Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-10-29
TERRIBLE DISASTER,
MANY PEOPLE ROASTED ALIVE IN a
RAILWAY WRECK.

fNiIVhT WhCSN.
The st. Paul Limited Express Is Ditchee
and the Train Catches Fire-Heartrend
ing Scenes-Horrible Holocaust in Ken
tucky-Eight People Cremated-Acci
dent in a Tunnel.
MILWAUKEE, Wis, Oct. 29-The wors
railroad accident that has occurred on thu
Chicago, Milwaukee & St Paul railroad il
many years took place at 1920 O'Clock Tues
day morning at Rio, a small station fifteer
miles this side of Portage and seventy -eighl
miles from Milwaukee. The lightning ex
press, which leaves Chicago at o'clock p
m. for ST. Paul. and which flies like the
wind, ran into an open switch and wal
dumped into an old stone quarry One
coach and three sleepers were wrecked NJ
one on the sleepers was killed, but nine or ten
people in the coach were killed. The num-
her of passengers in the coach was very
small Information of the disaster was re
celved at Milwaukee Immediately and two
special trains We're sent to the scene of the
casualty with all the surgeonsi that could bt
secured
B. Loewen bach, job printer of this city
was on the wrecked train. He says the
scenes after the accident were narrowing
The passenger coach, which he says con
tanned between fifteen and twenty persons
was telescoped at both ends, and the fire and
smoke that enveloped the wreck prevented
tb,a mr. ,,,,
escaping. Passengers from the slecpers
gathered around the blazing cars, but they
were powerless to render assistance MeI
and women could be seen tearing their haii
III the agony of the moment, and frightfu
screams issued from the death-trap. Ont
heavy woman in particular, he SAYS, tore ur
one of the seats with almost superhumaI
strength and endeavored TO breal
her way out of the flaming pyre, but her
strength failed aud she fell to the floor and
met horrible death Only three persons es
capped from the passenger car, Mr. Lceweu-
bach says-a man and two children. Ths
man was observed as he forced his way
through the ventilator on top of the car, with
all the clothing on his body from the waisl
downward burned off, and his flesh roasted
and bleeding from cuts inflicted by broker
glass. Every one of the wrecked cars wers
consumed with the exception of the last
sleeper, which was cut away from the burn
ing wreck. All of the bodies of the victim.
were burned in the wreck
1t was a most horrible and sickening SD &c
tacle the roasting psople making the night
hideous with their yells, while bystander
We're unable TO render assistance. 1t was the
worst wreck ever known in the northwest.
THE VICTIMS
From the most reliable accounts oh
tanned tonight the number who persisted
does not exceed ten, and these we're all
in the passenger coach next the baggage
car. None of the charred remains can be
identified. As far as learned up to to
night those who perished are:
MIS-. c. r Rcherer, of Winona, Minn.
Mrs. Rosinu Johns, of Winona, her
mother-in-lsw.
Louis Brinker, residence unknown.
A young woman believed to be Mrs.
George A. Mari, of Rock Island. Her
identity, however, is very uncertain.
Emil Woltersdorf, residence unknown.
Five or more unknown persons
Two sisters of charity. one believed to
be Mother Alexis, superior of a convent
at Winons. Mimi, who was in Milwau>
kee to establish new convent.
THE INJURED.
including Conductor Lucius Searle, Of
Milwaukee, badly hurt about the chest,
but probably not fatally.
Wade Clark, of Oconomowoc, baggage
man, leg broken.
Charles F. Smith, sic Wabash avenue,
Chicago, broken arm and wrist. and face
cut badly by broken spectacles
James Philips. brakeman, cut badly
about the head
No passengers in any of the sleepers
were killed. Conductor Searle was in
the baggage car when the shock ACQUIRED.
With the bsggageman, Clark and Phil
lips, brakeman. be was pinned under sew
eral heavy trunks Unable to extricate
themselves, to their horror they saw
flames burst in from one end of the car
They redoubled their efforts, and Phillips
to crawl out Conductor Searle,
TINS released, followed him Clark, with
a broken leg, was gotten out and the
three crawled through n window as the
flames had crept up 10 within few feet
of them
Conductor Searle is now lying pros
trated at his home in Milwaukee aud tells
this story. He says as nearly as he can
recollect. the occupants of the car where
the frightful incineration occurred, in
cluded woman with little girl of about
8 years; another dark haired woman
with a babe less than year old; blonde
woman of 80, who seemed TO be com.
panion of the former. both bound for St.
faul, and two sisters of charity travelling
on pass. He can recall no description
OF the others, but says there were not to
exceed fifteen altogether He has lost
his tickets, and so there is no record.
LATER.-lt is now claimed that eighteer
persons persisted in the most agorizing man
ner, their bodies being reduced almost to
ashes and mangled beyond recognition or
The latest particulars of th,
awful event are that the ,!ay coach contains
upward of twenty passengers. When tn
open switch was struck and the shock came
the momentum of the sleepers In the rear o,
we uay coacn was so great that the latter
broke in two directly in the center, rearing
up and forming an inverted v The dar car
then blazed up with fire, and the cries of the
dying inside were simply indescribable |
Among the passengers were Mrs Ro-
sina Johns, Mrs. Scherer, her daugh !
terin-law, and the latter's two little
children, of Wmona. The two brave olncr
especially the brave mcther-succeeded BY
almost superruman Ief{orts in pushing The |
little ones through window to the outside, |
and then they persisted in the fumes. tt, |
loving mother sacrificed her LIFE fer her c!ul |
Iren.