Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1886-11-03
in A FIERY TRAP.
Appalling Accident Near Rio, Wis, on
the Milwaukes AMI St. Paul
Railway.
From Ten to Twenty.six Persons Burn
to Death In Flaming Passen.
ger Coach.
Fearful offerings aud shreks Of tho VIC
tins Bishop Whipple's Escape
Narrowing Details.
Milwaukee teleeran,I

The most appalling railroad disnster that has
ever occurred IN Wisconsin resulted from the
collision shortly sitter miln glt II Il passenger
train on the Chicago, Milwaukee and 81. Paul
Railroad and freight train at Rio, small
station fifteen niles this side OF Portage and
seventy hve M les from Milwaukee. BY the
collision it Is believed that twontysix were
either crushed or burned to death, while num-
Der CT 9th rs were injured. Eleven charred
corpsos have been taken from the wreck al
rsaly
The passenger train was lightning express
from Chicago for St. Paul, with baggage and
NAL cars, one day coach and thre, slecx'ers.
At Rio two fright trains we're side-teacked to
allow the express 10 pass. Oae Of them had
just drawn onto tho siding when the e1.
pros came laundering down upon it. Either
through negligence or becaus, there was
not time to close IT, Il switch was
left open and the passenger train, rushn:
at the rate OF forty ytive miles an hour.
dashed into il and at once left the rails. The
sidings are In a cut where tine roal curves so
that the switchligh. cannot BE- seen from the
east until q train is within few rods. so the
engineer of the limited could not SOC the switch
lignt was turned wrong until too late to sop.
Tne engine left TIL track, ran a short distance,
aud brought up against the side OF the cut. top.
pling over The baggage and express cars and
the day coacn followed. The sleepers did not
lenve the track.
The persons in the coach were im,risoned by
the teescoping Of the car, Fire brohc out in
the wreck and rapidly sproad through the debris.
or all those thus caush In the awful trap all
but two children perished-those who were not
killed nj once by the collision dying more hor-
rbie death by FIRE The wfetched people,
slrieking for aid, made desperate efforts to es-
cape the torture OF the flames, but in vain. Mrs.
c. II Sch, rer of Winona, handed her children
to a brakeman through a window and then fell
victim to the hery destroyer. The names oi
the dead so far as known are:
Mrs. c. X Scherer, Of Winona. Mnn
Mrs. Rosina Johns, OF Winoaa MINI, Mrs.
Scherers mother in-law.
Louis Brinker, OF Columbus, Wis.
Emil Woltsrsdorf, OF Columbus, Wis.
- DiUble, travelling man.
Mrs j. Lowry, Of Milwaukee.
Wallace Stuart, OF Columbus, Wis, aged y
on his way to Idaho.
In tine poe set Of one dead man taken from the
wreck was an en-, olope addressed, y. Tourin
Lincoln, No. Forty.nnth street, Chicago, III.
One OF the victims Is belle sed to be NJ. s. George
A. A arr of Chi ago Her identity is how yer
uncertain. Two other bodies are those OF Sis
ters of Charity, one ef whom is believed to be
Mother Alexia, superior Of convent Mt Winons,
ii nli., who had bt en- i'll Milwaukee establishing
q convent.
The injured are:
Conductor Lucius Seare. Of Milwaukee
badly hurt about chest, but probably not fa-
tally.
Wade Clark, Of oconomowoc, bassageman
leg broken.
cago. broken arm and wrist, face cut badly by
broken spectacles
James Pniilips, brakeman cut badly about
the head
Thomas Little. Of Portage. engineer, cut abou,
the face
No passengers in any Of the sloepers were
killed Mrs. SchereT, whose children were res
cued by q brakeman from the burning car was
PINNED down by a seat, and could not follow hei
little ones through the open window. She waa
already enveloped by flames. The hands Of the
man who rescued the children were badly
burned
Conductor Searle, Of the passenger train. sayl
that the occupants of the car where the fright
full incineration occurred included q woman
with a little girl Of about years, another dark
haired woman with babe less than year old
q blonde woman Of 81, who seemed to be q com
panion Of the former both bound for st. Paul
and two Sisters OF Charity travelling on.a pass
He can recall no description OF any others, but
saws there were not to exceed fifteen altogether
He has lost his tickets, and SO there is no rec
ord. The burning of the bngga,e 20 also htnderl
the identification Of the corpses.
District Attorney Armstrong. assisted By
Coroner Allen and force Of men, has been u
work all day at the ruins Of the wrecked train
hunting for the rom aims Of the cead or 10 find
some clew to identify those who perished. UE
to a lats hour tonight they have succeeded II
raking out trunks and other fragments sum
cient to make up eleven bodice. Ali the bodies
were burned beyond recognition, aud it will bt
days before the names OF all the victims are
known
Conductor Hankey, Of the freight train, who
fied to the woods Immediately after the cutas
trophe occurred, has been found wandering
around in raviny condition.. He IL likely t
become a hopeless maniac.
The hero Of the catastrophe was the engineer
who. in the face OF seeming death held his
hand on the throttle, and thus saved the lives
OF oil the passengers in the sleeper. Then
when the train stopped, he crawled out from
beneath his engine, bleeding and alarmed the
sleepers OF the danger from fire.
After the engineer escaped from his engine
ne ran back to the sleelers and warned the
porters thai the other cars were on fire, and
that the passengers must be got cut quickly.
He was covered with blood but seemed to have
no thought about himself, but only for those on
the train. One Of the men from the
postal car was equally helpful. He ran
to window where bs saw two WON IN. aud at
ensd down and coald not be extrcatcd. He
took out two little children. The youngest was
taken from the arms Of lady who cried out
n,':,s fvs Or SIX times. Take my husbands only
tainted, and was shortly after surrounded by
flames One OF the pars ngers said he saw
thrce women standing up in the car. seemingly y
fastened in some manner which prevented
their mo, ing in any direction. They also were
So n surrounded by the flames, and became q
part OF the burning mass
From ali accounts here must nave been q
friehtful ecenc in the car l, which the fatalities
occurred This pres ure caused the coach to as
sumo the position OF the letter A. Lamps were
broken and the stove overturned. altering fire
and flames in al directions through the coach.
Mangled and b,erting. nearly all the passengers
were pinned securely by broaen ssa, Q. many
heal ed nne upon the OF. er.. Their ngonizci
shrieks told the story Of fractured limbs, to
which was added the horror Of cremation. It 10
positive theJ only three escaped. Charles r.
Smith Ia medical student OF Chicago. His
parents live in Charles City, Iowa Mrs. Scher-
ers two children, whom she reached out Of Q
window ms the flames surrounded her are four
years and eight months old, respect vely.
All t1e coaches anil mrs were burned excspt
the last sleeper -Nashota.' Tho trainmen,
with the two fr, IL ht engineers, worked vigor-
ously to save the sleepers by pnlI ng them out
from the flames, but their positions wore such
that they could only uncouple thu rear coach.
Mail Agent John Beach. Of PininAeld, with his
four assistants, succeeded In saving the little
mail by throwing il outside and dragging il up
the bauks from tie DANES. About sixty sacks
of paper mail for Minnesota AMI Dakotl were
dest owed. The men escspcd thaninelyea with