The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1886-11-04
RAILROAD HOLOCAUST.
The Limited Express from Chicago
Goes Through III Open Switch Into
Stone Quarry.
The Cars Take Fire and Many Persons
Helplessly Roasted to
Death.
AN OPEN SWITCH.
U0RRIBIF DISASTER ON THE RAIr.

AN OPEN SWITCH
HORRIBLE DISASTER ON THE RAT.
PORTAGE, Wis, Special Telegram, Oct Is
Limited Train No 81 Conductor l. H.
Searles, which left Chicago las night, ran
into an open switch at Rio, Columbia county,
fifteen miles east of here, ut about 1910 IL
III. 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 n sandbank A hre i'm
mediately broke out i'll the wreck consun-
ing everything except the rear sleeper. Al
the persons in the day coach were killed or
consumed III the flames except one man and
two children named 81 herer of Winona,
whose mother and grandmother We're
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 \ pas
senger who was in 4 sleeper has reached the
city and gives the following account of the
disaster:
TOLD BY A PASSENGER.
The tirst thing knew abo ut the accident was
when was thrown up against the end OF the
berth | 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 all dressed anu
enabled to be hand in very few seconds
after the thing happened. Before l could reach
the coach beyond the secpers it all on fire
inside. and flames We're bursting through the
windows and roof Groans and shrleks came
from the interior, but were powerless to lend
a hand in saving the unfortunate ones. lady
appeared at a window with two children and
handed them to gentleman outside. This
was the most touching episode l ever
witnessed, and | never want to see anything Ii Ike
1t again Take my children." she cried. Il am
hurt. and cannot get out" Their name is Scherer
and their home Winona They We're young
things, the elder about four years, and the
younger scarcely many months. We put
forth our most strenuous efforts to save the
mother but she was caught in the seat, and the
flames driv ing about us Obliged to re-
llnoush our hold upon her and she fell back
into the fire and persisted. O., it was horrible
sight. The burn ing coach was run together,
the top bulged up making 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 we've without avail, not soul ex-
cepting the two children escaping
HEROIC ENGINEER.
The engineer of the train was the nerviest man
/
oozing from his mouth and ears but he was Civ
Ing orders to the men about uncoupling tue
sleepers from the turning coach. Poor fellow.
he did his duty we'll. Had be not applied the
brake as soon he saw the danger the result
would have been worse, and heaven knows Ii 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 extinquishsd the
- .tN,t,, dor L
my leg broken, and consequently power
less" The flames instantly communicated to
the coach. By this wreck lost my baggage and
money, but when l think of the people in that
burning coach say nothing
BISHOP wHIPPLEs 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 mis- power to save the SUI
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 the flames burst forth from the
wrecked passenger coach, and in very few
moments their sleeper aud all the other coaches
but one were burning. There time to
save anything, and the shivering, poorly clad
ones VINO had escaped We're compelled to stand
:
passengers slowly burn to death The air was
filled with the groans and cries and stitied
curses and vain pleadings for help. There was
the snap and cracke of the flames, 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 seepers having boarded
the train at Milwaukee, We were a little be-
hind time and our train was running certainly
forty-tve miles an hour. All of the passengers
agree on this. Just short distance west of Rio
freight train had left the main track and taken
a 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 a dead stop. Our car porter told us there was
no trouble. but we got out as soon as possible.
AS soon as we were on the ground we saw that
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 a
minute Then the horrors began. We none of US
knew how many there were In the passenger
coach, but by comparing notes 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, a young
man, crawled through a 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 they did to save not only the
children but others. McGinnis' bravery was
uneXampled. When he got out of the sleeper,
he found Mrs. Scherer, her mother law and
her two children at one of the windows of the
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 iberate the women,
but it 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 shrleks and groan5
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
near as we could make out, there were two men
from Winona; Mrs. Scherer of Winona her two
children and her mother-in-law; a woman about
thirty-ive years old. and young girl OF e1gh-
teen; two men who got on at Columbus: five
unknown men and three half-grown boys. This
makes sixteen in all. out Of whom but three es-
passed through the car before the accident
In ili''f it. When ii the shock came, the
conductor. baggageman and brakeman were in
the baggage car. The sudden stoppage threw
the baggage down on to them, and broke the leg
Of the baRgagemaG. but all three managed to get
/ and had his foot hurt, and the fireman was
slightly scalded. We understood that the con-
ductor and two brakemen Of the freight train
had taken to the woods and escaped The Mil
wankee road treated us with the utmost court
esy We wera 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 half of mail,
mostly papers. Most Of the passengers, aside
from their loss of baggage, lost hand sachels.
jewelry and other personal effects that were
left in the sleepers.
THE VICTIMS.
Mrs. G. r. SCHERER, winnua. Mimi.
Mrs. ROSINA JOHNS Winone her mother
in-law.
LOUISA BRINKER. residence unknown.
young woman, believed to be Mrs GEORGE
A. MARI of Chicago. Her identity, however is
very uncertain.
EMIL WALTERSDORF, st. Pull.
Five or more unknown persons
Two sisters of Charity, believed TO he
MOTHER ALEXIA, superior Ct a convent at
Winona, Mimi. who was in Milwaukee to found