Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-02-28
FORGOT THE CROSSING
A C.. b. Il z. Locomotive Dashes
Into a c.. NJ. & ~. p. Train
\ SERIOUS Accident at Fulton june
tIon Last EveniDg-Severai Badly
Injured-ParIicuIa OF the Catas-
trophy.

Injured-ParIicuIars OF the Cata-
trophy.
The life of the railroad man is moi
altogether and under all circumstances
happy one; unless perchance he is full
lledged magnate who skips over the lines
in his special car; and even then he is
apt to be very busy and much bothered
one, especially at such times as this when
he has gigantic strike on his hands.
The men who run the trains and do the
road work have a very hard lot, and
when on duty they arr in constant dam
ger. This fact was fully exempltied
within forty miles of Rock Island shortly
after o'clock last night when O., Is.
81 Q. passenger went crashing into pas
senger train on the c., NJ. e st. p. at
Fulton Junction, The casualty was
without question an outgrowth of the
existing difficulties between the Burling-
ton road and its locomotive men. 1t was
an exceedingly peculiar accident-pecu-
liar more for the narrow and almost in.
applicable escape from terrible loss of
lite than anything else.
Passenger train No. between Mill
waukee and Rock Island and due here at
Goo, was forty minutes late when it
reached the crossing of the C., b & Q
at Fulton junction last evening. The
train was manned by Conductor Doe
Bush, Engineer Bliss of locomotive SO,
Fireman German and Brakeman Buch-
holz and Baggageman Hall, while in the
mail and express Car were VIM. Brown,
postal clerk. in the rear end of the car,
and in the forward end were Messenger
rhos. Morrison, of the American Express
aud Route Agent p. r VIII
helm of the same company. The train
of an engine, a mail and eX-
press car, and two passenger coaches.
Engineer Bliss stopped the custom
airy distance from the 20" cross
ing, whistled, and supposiEg every
thing was clear started across the
track The engine had barely passed
when, with flash, the G., b. & @. pas
senger between Mendoza and Clinton shot
into the Milwaukee, striking the back
truck of the tender and the forward truck
of the mail and express with terrific fury
The engine which was speeding at the
rate of forty miles an hour ploughed right
through the first car of the G, NJ. & ST.
P, turned off 10 the left and rolled sixty
feet down the embankmeht.
The g. B. & @. was in charge of the |
regular conductor, John Dano, who was
in the cab at the time with w. H. |
PearCe, mechanic from the Aurora
shops, who was acting as engineer, Road
master Seigrist, fireman and pilot. |
The train was, as stated above, travel |
ing at u lively rate, and neither the road |
master nor the mechanic realized the |
near approach of the crossing until all |
was over. The conductor did, however,
aud after attempting in vain to bring
Town the speed by pulling the cord to
he bell in the cab, climbed up over the
ender and got into the cab for the pur,
pose of warning the engineer, when the
rash came.
1t took but an instant to make one of
The Burlington engine was
,aily distigured, the cars were ditched,
While there was not enough OF the Mil
yankee mail and express car left together
o be recognized as ever having the APP
'earance of first class car. The
oOf and floor were gone. the sides
mashed, while the mail and express
natter was scattered along the track for
everal feet. The men in the Burlington
alb suffered most, yet all in the Milwau.
ee express car were seriously injured.
1t was rumofed last night that p. r.
OF this city, the popular route
gent of the American Express company,
ud been fatally injured, but this upon
lvestgation today, happily proved to be
ntrue. Mr.. Wilhelm, however, had an
lmost miraculous escape, and is still
intensely from the injuries he
eceiyed. He was struck by the colliding
ngine as it crushed its way through the
Xpress car, and thrown eighty feet ahead
f the wreck, where he was found as
Don after the collision as investigation
ould be made. His back was severely
praned and bruised, and his face was
ut and bruised in several places, one eye
eng swollen until it was entirely closed.
re largely in Mr.. Wilhelm's favor.
hos. Morrison, the messenger, received
n ugly hip sprain by being struck
v his safe. Postal Clerk Brown re-
eved several bruises in different parts
f the body Roadmaster Seigrist, of
he c. B. & Q, was quite seriously in,
lred, as was the engineer, the latter
robably fatally. While Conductor Dano
ad both legs crushed, and the fireman
nd pilot were well shaken up and
ruised considerably, the other men es-
aped injury.
The wounded men were taken to the
lotel at Fulton Junction, where medical
id was summoned. The wreck was
feared away as fast as possible, but it
7as o'clock this morning when the
lilv-au kee reached Rock Island, and