Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-10-02
Piled in Fragments
A Frightful Wreck on a Mis-
souri, Railway.
WAS IT AN ACCIDENT OR CRIME

A Miracle That the Passengers Escaped
with Their Lives-A Number of Them
More or Less Badly Hurt, One or Two
Perhaps Fataily-The Engineers De-
scription of the Scene as the Train Went
to Pieces-Other Mishaps.
MEXICO, No, Oct "A terrible railroad
accident occurred here at o'clock yesterday
morning The west-bound passenger train
on the Wabash Western, which was ten
minutes late was derailed about two miles
west of this city. In a moment tine baggage
car, smoker, two chair-cars, and sleeper
were piled one upon another in ditch, the
engine alone remaining upright. The lights
went out, and in the darkness the passengers
began scrambling for their lives. ALI those
in the sleeper were rescued with slight
bruises but several of the other passenger
received severe injuries The accident is
supposed TO be the work Of wreckers, as one
of the rails of the track was taken completely
out and a number of workmen's tools, pro-
badly stolen from a section house near, were
found beside the track The following were
seriously injured
Nicholas NJ Borley, of St Louis, badly
cut about the head and shoulders; Michael
Conoway, of Berch Cliff, Pa, going to
Weir, Kan, injuries to his back and hurt in
ternally, considered to be in a dangerou:
| condition; Mrs T. J. Humphreys, shoulder
dislocated and seriously injured; Mrs Kate
Mccarthy, OF Nebo, Ill.,, sci iously cut about
the head her condition is critical; Z. D.
NaveDs, st. Louis. cut and bruised; David
Berry, Litchfeld, cut badly in the back
| Mrs. Mary Files, of Brentwood, Tex.
scratched and bruised; a colored man, name
unknown, badly bruised and cut on the leg
an unknown man, right leg cut and bruised
a dozen others received slight wounds that
were dressed at once and the passenger
| sent on their way by the next train. Thost
seriously injured were brought to the Ring
house, where they are being cared for.
= Engineer Morrisey tells the following
story Of the disaster: I'VE started from
Mexico about ten minutes late, and l wa
down in the cab telling the fireman some
thing when felt jar. l jumped to m.
seat, and that instant knew We were ridin,
on the ties. leaped right through tn
front window of the cab, and out upon tn,
side of the boiler. | looked around and saw
the t ain going 10 pieces in every direction
the cars plunging down into the ditch a
either side of the track. l called TO my fire
man, but he had jumped to the left into
fifteen foot gully The smoking car rollet
over toward him and thought he would b
crushed but he saw the danger as soon as
did and got ont of the way. The condueto
at once came forward, and we got torche
and went back We found the train in hor
rible ruin The sleeper was on its rear en-,
almost straight up. The passengers in thi
car had found their way out of the windows
and aside from a man whose ear was badl,
cut, none were much hurt.
"On the south side of the track lay tn
three chair-cars and the smoker. In one q
the chair-cars we found lady who was yer
badly hurt. The other passengers in the ca
were only scratched II bruised We foun
injured passengers in the other cars, bu
strange to say, in all the wreck no one Wa
killed In the smoker we found a mon III
able to stir and grooming terribly. l thin
his back is broken
When questioned as to the probable eau:
of the wreck Mr.. MorrIsey said: at was ii
work of wreckers. / went to where l fir
felt the jolting of my engine and found on
rail taken completely out The spikes wei
by the side OF the track and some wreckin
tools were lying about l learned lit
while ago that the tools were taken from tt
Alton seCtion-honse, near Mexico
The theory that the train was wrecke
purposely does not meet with favor anon
railroad men generally The disaster occu
red on a graded piece Of road. on either sic
of which is a ditch The fact that the el
CINE remained upright on the roadbed maxi
it highly probably that the locomotiy
spread the rails. and passing over the brea
left gap which the train could not pass.
A more complete smash-up never toe
plaza The coaches are piled together, son
} on their backs, some on their ends viii
others lie sideways. 1t is miracle that
dozen were not killed. instead of less ths
that number being injured. Had the trail
all been on time the heavily laden cas-
bound train from Omaha would have be,
the one to reach the point OF the wreck i
stead of this one.
The escape of Mrs. Mccarthy alive is vel
e strange She was thrown violently acre
t her car through the double glasses of I'll
T closed windows. Outside she fell a numb
: of feet into slough, the car falling over be
: she was found unconscious half an no
/. after the accident. The railway surge,
d thinks she will die A little girl, Emu
e Files was found an hour after the wre
k hanging by one foot to one of the hat rae
t in the top of the car.