The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1888-04-13
PLUNGED INTO A CREEK.
A Passenger Train the st. Paul Road
Thrown by Cake of Ice from Bridge
Over an Iowa Stream-Five Dead Bodies

NV ~ - ShGGNs
A Passenger Train on the st. Paul Road
Thrown by a Cake of Ice from a Bridge
Over an Iowa Stream-Five Dead Bodies
Reconnaissance Missing-Many Hurt.
NEW HAMPTON, Ia, April Gone of the
worst accidents that has ever happened on
the Iowa and Dakota division of the Chi
cago, Milwaukee & St Paul road occurred
at O'Clock yesterday morning about
three miles west of this city. The west
bound passenger train plunged over a bridge
into the Wapsie river, swollen to fear
full torrent The engine, baggage car and
smoker We're piled together in the river
where the water was ten feet deep, the two
passenger cars following. Five dead bodies
have been taken from the wreck and it is
thought others have been lost Over twenty
were injured, many of them severely.
A very heavy rain visited this section
Wednesday night, swelling the creeks into
broad streams and entirely submerging q
greater part of the lowlands The Wapsie
river at 1 o'clock was within its banks, and
about three hours later it had broken its
banks and had spread over the lowlands on
either side, making an expanse of water
fully three-quarters of mile in width
The west-bound train due here at 2:40
o'clock. Engineer ]. W. Seagel re-
ceived orders to go ahead and pulled out
at $3.50. The train was composed of bag
gage and express car, two passengers, one
smoker and sleeper The passenger
coaches were but fairly filed but the
smoker contained about forty men, women
and children, most of whom were foreign
era The night was very dark and it was
impossible tor the engineer to see any dis
lance on the track.
The train had pulled over the first bridge
and was a short distance from the main
bridge when the engine struck large cake
of ice that had foated down the stream and
had lodged directly across the track. The
engine left the rails and plunged down
an embankment of about six feet
into the river. The tender tore
loose and plunged ahead of the en-
gine into the river The smoker kept the
track until it was thrown over on the
tender, and rolling down the embankmenl
was soon submerged in water. The two
passenger cars left the track, but We're not
badly wrecked and none of the passengers
seriously injured. The sleeper was the
only car left on the track.
AS the morning dawned the scene was
most heartrending. The shrieks of men,
women and children were heard issuing
from the cars, calling and begging
for help. Those who were in the
sleeper were the first to get out
and Immediately they went to work
to assist those in the two passenger cars
breaking through the windows and cutting
out the sides and bottom. In less than
thirty minutes not a person remained in
either of these coaches, and, strange to say,
none was seriously injured Meanwhile,
men from this city arrived on the scene
and their attention was attracted to the
smoking car.
AS the men approached it the scene pre-
| sented was awful. The car was almost en-
tirely submerged in water the side being
| upward. Men were soon on top and the
injured, dead and dying were taken out.
AS nearly as the conductor can remem-
Der when he passed through here
there were in the car at least forty persons
| The twenty-eighU who were alive were
lifted out and were comfortably provided
| for From the bottom of the car five dead
| bodies have already been taken out, and it
| is quite probable that as many more remain
| in there or have fioated away down the
| stream.
The wounded have all been comfortably
| provided for Most of them will recover
| Superintendent Molt and Assistant Super
| intendent Cable are doing all in
| their power for the suffering peo-
| pie. Engineer Scagel was making his
| second run over the road, being
| lately transferred from the western end of
the division. Owing to the conditions of
all roads in this action but few people have
| yet arrived here.
The names Of the dead thus far recovered
| are:
| Willard Anderson, Lemont. Wis; Gems Mar
| tin Chris Hanson, Denmark, ticketed to Dell
| Rapids; John Duclus, ticketed to Kimball, D.
T.; James Scagel, engineer, Mason City, Ia,
| and infant daughter of Mr.. Herdecker.
| The I'M ured are as follows:
| Jacob Schart Jr., Sioux Falls, severe wounds
| on wrist and hand; G. j. Wieland, Geneva, Ia
! both arms cut and head and back injured; j.
| M. Chrlstanson, Denmark, head and face
| scalded and rib broken; Mr.. and Mrs Heidecker
and five children, all injured, the man badly
| scalded on the hands and face, the woman's
| head is hurt and she is otherwise injured, the
| children are scalded on the head and hands,
John Murphy, Ossian, Ia., hands scalded
| and bruised on leg; Arthur White,
Blackstone, Mass, head bruised; John
| Glausener, Monticello, Wis, scalded on
| the head and face and bruised; Studabaker,
| Boaz Wis.,, bruises on head and face and left
| leg; Daniel Shrapp, brakeman, Sioux City,
| head, face and left leg injured; August Sharp,
| Waukesha, was held by the seat iron in the
| water for four hours, only his head being out,
| his head is cut and his body bruised; Henry N.
| Schnarr, Nora Springs injury of head, Shout
| ders and face; Adam Kauch, Prussia, hands
| and face scalded; Mary Kauch, his wife,
| scalded on right hand scalp wound on left side
| of head; Gus Brehrens, Germany, head and
| face cut and ribs broken; Elwood Ewers, Mar
shall, Wis, head and face cut and bruised and
| front part of body scaded Phillip Cross, Fort
| Atkinson, Wis, bruised.