St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-11-04
A DREADFUL WRECK
On the Chicago, Milwaukee and st. Paul
Railroad.

Railroad.
The limited passenger train on the
Chicago, Milwaukee and st. Paul rail
road, which left Milwaukee Wednes-
day night of last week, was derailed at
Rio when about three hours out and
thrown into an old stone quarry. 1t is
reported that out of ten persons who
occupied the passenger coach seven
were killed. A gentleman from Chicago
and two children from WinOna, Mimi,
were the only ones saved from the pas
senger coach. None of the occupants
of the sleeper were injured.
Assistant General Manager Tucker
says: "Our limited express ran into an
open switch Is miles east of Portage,
Wis. The baggage and mail cars were
demolished and so far as we know five
who they were as yet. do not think
any more were killed. | don't know
how many were injured or how badly.
The demolished cars caught fire and
were burned up. One sleeper was also
destroyed by fire. L don't know what
the loss is. That is of no consequence;
the loss of life is the trouble"
The most distressing and narrowing
scenes took place after the wreck. The
accident is the first one on the new
limited express, which runs at very
high rate of speed. The passenger
coach, which contained between ID and
twenty persons, was telescOped at both
ends and the fire and smoke that en-
veloped the wreck prevented the i'm
prisOned and Injured passengers from
escaping. Passengers from the sleep
ers gathered around the blazing cars,
but they were pOwerless to render as
sistance. Men and women could be
seen tearing their hair in the agony of
the moment and frightful screams is
sued from the death trap. One heavy
woman tore up one of the seats with
almost superhuman strength and en-
deavOred to break her way out of the
flaming pyre, but her strength failed
and she fell and met u horrible death.
Only thred persons escaped from the
passenger car, man and two chill
dren. The 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 waist downward
burned off, and his flesh roasted and
bleeding from cuts inflicted by broken
glass. Every one of the wrecked cars
was consumed, with the exception of
the last sleeper, which was cut away
from the burning wreck. All the bod
les of the victims were burned in the
wreck.
Later advices put the death loss at
over 20. All the passengers in the
sleepers got out uninjured, except for
slight bruises, but ia one day coach ID
were pinned in and burned to death.
Many others were injured. The whole
train except one sleeper, which they
were able to uncOuple and draw away,
was burned. The mail, baggage, and
day coaches were piled on top of the
locomotive. The burning of the bag
gage obliterates the only clue to the
identity of the occupants of the burned
car, and it may never be known to a
certainty how many persons persisted.
A passenger on the Inflated train,
said: | cannot describe the scene. AS
is customary, many of the passengers
in the day coach we're lying down in
their seats. They never rose from
them, for when the engine and mail
cars left the track the day coach
crashed into them and was telescOped
by the sleepers behind it. The coach
as it burned was not more than 30 feet
long, having been mashed until the
centre broke and rose higher than the
ends, and it was out of this break in
the roof that the only man who was
saved made his escape. About an hour
before the wreck | passed through the
day coach and | am sure there were
not less than Is or 20 persons in it,
many of them ladies. The head and
shoulders of many of the passengers
could be seen through the windows,
while the lower parts of their bodies
were held fast by the timbers. The
engineer, badly injured, did all in his
power to assist the workers, and stop
ped only when stricken by fainting
fit. He did not recover consciousness
for over an hour. The fireman was so
badly scalded as to be unable to drag
himself from the wreck whence he was
drawn by the passengers.
few minutes after the first crash
the entire train except the rear sleeper
was in flames. The fire was undoubt-
eddy caused by the lamps and stove,
probably the latter, for the first coach
was in flames in adOzen different places.
| saw the conductor of the freight train
that was standing on the side track,
and he told me that he was standing
with the switchman as he heard the
rumble of the approaching express, and
turning, said: ais the switch all
right 2" "My God, l left it Open," was
the reply, and at the same time the
man disappeared into the darkness and
has not been seen or heard from since.
The freight conductor rushed toward
the switch, but too late, and the crash
followed.
How Newspapers are to Succeed.