The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1886-11-04
RAILROAD HOLOCAUST.
The Limited Express from Chicago
Goes Through an Open Switch Into
Stone Quarry. :
The Cars Take Fire and Many Persons
Aelplessly Roasted to
Death.
An OPEN SWITCH


An OPEN SWITCH.
HORRIBLE DISASTER ON THE RAu.
PORTAGE, Via, Special Telegram, Dot %.
Limited Train No. 81, Conductor l. H.
searles, which left Chicago last night, ran
into an omen switch at Rio, Columbia county.
nfsceh miles east of here, at about 12:43 4.
m The train was composed OF mail and
baggage car, one day coach AID three Sleep
ora, all Of which except the rear car left the
track AID Went into sandbank. A fire i'm
neoiateiy 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 MAJ, and
two children named Seheret OF Wiuona.
whose mother ard grandmother were
burned under most distressing circum-
stances At least fourteen persons >verS
killed, probably more; but II is impossible
to give their names. - they are unknown
No one in the sleepers was I'M ured. A pas
senRer who was in sleeper has reached the
city and gives the following account Of the
disaster:
TOLD BIZ A PAssENpEH
The drst thing knew about the accident was
when was thrown up against the end Of the
oereh. l was sleeping at the time but this
thoroughly awakened me. Some one 1T this
luncture shouted. get the passengers OUT"
needed no second invitation, out was ont OF that
car in no time. Luckily I was All dressed and
enabled to be on hand IA ! very few seconds
utter tbs thing hApk6ned. Before could reach
tho coach beyond the sleepers it was all ON fire
h.,ro
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 . window with two children and
handed them to q gentleman outside This
was the most touching episode ( ever
witnessed, and never want to SEQ anything like
It again. Take my childrenl" she cried. Il AIN
hurt, and cannot got out. Their name is Scherer
and their home Winona, They were young
snAass' inc elder about four years, and the
younger scarcely as many months. We put
mother. but she was caught in the seat, and the
flames driving about us, we were obliged to re-
linQutsh our hold upon her and sho fell back
Into the IRE and berished. Oh. it was horrible
sight, The burning coach was run together,
tho top bulged up. making q sort Of an up
turned V shaped mass of ruins. The train men
and surviving passengers did everything In
their power to save the doomed inmates, but al
their Efforts were without avail, not 4 soul ex-
oeptine the two children escaping.
HEROIC ENGINEER.
The engineer Of the train was the nerviest man
ever saw. When first noticed hin, blood was
oozinR from his mouth and ears, but he was Civ
Ing orders to tbs men about uncoupling tue
sieepers srcna the Turning coach. Poor fellow.
no did his duty we'll. Had he not applied the
brake as soon Is he saw the d.ngef the result
would have been worse, and heaven knows it is
bad enough. Tho baegaeeman told me that
which the accident occurred his stove door was
open. and that the shock threw Goals tNt Upon
the floor. Il could, easilv have cxtinquisbed tho
fire then, he laid, "but was under trunk with
my leg broken, and was consequently power
less. Tho flames instently communicated to
the coach. By this wreck lost my baggage and
money. but when think Of tho people In that
burning coach say nothing.
BISHOP wH1prLa's EXPERIENCE
The bishop described the scene az 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
sufaeien: to awaken them They got out Of the
Gar just as the flames burst forth from the
wrecked passenger coach, aud in . very few
moments their sleeper and all tho other coaches
save anything. and the shivering poorly clad
ones who hat escaped were compelled to stand
there In the cold nirht and watch their fellow
passengers slowly burn to death. The air was
hlied with the groans and cries and sttfled
cussts and vain pleadings for help. There was
the snap and crackle Of the flames. the horrible
rs it escaped from the disabled locomotive, al
combined to make the horrors those Of an in
ferno.
Capt John Ames of Northfleld, who was ii,
the wreck. describes it al the most awful
one chat ever Occurred In the Northwest
dis story is very graphic:
CAPT. AMEs' sToRY
It was between 1920 and 1890 last night
and was tn one OF the slecpers, having boarded
the train at Milwaukee, We were = little be-
nlnd time and our train was running certainly
agree on this just q short distance west OF Rio
\ freight train had left the main track and 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 abotit three lengths and then came
TO dead stop Our car porter told us there was
40 trouble. but we got ont Is soon as possible.
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 q
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
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
era1 impression seemed to fix on twenty-three.
OF these only three escaped The first = young
man, craw!ed through hole in the top Of the
Mrs. Scherer of Wtnona taken out by Mr.. Nc
chnnis Of Norris and Bishop Whipplc. The
herolem OF these two men WAS something WON
S1t they 1d TO not only the
unexampied When he got out Of the sleeper.
no found Mrs. Schercr, her mother-in-law and
her two children At one of the windows OF the
down by the seats. Mrs. Scherer passed out one
Of the children to McGinnis and Bishop Whipple
got tho other.
SLOWLY ROASTED TO DEATH
They then attempted to liberate tho women.
but It was impossible. The seats held them
Mrs. Scherers clothescaught fire and the flames
ran up TO her head There were shrieks and groans
19r perhaps seven minutes. and then all ceased.
eyes. As to who was in that car, while we could
not get names, we did have descriptions, and Is
near es we could make out. there were two men
children and her mother in-law; q woman about
th1rty-hv years old. and young girl of eieh-
teen: two men who got on 1t Columbus: five
u0AuO"u men ana tnfee n6l1-RrOWn boys. This
makes sixteen In all. out OF whom but three ee-
capped. But many Of tho passenger who had
passed through tho car before the accident
thought that there were twenty-three
In 1t. When the shock came, the
conductor, baggageman and brakeman were in
the baggage car. The sudden stoppage threw
tho baggage down on to them, and broke the leg
OF tho baggaReinan, but all three managed to get
out The engineer was cut some about the head
and had his foot hurt. and tho fireman was
sliRhtly scalded. We understood that the con-
ductor and two brakemen Of the freight train
had taken to tho woods and escaped. The Mil
waukee road treated us with the utmost court
esy. We were transported around by way Of
Madison. fed, and cared for in every way posi-
BILE.
Capt Ames escaped Without any serious
loss or damage All the baggage on the train
was burned and ton and q half Of mail.
mostly papers. Most Of the passengers asidl .
rom their loss of baggage, lost hand sachels,
1ewelry and other personal effects that were
left In the sleepers
THE VICTIMS.
4rA @. r SCHERER, Winona, Mimi.
4rA ROSINA JOHNS, Winona, her mother
in-law.
LOUISA BRINKER residence unknown.
Ayoung woman. believed to be Mrs. GEORGE