Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-10-12

nation, pervaded the sad assembage. En-
gineer Foote now says he did not see any
danger signals. The general impression is
that Foote was asleep.
The burned and maDgled remains of sixty
persons have already been sorted out from
the debris, and many are missing who, it is
feared, were burned TO ashes. At the hos
pital in Wilkesharre are forty persons
brought in by relief trains, eighteen of them
seriously injured, ten of them certainly ia
tally In the railway station at Mud Run
woman lies at the point of death, too weak
to be removed This resume does not in
clude all the fatalities, foT many of the in
iured were taken home by their friends.
The number of deaths will probably not fall
short of 100
The following is brief description of the
accident:
The fourth section of the train had stopped to
allow the third section 10 get further ahead The
fifth was following close behind. Passengers on
it watched the lights of the one ahead as they
flew through the darkness, and as they finally
saw the third section standing little way ahead
at the run they wondered why their train did not
slacken its speed
As it dashed along az full speed Fireman
Hughey Gallagher, of the fourth section, directed
the attention of his engineer, Harry Cook, TO the
signal lantern of the third and jumped from the
cab The engineer followed him and au instant
later the crash came.
The flying engine plowed nearly through the
rear car, scalding, jamming and killing the un-
fortunate occupants. This car iamIned into
the next ahead of it and that into the third, the
three cars being a total wreck The lights vera
extingushed and darkness added terror to the
scene while shrieks of the injured and groans Of
the dying We're heard on every side
After the first shock was over those who were
able began the work of rescue. An effort 10 with
draw the engine from the car into which it had
plunged added to the suffering OF the injured
and dying, and in response to their cries the eff
fort relinguished.
There the monster stood, actually cooking the
unfortunates with its escaping steam
ReScuers at once set 70 work. A girl pinioned
in such way that she could only be released by
the loss Of leg, was found. A blow of the az
severed the member and she free. There
was q man with one arm pinioned in the wreck,
the other clasping prattling babe. Here again
was young lady iammed between two seats in
the agony OF death, while her father was lying
upon the smoke-stack of the Kissing engine
The railroad employees and the excursion
lists worked all night at the wreck trying &c
save life, and many heart-rending and pitt
| full scenes were witnessed. In one spot di
rectly under the engine, four boys were
/ found dead, and several others, members OF
the Father Matthew Cadet society. wert
mangled beyond recognition. Walter Nc
| Nichols, of Scranton, gives a thrilling &C
| count of his experience:
| l was OF the train folio wing the one that wa
run into, in car about the middle of the train
| As soon as the crash occurred the people wht
los frafV ghai fbaaA
! The jam was fearful. The people went out o
| the window peli NEIL, and the first thu
| forward engine OF our train damned right int
| the hind coach of the forward train. The car
| had taken fire from the broken lamps but tn
flames were exfnguished by the use of buckets
The scenes were fearful Bodies were wedged 10
between the seats and among the broke
timbers. One man was held dow
| by the dome of the engine on on
train, which had fallen upon him. Another haa
tried to escape by the windows Of the car but wa
caught in the crash and the life squeezed out o
| him. He was pinned between the timbers Other
were moaning and crying piteously. Escapin
steam from the engines scaded severely all thos
who were held down by the broken seats and ca
timbers. do not think there was one in the las
car of the front train who escaped alive.
James G. NcGinty, recorder of deeds Q
Luzerne county, was on the section that ra
into the preceding train. He said:
was in the second car from the engine and sa'
the train ahead of us We were running ahou
fifteen miles an hour realized that there woul
be a smash-up but could not help myself
was impossible to get out of the car, and did nc
think it would be Sc ious anyway. The crash VS.
a terrible one though none of us in the car
which l was seated was injured nor was any
us thrown over the seats. But the scene that fo
lowed made me SILVER,
81 have heard and read thrilling accounts
railroad disasters, but never pictured in my min
anything like this The horror of that momeI
cannot he expressed in words We ran to the car
in which lay the injured people. One would say
Oh lift that iron and take me out! For God
sake HELM met Another would exclaim: My le
is fast: cut off my leg. Get an AK aud cut it of
Still others begged for help in various ways an
with the most pteOus appeals Every few mi
utes one of the poor victims would die. Son
were being scnlded by escaping steam, SON
were crushed 10 death, and some dying slowly
their awful injuries. To look on and be powe
less to render aid was enough to drive a man ma.
/ hope may never witness such scene again
The following is the list of the dead so fl
as they have been identified: From Pleasal
Valley-Patrick Curren, Michael Whalel
William Early, James Jackson, James Jacl
son two of that pame), Barney Meighal
Polly Meighan, John NJ. Coleman, Patric
Coleman, Michael Coleman, Thomas Rudd,
Mamie Atkinson, William Kelly, Mrs. Pa
rick Farrell, Benjamin OBrien, Kat
Featherton, Lewis Doran, John Walsh, Pa
rick Walsh, John Early, William Keel
Abram Doran, James Brahony l~ho
mother was also killed., Charles Golitz, o
car Gibbons, Mrs McAndrews and two son
John Barrett
From Minoka--Annie Curran, Richard Pow
ell and wife, James CANOPY, Festus Mulhe
rem. Thomas Tool; from Jessup-John RI
gan; from Hyde Park Mamie Hart; fro
. Miners Mils-James Flynn; from Old For;
w Cusy and Katie Clark; from Oiphal
: Anna LOTUS; from Scranton-Norah al
, Katie Qninlan, Owen kilcullen, Thorn
Moore, Michael Maxwell.
There are ten bodies unidentified. 1t is In
possible to give the number of wounded.
!, Superintendent Mitchell, in his formal stat
ment of the accident, says:
One section was standing waiting for the o
ahead to clear ten minutes, according to the ru
4 under which it was running, The order was
right. and the train Was standing with its
: quired two lengths behind the station, and t
!, red lights were on the rear, The rear man W
i also back with red light. The following ira
j. had full view of the lights of the forward ira
for half a mile, but ran into it, Each train h
two engines.
. Mr.. Mitchell said that the responsibility I
precautions was equal with the crew Of ca
engine, in cases where they ran double.
J. FROM THE FEVER DISTRICT.