OF
speed.
II. Low eIbach. \ fob printer o, this city.
was on the wrecked train. lie says the
scenes after the accident we're narrowing.
The passenger coach, which he says con-
tanned Letwccp iDtecr and twenty persons,
was tcle>cOped az both ends, and the fire
and smoke that enyelOped the wreck pre-
vented the imprisoned and injured passeu.
gers from escaping. The passengers from
the sleepers gathered around the blazing
ears, but were powerlcSs TO render assist.
ahce. Men aud women could be seen tear
ing their hair in the agony Of the mOmeat
and frightIul screams issued from the
dcaih-trap. One heavy wOmjn in particu-
lar, he says, tore up one OF the seats
with almost superhumln strength and
cIdCa'ored TO break her way ont OF the
flaming pyre, hut her strength failed, and
she fell TO the floor and met 4 horrible
death. Only three persons escaped from
the rasSenger-car, Mr.. Lowcnbach saws "A
man and two children. The man was OBJ
served as he forced his way through the
yentilator on top OF tue car with all the
clothing on his body from his waist down.
ward burned Off and his Il ,sh roasted and
bleeding from The cuts inflicted by broken
glass. Every ore OF the wrecked ears was
consumed with the exception Of the last
sleeper. which was cut away from the burn
ing wreck. All the bodies OF the victims
were burned in the wreck.
4 special to the Evening Wisconsin, from
Portage, Wis, says: Soon after midnight
last night The wcsi-bOund limited was
ditcbcd at East-R siding. a small station
about thirteen miles east OF This city,
on the main hne Of the Chicago, Nil.
waukCc and st. Paul railroad. There
are two s;detrGcls at that place,
and at the TINE the train was due
there last night both were occupied by
freieht,; one by wild train, and the other
by Train No. II. Conductor II. p. Hank.
ley, OF this city, which had just
pulled in from the West to allow the
limited 10 pass. No. II was very Tong, and
tie condUc or was at the head Of the train,
relying upon the brakeman to attend to the
switch. one report slys the rear brake
man, whose business il was 20 close the
81 Itch alter tie train, for some TcI'0n ue-
elected altogether to do so. Another, and
more probable story, is that be started
Lack 10 close the switch, but before he
could reach it the limited, which does not
stop at any place except large places, cane
tearing down the grade at fifty miles an
hour and left The rails at the open switch.
The siding i in a cut where the
road curves, 50 that the sWitch-light
cannot be seen from the cast until
a train Is within a fcw rods; 80 the engi-
reer OF the limited could not see the switch
Hight turned wrong until too late to stop.
TIE engine left the track, ran short dis.
tance, aud brought up against the side OF
the cut, topping over. The baggage-clr
and two regular coaches followed, while
four slCcpers kept the rails. The engine
and cars that We1t oil were badly smashed
and soon took fire from tue stOye,, ana En-
ginccr Little and Fireman Eean crawled
out from under the locomotive badly
bruised and >caldCd. the baggage
man haG leg broken. All the passengers
in the slCcpvrs got out uniniured, except
slight bruises, but IN one day-cOach thur.
teen were pinned in and literally burned
to death. Many oiEer, were injured by
The severe shaking. The names Of the
victims are not yet known here. The
wLolc tram. excepting one sleeper whith
ties were able to uucoupie an .'.~E va,
was burned up.
,,.s sp l,i.I y, G. Collm' US on
" >vuna Passenger No. ,. when W..
;."T'u9 NJ The station a few mics thi, SIDE
81 The wreck for the limited, and was
soon on the scene. \ wrcckng train
WIN surgeons went from this city.
sud Gid all that was possible h. alleviate
suffering and 10 save life. No. , was
Obliged TO back up 10 this city and over The
Northwestern 10 Milwaukee UiQ HORIZON. |
Beaver Dam, and Fox Lake. The same |
Tot IT, has been used by trains to-day, n the |
wreck !, not yet cleared. Conductor Han. |
Key, OF the freight, was - demoraliZcd by !
The accident, the responsibility Of which |
rests on hi crew, and thus also on him,
that be took to the woods In despair, leaving /,
Bis train. He has always been a most care.
ful aud efficient man, much trusted By the |
company.
II was most horrible and .ickoniug
spectacle. tie roasting people making the
night hidccuS with their vets. whsle the
hy>tdudor. were unable t. render any as. !
slstancc. i was the worst wreck ever
known in the Northwest
The maii-car was IN charge OF John
Beech, ci Plsiulcid. WHO with his five men
sc ped, though badly bruised. They got all
he valuable nail out before the ear burned.
sixty hays Of papers were destroyed. or
he passengers IN the day-cOlch all persisted
kept two small children % T.. Il. Scherer.
Il inopa, MINI. Mrs. {. II. Schcrer aud
Itr mother-in.iaw, Mrs. Rosi1a Johns, were
n the ear and persisted, but were
ble 10 put the children out through /
window 10 outsiders. The children were
Cnt LONE. The coach contained about
wenty people, and the momentum OF the
iCCFcIs behind il raised the centre Of II up
lie the letter 4, when the bottoms cane
ogether, smashing everything to pieces
nd pinning people down with the seats.
General Manager Miller, who went out
D the scene OF the accident at O'Clock
bis morning, returned at 4 this afternoon. (
lie said. in response 10 questions. that
e had little information 10 give beyond
hat Lad already been given. He believed /
lat twelve persons lost their lives in the
IrCck. OF these be had been able 70 get g
at q few names. These were MIS-.
cherer, 81 Wnoua, and Mr.. Ro,ini
ohns, OF the same place. There were two =
omen wearing the girb Of nuns, both Of
HON had passes. One was the mother q
lperiOr OF some convent. InfOrmaU)I
ceiycd here leads to the belief that she
Is the motier-superlor OF the convent at
ew Castle, In FOn du Lac county. The
der Is known rs the Third Order OF q
Sisters. a merchant ut whose q
ore the Sister bought goods sivs there
ere three Of them, and that they had q
cir packages takOn 10 the depot TO p,
up on tire night train 20 -. Paul.
he other victims whose names Manager | Il
ilCr had were Louis Brnkcr, OF
shland, and Emil WOldersdorf, mer. L
ant, OF Columbus, Wis. rhe only MN !
no esca,,;caa from the .ur1Ing ear is DR..
NTH. Of Chicago. II the merchant j.
rect about there being three instead Of
o FIancisc9n sisters who were going on -
lt train there should be Que added to the Il
Her lit OF victims, making in all thir-
d.. Thisis probably the fuil number. II Il
~ be several days before the names Of all -.
victims are secured. ~