Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-04-29
Seventeen People LIss Their Lives In a
Railroad Accident.

A TERRIBLE DISASTER.
Seventeen People Llse Their Lives In a
Railroad Accident.
HAMILTON (Ont), April 2Sth.-A ter
rible railroad accident occurred on the
Grand Trunk Railroad. near here, at
o'clock this morning. The ST. Louis ex-
press jumped the track and the engine ran
into the water tank. Two cars were tele-
scoped and Immediately took fire. All the
dead, seventeen in number have been
taken out. The only body identified is
that of E. S. Quincy, of Chicago. He was
instantly killed, but not burned. An
italian, name unknown, was also instantly
killed. The other fifteen were burned
beyond a possibility of Identification
About twenty persons were injured, but
only one or two seriously. None of the
train hands were killed. The fireman was
slightly burned and received bad scalp
wound.
The train was composed of an engine
two baggage cars, smoker, Chicago and
Grand Trunk through passenger coach, q
Wabash coach, Wagner first coach,
Pullman car and two Wagner sleeping
cars in the order named.
The accident occurred at the junction
where "Y'' is built. This "Y" is used to
switch through trains for Toronto to the
Toronto branch from the main line. The
train is said to have been run.
ming at a speed of forty miles
an hour or more, when directly
on crossing the switch the engine jumped
the track and plunged into the water tank
which stood in the space between the ~, "
smashing the tank into atoms and turning
almost upside down. The baggage cars
came directly after the engine, and the first
OF these was pitched over the engine and
thrown on the main track, leaving its
wheels behind. The other baggage car
caught fire from the engine and the two
were soon in flames. The coaches follow
ing, with the exception of the two Wagner
cars in the rear of the train, were huddled
togethed by the shock and soon caught fire
from the baggage cars.
The passengers on the train, numbering
over $50, many of whom were asleep at
the time, had terrible experience. A ma
iority of those on board the train were I'M
able to get out of the coaches before the
fire reached them, and in the confusion
that reigned it is not known how many
victims were left to the mercy of the wreck
and unable to extricate themselves. L. S.
Quincy, of Brooklyn, had his head com.
pletely severed from his body by piece OF
flying debris. Rudolph Deerer was also
instantly killed. As soon as the engine
fOlSu OVel, aiter stIlklDS Tue water Iduk,
engineer Watson and fireman Chapman
crawled out from underneath it, neither of
them being much hurt.
An auxiliary train was sent out from
this city Immediately on receipt of the
news of the accident, and the passengers,
including the injured and two of the killed,
were brought here. The two Wagner cars
in the rear of the train were uncoupled
from the others, and were saved from the
flames. A large gang of employees worked
increasingly at the wreck. doing their ut
most to extinguish the FIRE. There was
great difficulty in securing the water. ow
ing TO the tank being smashed, and the fire
held sway for many hours before thor
ough search could be made through the
debris.
Up TO 5 o'clock the charred remains of
eighteen victims have been exhumed from
the wreck. In no case was there enough
ofthe body left to identify the remains or
to tell whether the persons were OF the
male or female sex.
Among the wounded now in the hospital
are the following: James A. Palmer, Illion,
New York. Hamilton Clark, Chicago, a
double fracture of the right leg, probably
internally injured. Anthony Maui, an
Italy, head cut. Edwin Chapman,
fireman, bead badly cut. Enoch Ken
yon of London, England, ribs broken.
c. C. Abel, Edwardsport, Indiana,
slight injuries. William Leipsey,
Chicago, ankle sprained. A. L. Doney,
Danville, H., cut about the head. George
White right ear cut off and scalp wound.
Andrew j. Carpenter of Yankton. OAK,
was injured about the head. S. Z. Young,
Chicago. slightly hurt. Joseph Morris,
East Sioux Falls, OAK, scalp wounds and
bruised leg and shoulders. About ten
others were slightly hurt, but not so badly
as to prevent them from continuing their
Journey.
So far as can be learned there was no
negligence on the part of the railroad COM
pany. The train simply jumped the track
at a flag.
The screams of the men who were being
burned to death in the smoking-car could
be heard above the noise of the escaping
steam and the roaring of the flames. Con-
ductor Poole says the train was fifteen
minutes late, but was not running more
than twenty miles an hour when the acct
dent happened, as orders are that trains
must not run at that particular place at a
greater speed than twenty miles. The
place where the accident occurred is con-
sidered dangerous, as there is a rather sharp
curve-hence the precaution of running
slow.
Tho Samoan Conference.
BERLIN, April Saskatchewan Buck.
ingham, Secretary of the American dele