The National tribune., 1886-11-04
FRIGHTFUL DISASTER.
Railroad Accident in Wisconsin by Which Many
Lives Were Lost.

from the rails into an old stone-quarry near
Rio, Wis, early next morning. The disaster
was caused by misplaced switch There are
two side tracks at the place, and at the time
the train was due there both were occupied by
freight trains, one by a wild train and the
other by a train which had just pulled in from
the West to allow the limited 10 pass. This
train was long, and the conductor was at the
head of the train, relying upon the brakeman
to attend 10 the switch. One report says the
rear brakeman, whose business il was TO close
the switch after the train, for some reason ne
elected to do so. The other, and the more
probable story is that he started back 10 close
the switch, but before he could reach il the
limited, which does not stop at any except
large places, came tearing down the grade at 20
miles an hour and left the rails at the open
switch. The siding is in a cut where the road
curves, so that the signal light cannot be seen
from the east until the train is within few
rods; so the engineer of the limited could not
see the switch light turned wrong until too
late TO stop. The engine left the track, ran a
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 remained on the rails. The engine and the
cars that went off were badly smashed and soon
took fire from the stoves. All the passengers
in the sleeping-cars got out uninjured, except
for slight bruises bst in the day coach at least
Is persons were burned TO death.
The scenes after the accident were narrowing.
The passenger coach was telescoped" at both
ends, and the fire and smoke prevented the i'm
prisOned and injured passengers from escaping.
Passengers from the sleeping cars gathered
around the blazing cars, but were powerleSs to
render assistance. Men and women could be
seen tearing their hair in the agony of the
moment, and frightful screams issued from the
death-trap. One heavy woman in particular
tore up one Of the seats with almost super
ht,. st. al ,Iaaxv tn hnr
way out of the cars, but her strength failed
and she fell to the floor Only three persons
escaped from the passenger car, man and two
children. The man was observed, as he forced
his way through the ventilator on top OF the
car with all his clothing from the waist down
burned OF, and his flesh roasted and bleeding
from cuts inflicted by broken glass. Every one
of the wrecked cars were burned, with the ex-
ception of the last sleeping car, which was cut
away from the burning wreck. All of the
bodies of the victims were burned in the
wreck.
Cond'r Hankey, of the freight train, who
fed into the woods Immediately after tho
catastrophe, has been found wandering
around in a rsving condition. He is likely TO
become a hopeless maniac. Cond'r Searle is
resting comfortably and il is believed he will re-
cover. He said: ." We were running at a speed
of between 40 and As miles an hour. had
gone through the cars for tickets and was seated
in the baggage car at the time the accident &C.
CURED. James Phillips, the brakeman; Wade
Clark, the baggageman, and Were seated IN the
car talking together when there came sudden
shock, and then knew we were on the ties. /
started 10 get upon my feet from the chair when
there was a terrific jar and j was thrown TO the
| floor along with Phillips and Clark with great
force, and all the trunks in the car were thrown
around in disorder on top Of US, and we were
all three pinned TO the floor. There was ter
rible noise ali kinds of sounds mingled at once,
and 10 make il more awful, it was less than
minute after the crash that the flames CON-
menced their work of destruction. i tell you
i thought my time had come for sure. There
was pinned beneath a pile Of heavy sample
trunks and i could not move in any direction.
| When i saw the flames at the other end Of the
car i thought, Well, this is going TO be my
end after all and / am going to be burned to
death 1t was a sickening thought / can tell
you. Phillips, the brakeman, was lying beside
me- and said that If i could give him a little
more room he believed he could get out. i &C
cordingly squeezed myself into as small space
| ss possible, and by desperate efforts he managed
| TO get out between the trunks. i then escaped
through the same aperture by working myself
under the trunks TO the space which he had
occupied. The brakeman at once climbed out
| through the window, and / followed him.
| Clark, the baggageman, had a leg broken, but
he managed TO extricate himself, and dragged
himself over the trunks and escaped with the
rest Of US. The fire started at the east end of
the baggage Car and the west of the coach,
where they came together. When / got out.
| which must have been In less than five minutes.
although il seemed an age, the women were
| yelling inside the coach. and the fire had en-
veloped the whole car. The coach was right side
up but the seats seemed 10 be broken up inside,
and the passengers seemed TO be pinned TO the
seats. There was a light load in the coach.
cannot remember more than a dozen persons"
The loss 10 the company is estimated at $4,000
Bishop Whipple, who was in one of the sleep
ers of the wrecked train, says of the accident
"0ur train was going at the rate Of IS miles an
hour, so the train officials said, and the courage
and bravery Of the engineer cannot be praised
too highly. He stayed with the engine, and
have never known an air-brake TO be set &c
quickly and strongly as that one was. was
In the first sleeper and had the berth in the end
next the day coach. Mr.. McGinnis, Of Morris
WAS in the birth opposite me. The instant OF
the shock he sprang from the berth and ran to
the front end Of the car, but il was impossible
20 get out at that end, for it had telescoped He
rushed back and cried out, Come and help me
save these people, who are being burned tC
DEATH i had been awakened but few minute:
before and had looked at my watch. 1t wal
1920 o'clock. ] followed McGinnis in my
stocking feet. He ran faster than j, and wheI
| CdlDC W luc SodSh hO AakNu wv
children from a woman near the rear of TIT
coach. She said her name was Sherer, of Wi
nona and asked him TO save her children, fol
their father was living. We both tried to lif
the woman from the car, but we could not 70
, she was wedged beneath the broken seats. 4
moment after we reached her Her dress tool
} fire aud she tainted, and was burned TO dealt
4 before our eyes.
There was comparatively little screaming
coming from the car, but there was rather tn
|. low moan of suffering, and believe that mos
. of those who persisted were killed outright Tn
q car was telescoped at both ends. Mr.. Anne,
: who was on the train, saw the passengers il
! that coach, as did my wife, and they thin
d there were IL. There were two sisters of charit
9 who boarded the train and were bound for Wi
e mona. There was a mother and daughter who's
y names are unknown, three young men, a mid
dle-aged man, Mrs. Sherer, her mother and tw
children, a man that got on at Columbus. tw
men who boarded the car at Watertown june
n ton, and the man who climbed out at the tol
?, He and the two children were saved, the Other
: were burned 10 death. The passengers in oh
It sleeping-cars had some slight bruises, but non
e were seriously injured" Bishop Whipple sal
e that as for himself, he was In good condition
J., though the excitement had affected him som,
Q what. Other passengers say that Bishop WIFI
j. pie was among the most active and cool heade
o of all the passengers and did gallant service i
d trying 10 save the poor woman who was bein
e burned to death, not ceasing his efforts unit
q the flames drove him away.
-s-
a Big Fortune In an Old Skirt.
= Hannah Sands, sn old lady living at Ry