The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1888-04-12
HORRIBLE ACCIDENT,
a Railroad Train P!unges into a
River at Midnig!rt- -Sicken.ng De-
fNiiN


One OF the most awful casualties on rec
ord Is that which occurred on the Chicago.
milwaukee Il st. Paul railway. aboat
three miles IRON New Hampton, Iowa.
The train lett the latter place at three in
morning. The passenger coaches were but
fairly liled but the smoker contain
AEout forty men, women and children.
most OF whom were foreigners. The night
was very dark, and it was impossible for
the engineer to see any distance ON
the track. The train had pulled
over the first bridge and was n short dis.
tance from the main bridge when the en-
CINE struck a large cake OF ice that had
tloated down 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 un-
til 1T was thrown over on the tender, and
and rolling down the eembankment was soon
submerged in the water. The two passenger
cars left the track, but were not badly
wrecked and none OF the passengers were
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 begging for help. Those who were in the
sleeper were the first to get ont and imme-
diately they went to work to assist those
in the two passenger cars. Breaking
through the windows and cutting through
the sides and bottom, in less than thirty
minutes not a 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
presented beggars description. The car
was almost entirely submerged in the wa
ter. side up. Men were soon on its top,
and the injured, dead and dying were taxi
en- out. AS soon as q train man who es-
capped injury could be spared, he was dis
patched to the station. and relief train
was telegraphed for from Mason City.
kilograms for relief were also sent to
Charles City and other nearby
points, but it was not until
train arrived with physicians to care for
the injured and ad iitional helping hands
to aid in rescuing those still confined i'll the
wreck. Citizens OF New Hampton, as soon
as they heard Of the accident, hastened to
the scene. No train being at hand, Il 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.
! lie engine lulnpeu INC lIdch liTSt
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 OF whom were killed 80 far as
known. besides the engineer crushed be-
tween the cab and smoker. The fireman
escaped unfurt. There were about twenty
i've 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, G. Seavenseh. J. Dencles,
James Scagel. engineer, OF MITCHELL OAK;
Dora Heidecker Letta, a girl about four
years old. The names OF the wounded are:
Jacob Schart. Jr., Sioux Falls, Dak,
severe wounds on wrist and hand.
G.. J. Weland. Geneva, Iowa; Nick Con
ring, Aurora, Wis; ]. NJ. Christianson. Den
mark. Mr. and Mrs. Heidricker and five
children, the baby being killed. James
Murphy, Ossian, iowa; Arthur White,
Bla ckstone, Mass; } ohm Glausenor. Month
cello, Wis. Frank Studebaker. Boaz, 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 acci-
dent come from the railroad company the
story is likely to be much worse than re-
ported, and hall OF it's horrors will never
be told.