The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1886-11-04
RAILROAD HOLOCAUST.
The Limited Express from Chicago
Goes Through al Open Switch Into
Stone Quarry.
The Cars Take Fire and Many Persons
Helplessly Roasted to
Death.
AN OPEN SWITCH.

AN OPEN SWITCH.
HORRIBLE DISASTER ON THE RAIr.
PORTAGE, Wis, Special Telegram, Oct %.
Limited Train No 81, Conductor l. II.
Searles, which left Chicago last night, ran
into an open switch at Rio, Columbia county,
fifteen miles cast of here, at about 12:45 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 a 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 OF
consumed in the flames except one man and
two children named Soherer of Winona,
whose mother and grandmother were
burned under most distressing circ UNI
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 in jured A pas.
senger who was in a sleeper has reached the
city and gives the following account Of the
disaster:
TOLD BY A PASSENGER
The first thing knew abo ut the accident was
when was thrown up against the end Of the
berth. 1 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 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
q hand in saving the unfortunate ones. lady
appeared at window with two children and
handed them to a gentleman outside. This
was the most touching episode l ever
witnessed, and I never want to see anything like
1T again Take my children!" she cried. Il ain
hurt, and cannot get out" Their name is Scherel
and their home Winona. They were young
things, the elder about four years, and the
younger scarcely as many months We pul
forth our most strenuous efforts to save the
mother, but she was caught in the scat, and the
flames driv ing about us. we were obliged to re-
linauish our hold upon her and she fell bacs
into the fire and perished. O., it was horrible
sight. The burn ing coach was run together
the top bulged up. making a 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 turning coach. Poor fellow
he did his duty we'll. Had be 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 baggageman 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 o 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 I think of the people in that
burning coach say nothing.
BISHOP 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
had done all in his power to save the suf-
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
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 a 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 st1f1ed
curses and vain pleadings for help. There was
the snap and crackle of the fames 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 Northfeld, 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 night
and was in one OF the sleepers, having boarded
the train at Milwaukee, We were b little be-
hind time and our train was running certainly
forty-tive miles an hour. All of the passengers
. freight train had left the main track and taken
q 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 q dead stop. Our car porter told us there was
no trouble. but we got out as soon as possible
the passenger coach had been telesooped 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
coach, but by comparing notes we came to the
conclusion that there were from fifteen to twen-
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 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
pnexampled. When he got out of the sleeper:
he found Mrs scherer, her mother-in-law and
burning coach. The two women were pinioned
down by the seats Mrs. Scherer passed ont one
Of the children to McGinnis and Bishop Whipple
got the other.
SLOWLY ROASTED TO DEATH
They then attempted to liberate 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 our
eyes. As to who was in that car, while we could
not get names, we did have descriptions, and as
near as we could make out, there were two men
from Winona; Mrs. Scherer OF Winona, her two
children and her mother-in-law; . woman about
thirty-fve years old. and q young girl of eigh-
teen: two men who got on at Columbus; hve
unknown men and three half-grown boys. This
makes sixteen tn all. out Of whom but three es-
capped. But many Of the passenger who had
thought that there were twentythree
in it. When the shock came, the
conductor. baggageman and brakeman were in
the baggage car. The sudden stoppaRe threw
the baggage down on to them, and broke the leg
Of the baggagemaE. but all three managed to get
out The engineer was cut some about the head
and had his foot hurt, and the fireman was
slightly scalded. We understood that the con-
ductor and two brakemen Of the freight train
bad taken to the woods and escaped. The Mil
Yankee road treated us with tho utmost court
esy. We Were transported around by way of
Madison, fed, and cared for in every way possi-
BILE. -
Capt Ames escaped without any serious
loss or damage. Allthe baggage on the train
was burned and ton and half Of mail,
mostly papers Most of the passengers. aside
from their l0Ss Of baggage, lost hand sachels
iewelry and other personal effects that were
left in the sleepers
THE VICTIMS.
Nrs G. r SCHERER, winona. Minn.
Mrs Ros1NA JOHNS, Winons her mother
in-law.
LOUISA BR1NKER, residence unknown.
young woman. believed to be Mrs. GEORGE
A. MARR Of Chicago Her identity, however. Il
very uncertain.
EMIL WALTERsDO ORF, st. Psul.
Five or more unknown personG
Two sisters Of Charity, one believed to be
MOTHER ALExIA. superior q q convent at
Winona. Minn.. who was in Milwaukee to found