Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1888-04-12
HoRRIBLE ACCIDENT.
A Railroad Train Piunges into q
River at Midnight Siekerllng De-
Anf


One of the most awful casualties on rec
ord is that which occurred on the Chicago,
Milwaukee & st. Paul railway, about
three miles irom New Hampton, Iowa.
The train left the latter place at three IN
NOR ling. The passenger coaches were but
fairly hlled, but the smoker contained
about forty men, women and children,
most OF whom were foreigners, The night
was very dark aud it was impossible for
the engineer TO see any distance on
the track. The train had pulled
over the first bridge and was a short dis
tance from the main bridge when the en-
CINE struck q large cake Of ice that had
iionted Gown the stream and lodged di-
rectly across the track. The engine left
the track and plunged down AN enbank-
ment about six feet into the river. The
tender tore loose and plunged ahead into
the stream The smoker kept the track I'M
til it was thrown over on the tender, and
and rolling down the embahkment wps Don
submerged in the water. Thetwo passenger
cars left the track, but we're not badly
wrecked and none OF the passengers we're
seriously injured. The sleeper was the
only car left on the track. As the morn
ing dawned the scene was most heartrend'
ing. The shrieks Of men, women and chill
dren were heard issuing from the cars calling
and begcingfor help. Those who were in the
diateIy they went to work to assist those
in the two passenger cars. Breaking
through tho windows and cutting through
the sides and bottom IN less than thirty
minutes not person remained in either
of these coaches, and strange to say, none
were seriously injured Meanwhile men
from this city arrived on that scene, and
attention was attracted to the smoking
car. As the men approached it, the scene
Il
was almost entirely submerged in the wa
ter. side up. Men were soon on its top,
and the injured dead and dying were TAX.
en- out. As soon as a train man who es-
capped injury could be spared, he was dis
patched to the station, and a relief train
was telegraphed for from Mason City.
kilograms for relief were also sent to
Charles City and other nearby
points hut it was not until
several hours after the accident that a
train arrived with physicians TO care for
the injured and additional helping hands
to aid in rescuing those still confined in the
wreck. Citizens OF New Hampton, as soon
rs they heard OF the accident, FASTENED to
the scene. No train being at hand, a great
many ran or walked the distance OF four
miles. The wreck. some claim, was caused
by ice on the track, while Others claim it
occurred by the spreading OF the rails.
and the baggage car ard tender
plunged over the engine into the water.
The smoker struck on top OF the engine
and was badly smashed. The engine is
entirely under water and the baggage car
is almost covered by water. There were
about thirty people in the smoker at the
time, four oil whom were killed so far as
known, besides the engineer crushed be-
tween the cab and smoker. The fireman
escaped unhurt. There were about twenty
FIVE or thirty wounded though none fatal.
ly. The belief Is that there are three or
more bodies yet under the wreck
The names OF the dead that have been
learned are as follows:
w. Anderson, &. Seavenseh. j. DeEcles,
James Scagel, engineer, OF Mitchell, OAK;
Dora Heidecker, Letta, a girl about four
years old. The names of the wounded are:
Jacob Sch6rt, Jr., Sioux Falls, OAK,
severe wounds on wrist and hand.
c. j. Weiland, Geneva, Iowa; Nick Con
ring, Aurora, Wis. j. NJ. Christianson, Den
mark. Mr. and Mrs. Heidricker and five
children, the baby being killed. James
Murphy, Ossian, Iowa; Arthur White
Blackstone, Mass; J Ohm Glausenor, Month
cello, Wis; Frank Studebaker, Boar, Wis;
Henry Schnarr Nora Springs. Iowa; Adam
Kauch and wife, Prussia; Gus Behrans,
Germany; Elwood Ewers Marshall, Wis;
Philip Gross. Fort Atkinson, Iowa; Daniel
Shrapp, brakeman, Sioux City, head, face
and left leg injured.
As all the accounts of this awful acct
dent come from the railroad company the
story is likely to be much worse than re-
ported and half OF its horrors will never
be told.