St. Paul daily globe., 1889-05-25
TRIPPED up A TRAIN,
And Sent It Crashing From
the Track Into the Deadly
Ditch.
Forty-Five Passengers In
jured by the Act Of
Wreckers.
How Bishop Tried to Save His
Body From the Surgeons
Knife.

Testimony Of the Thought
Readers Mother at the
Inquest.
ST. LOUIS, May 24.-Ehe west-bound
train on the st. Louis & San Francisco
railroad, which left st. Louis at S:15.
was wrecked at point three miles west
of Sullivan, Mo-, which place is sixty
eight miles west of st. Louis. Not
passenger escaped unhurt, and forty
five are known to have been seriously
injured, though no deaths are yet re-
ported. The train was running at a
without warning, the track gave way.
and the locomotive, baggage car and five
coaches went over the embankment.
The trainmen and those only slightly
injured at once set to work to prevent
the additional horror of fire, in which
they succeeded, and then turned
their attention to the more un-
fortunate injured, and in very
short time torty-ive passengers. all
badly hurt. had been released from the
debris. A temporary hospital was
impr0vised at Sullivan and the most
seriously injured were taken there,
while others were brought to st. Louis
on the relief train which was hurried to
the scene of the disaster. The wounded
are under the care of DIR. Mcintyre,
when the accident occurred. The train
was travelling at high rate of speed,
and most Of the passengers had already
gone to sleep, while the few remaining
awake were about to do so. There is q
curve in the road about three miles
west of Sullivan, and when this point
was reached a sudden jolt and jar was
felt all over the train. Everybody felt
it, and the people in the rear cars could
hear the forward coaches rafting and
rnmb ling over the ties and
THE CRUSHING NOISES
of cars being demolished. A creek is
crossed by the road at that point and
there is steep embankment thirty
feet high. Most of the passengers
thought the train was going through
the bridge and the feeling of horror
chilled their blood. In an instant all
the coaches except the two sleeping
cars had been thrown from the rails.
People were thrown about in all direc-
tions and some of them we're thrown
from the coaches and down the en-
bankment. One man, Walter David
air brake, was thrown right out of
window on the opposite side of the
coach from which he was sitting and
sent rolling down the embankment to
the edge Of the creek. His feet were in
the water. Another passenger ON the
same coach was t0wed from the rear
end of the cut to the forward end, in
fact men, women and children were
thrown about promiscuously. The
tram proper was made up of mail car,
express car, baggage car, smoker,
ladies' coach. a reclining car and two
Pullman sleepers. Back of these
sleepers were hitched five empty
coaches of the San Antonia & Arkan-
lsas Pass road, which had been picked
up at some way station. The front
track, but the rest of the car remaiDed
on, and the rear sleeper and
empty coaches behind it never left
the track. Fortunately there were
no fires in any Of the cars, and the jolt
extinguished the lights Immediately.
Otherwise confagration would have
been caused, aud there is no telling
how many lives might have been lost.
AS it was, most of the forward cars
were smashed into smithereens. The
explanation given of it by the trainmen
to the passengers was that the spikes
and fish plates had been removed from
the rail at the curve, thus leaving the
rail loose on the ties. The forward por-
ton of the locomotive passed the place
all right, but the tender jumped the
track and was thrown part of the way
down an embankment. Who removed
the spikes and plates is not known. but
the supposition is the work was done by
train robbers who wanted to hold up
the train. Still, no robbers put in an
appearance, and if the accident was
caused by them, they must have either
weakened in their purpose or have
thrown the wrong train. The road Of
ficials claim it is clear case OF train
wrecking. On the train was a large
body of physicians, returning from
Springfield, where the state medical
convention is being held, and they also
rendered valuable assistance in caring
for the injured. Among the latter was
DR.. Russell, who received very serious
hurts. Following is list of
THE INJURED:
D. S. WEIKERr. Wentzville, Mo-, both legs
broken; may lose one of them.
Gen. S. SIMPSON. Hancock county, ILL.,,
shock and cut on left side Of face.
PArR1cK O'DAY, aged seventy, fracture of
skull; will probably die.
Mrs. KATE O'DAY, bruised about head, neck
and side and injured internally.
MARTIN O'DAY, cut and bruised on the
face; also cut on right foot and bruised
about the breast.
WILLIAM DoHERTY, left hand cut and
bruised.
i Mrs. MARY GRIFFITH, Fair Creek. ILL.,. in
jrred on forehead and right elbow broken
JOHN o. OATLEY. Rolla, Mo-, right shoulder
injured and thumb dislocated.
JOHN E. HOLLOW. Cuba, NO., lower portion
right side bruised and cut In forehead.
Mrs. MARY HASH, Bloomington, Ind.
bruised on left side ana severely shocked.
i C.. w. PHILLIPS, Springdale, Ark, fracture
I OF arm and cut on shoulder.
DR.. E. S. RUSSELL, Tuscarawas, o., several
flesh wounds ear torn off and cut in head;
severe shock, but rallying nicely. His wife
also cut in head.
II. II. NEWMAN, Cuba, Mo-, cut in mouth.
4 D. RA1LEY, New York. arm and leg broken.
W.D GRAVES. Marshfield, No., arm, leg
iand back bruised.
JOHN KENDR1cK, Smith, Ark, slightly
bruised on forehead.
JOE HARLN, Cuba, NO., cut on head,
bruised on chest cut on arm and shoulder.
Z WALTER DAVIDSON, st. Louis, cut on head
and slightly on finger, hip bruised.
j. B. SALLY, Rolla, Mo-, bruised on leg and
arm.
B. B. Mcintosh, St. Louis, bruised on
10. MoRR1soN, Richland, Mo-, cut on head
EMMA PATTERSON. Decatur. ILL.,, face
bruised.
Mrs. ". J. wR,eHr, Decatur, ILL.,; cheek
bruised.
M. LIpo, st. Louis, bruised on shoulder,
side and back.
MARY O'DAY, wrist cut slightly.
E: J: SHAW; Durango, Col, bruised on
:. ANT0N MARK ST. IOJliS slight crt and