New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-10-31
VINO CA USED THE ACCIDENT AT RIO7
BRAKEMAN MELLs,s story OF THE WRECK.
NOT HIS DUTT TO CLOSE THE swITCH-NUMBERo OF


| NOT HIS DUTY TO CLOSE THE swITCH-NUMBERo OF
THE VICTIMS.
MILWAUKEE, Oct. 3O.-C. III. Wells, the
brakeman who charged with being responsi lie
railway accident at Rio, has turmoil up He came
this city yesterday and visited the general office OF
the st. Paul RAILWAY COMPANY. He irew his salary
late yesterday afternoon Wells Is twenty -four years
old and unm arriei. He declares that Hsnkey the
train conductor wholly responsit le for the
accident The following is the substance of his story:
Our freight train arrived at East Rio siding several
minutes before the limited put In an ~ pearaace TIE
freight train too long for side rack we cut 1t
in switching one part of it on to one of the side
tracks. and detachng the engine switching the rest OF
1t 10 the other side track Ii was MT my duty to
close the switch. had never closed 1t before. rne
conductor had always done that On the niglt OF The
accident after We had reached the siding and side
tracked our train bad TO remain on top OF ono OF the
Conductor Hankey went 10 the switch and shortly
afterward passed the car on which I was standing
He told me that everything wasa right and that he was
going 10 the head OF the train. looked at my watch
discovered thought did, that thu Limited train
%a @ 10 ses t rn Of me ne ae shorty alter
my car. In moment the train was IN flames was
badly frightened and thinking the freight train hands
would be lynched. fed l realize that made mis-
take in running away hut it was very natural under the
circumstances.
Wells says he is ready to give himself up whenever
he is wanted He has engaged counsel In Milwaukee.
The identity of the three bound tor the woods who
burned to death the wreck will possibly never
be a5snei and they A. least of all the victims viii
be addition TO the throng OF missing persons c.
W. st. John, OF this city, said this morning that three
men whom he believed 10 be the same came to his
labor agency Wednesday and wanted to 60 north.
They together and talked about going TO several
points on the Wisconsin Central Railroad. They evil
IDENTIFY did not want to work and hoped TO get some
where without paying fare. Mr. St. John the three
standing at the Union Depot at 2:45 when he went
there to ship gang OF men west II all the missing
people far reported having been on tho train
heard from, the list OF victims Will be swelled to
twenty-five. The laws Of Wisconsin fixes the liability
Of railroad companies for deaths caused Ivy ne ggenoe
at not exceeding SIS 900.
PORTAGE, Wis, Oct 3O.--An old building in Rio
converted into a temporary mOrgue Yesterday and there
in placed all the victims of the-wreck of Wcdnes
day night Engineer Thomas Little IL resting at his
hose The sock and his wounds have completely
Irostraed him. Fireman Thomas Egan, who terri
bly, scalded will recover. All mail matter, excepting
the Minnesota and Dakota papers, that was in the
wreck has been recovered, including registered pack
and letters and has been fOrwar led to its desna
ton The inquest begun yesterday afternoon.
passenger vino aboard the wrecked train said last
night:
When got aboard of Il at Mil waukee they
trying to make the airbrakes GU tie Milwaukee coach
work. This they could not do some said they
woul have to run that car without brakes as the train
had no brakes H. ana fully satisfied That il tue
brakes had worked the disaster would not have been
hold II back showed ahead when the shock came and
smashed In the light cor ahead.
Assistant Earring el"grapncu
Manager Miller late last night giving the to;a number
of the dead positively identified follows Mrs. Conrad
scherer OF Wirona; Mrs Rosint Jones' o. Rush Creek,
MINI. Mrs. Alva Winter, Of Kalamazoo Mich. Mrs.
I}eebe, OF Kalamazoo, mOthern-aw OF j. NJ Douglass.
of Minneapolis; Louis Brnke, of Ashland Mr. Waters
dOri Of Columbus; Sister Alphonse OF Win0na: Sister
Dempsey OF Wnona. Mrs. Winner mad ticket from
Kala maz0o Minneapolis. aud also tho Northern
Pacific. To the above list must certainly he added the
novice Alberlina, who in company with the two
Ituc n.
TO the list Of those positively Identified il il quito posi-
bli VIII 10 added the names of John McNOun, Joseph
Plant Frank Guyer Lincoln, and Forty third
Chicago, and Mrs Mari. of Chicago. These have not
Ostively identified yet, bat Supposed 10 have
been in the Tho list brings tho number OF persons
in the NJ to sixteen.
enc AGO. Oct 80. A dispatch from Columbus Wis.
SAYS: Charles smith, he Chlcago msdical student the
only escaped alive from the passenger c in
the railroad Disaster is lying yet at the hotel hhrc
unable to he moved. Ho had bad wound on the side
his head, Just back of above his temple. aud
many cuts and bruises about the face and neck.
HIS broken arm is apparently doing we'll