The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-10-29
BURNED TODEATH INACAR
THIRTEEN PERSONS MEET AN
AWFUL FATE
By q Railroad Accident Due 10 the
Carelessness Of Some Freight
Train Hands.
HELPLESS MEN AND WOMEN
Shrinking FOR HELP
While Those Near BY We're Power
less to Render any Assistance
A Slckening sight.

MILWAUKEE, Wiz, October 2S.-A
special to the Evening Wisconsin from
Portage, says last night, soou after
midnight, the westbound limited was
ditched at East Rio siding, a small
station about thirteen miles east Of
this city, on the main line OF the
Chicago, Milwaukee and s.. Paul
road. There are two side tracks at
the place, and at the time the train
was due there lest night both were oc-
Cspied by freights, one by a wild train
and the other by train No. IA, Con-
ductor II. p. Hankey, of this city,
which had Just pulled in from the
west 10 allow the limited TO pass. No.
IA was very long, and the conductor
was at the head of the train relying
upon 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 reason neglected to DO 30. The
other and more probable story is that
he stsrted back to close the switch,
bat before he cnuld reach it the
limited, which does not stop at
any except large places, came tearing
down grade at fifty miles an hour,
ard left the rails at the open
switch. The sidiDps arc in a cut
where the road curves so that the
switch light cannot he seen from the
east until train ia within few rods,
60 that The engineer OF the limited
could not rec the switch light turned
wrong until too ate to stop. The en-
CINE left the track, ran short distance
and brought mp against tbs side Of
the cut, topping over. The baggage
car and two regular coaches folio wed,
while four sleepers kept the rails.
The engine and the cars that went off
were badly smashed and soon took
Gre from the stoves Engineer Little
and Fireman Esgan Crawled out from
under the locomotive, badly bruised
and scSlded. The baggage man had a
leg broken. All pass engerB in the
tleepers got out uninjured, except
slight bruises, but in one day coach
thirteen were pinned in and literally
burned to death. Many others were
injured by the severe shaking up.
The names OF the victims are not yet
known here. The whole train except
one sleeper, which they were able 10
uncouple aud draw away, was burned
up.
superintendent W. q. Collins was
on the esbound passenger train,
No. 2, which was waiting ut the STA
fen a few miles this side of the
wreck for the limited, and was soon
on tse scene, Wrecking trains, with
surgeons, went from this city and did
all possible to alleviate suffering and
save life. No. was obliged TO back
Hp 10 this city, and went over the
Northwestern to Milwaukee, via Hori-
con, Beaver Dam and Fox Lake. The
same route has been used by trains
today, as the wreck is not yet cleared.
Conductor Hankey, Of the freight
rain, was 80 demoralihed by the &C
cident, the responsibility OF which
rests on his crew and thus also ON
him, that he took TO the woods in
despair, leaving his train, He has
always been q most careful and eff
cient man, much trusted by the COM
pany. II was q most horrible and
Bickening spectacle, the roasting peo-
pie making the night hideous with
their yells, while bystanders we're un-
able TO render assistance. 1t was the
worst wreck ever known in the North
west.
A LATER DISPATCH
TO the Evening Wisconsin from Rio, the
scene of last nights railroad accident,
says the limited train ran through an
open switch aud plunged into sand
bank, The mail, baggage and day
eoaches were piled ON top of 1t. in the
day coach there were twelve or fifteen
persons, One man aud two children
were the only ones saved. The others
were burned in the car. The man
who escaped had an arm broken ard
was otherwise bruised. He is now at
Columbus and iB doing well. A
woman whose home is at Wiuona,
handa her two children out Of the
window and burned to death in the
car. Louis Brnker and Emil Wolter.
dorh, Of Columbus, Wis, are amoug
the dead. The names and residences
OF the Others cannot now be ascer-
tanned. Coroner Allen is holding an
inquest on the ohsrred trunks of
bodies, all that is left OF the i'll lated
travellers. The burning of the bag
gage obliterates the only clew to the
identity Of the occupants of the
burned car, and it may never be
known to a certainty how many per.
iRhed in the wreck.
A Passengers Aceaunt