Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-07-11
A FEARFUL FATE.

StFucLIV6 1actlcS Oh TIC ktdltfO8u VII.
Gals.
LYNcHBURa, Va, July "A half-mile
east of Thaxton's, thirty miles west Of
this city, occurred at three O'Clock this
morning the most appalling railroad ac.
cident which Virginia has ever known.
The east-bound passenger train on the
Norfolk & Western railroad was pass
ing over a culvert when the track gave
way and the whole train went through to
the bottom, twenty-f five feet below. The
accident was caused by wash-out due
to the heavy rains which have fallen
within the last three days. All of the
cars, five in number, with the engine,
were piled up in a hopelessly- confused
mass. The darkness which reigned over
all for moment was quickly dispeled as
the woodwork of the cars was ignited by
flames from the lamps.
1t was only a few minutes after that
the wreck was all ablaze, and to the hor-
ror of bruised and broken limbs and
mangled bodies was added the certainty
of fearful death by fire. Many had
gone to their death quickly, but the
shrieks and groans Of the wounded,
pinned down by the heavy timbers and
by rods of twisted iron as the flames
slowly crept towards them and began
their awful work, made the scene one Of
intense horror.
Those who were able to crawl from
the wreck lent their aid by the light Of
the flaming timbers to their less fortu-
nate companions. But little could be
done for them. There were no tools at
hand with which to cut the timbers that
held them down, and they lay there help
less, and were roasted in full sight Of
those who had been fortunate enough to
escape.
Thus far the charred remains of seven
or eight human beings have been taken
from the wreck. They are badly mutilat-
ed, and it is impossible in any way to
identify them. Their names will not be
known unless list of the occupants of
the cars can be obtained. 1t is believed
that fully thirty people have been killed.
1t is difficult, however, to obtain any
definite Information because of the OBJ
structions placed in the way of news
gathering by the railroad officials.
Further PartIculars-Partial List of the
Killed aud Injured.
BALTIMORE, Nd, July 3.-The Suns
special from Roanoke, Va, says: The
east-bound passenger train on the Nor
folk & Western railroad, which left here
at :05 a. m. yesterday was wrecked at
Thraxton's, twenty-five miles distant
smoker, passenger and two Pullman
cars were burned, having. taken fire
from the explosion of a gasoline lamp in
one of the coaches. The train went into
a chasm created by W ash-out while it was
going at the rate of forty miles an hour.
1t is impossible to give an exact list Of
the killed and wounded on account of the
meagerness of the information obtaina-
BILE. There is only one wire in use be-
tween Roanoke and the scene of the ac-
cident, and it is next to impossible to get
any thing over it but railroad business.
The killed as far as ascertained are:
Patrick Donovan, Lynchburg, Pa.
Charles Bruce, Roanoke, Va.
Fireman l.. B. Summers, Abingdon, Va.
Mail Agent Nathan Cohen, Roanoke.
w. c. Stead, Cleveland, Tenn, en- route
to England.
j. w. Beal, Cleveland, Tenn, en- route
to Paris.
A. NJ. James, Roanoke, Va, travelling
engineer of the road.
j. W. Linsay, Roanoke, Va, train dis
patcher.
John Kirkpatrick, Lynchburg. Va.
Dennis Mellon, Roanoke, janitor of tn
general offices of the Norfolk & Western,
en- route to New York to be married.
A little niece of Mrs. Judge Thompson,
of Stanton, Va.
1t is believed that fifteen or twenty 9TH
ers persisted, as there were nearly sew
enty persons on the train, and between
fifteen and twenty are unaccounted for.
The dead bodies were horribly cremated.
The injured are: Bishop Alpheus w.
Wilson, of Baltimore; wrist cut and body
slightly bruised. He is at the Hotel
Roanoke here, and will be able to leave
for Baltimore in few days. The Bishop
lost his gold watch, all his clothing, and
$500. j. F. Temple, Pottsville, Pa, head
and limbs burned; F. T. Dexter, Beverly,
Mass, severely bruised on the head and
body; J. B. Young, Radford, Va, arm
mashed; Mrs. Judge Thompson, Staunton,
Va, bruised and deranged with grief over
the death of her niece; Roland Johnson,
Roanoke, Va, conductor, frightfully cut
on head and face; E. G. Du Barry, super
intendent, bruised severely; w. c.
Glass, Roanoke. baggage agent, arm
ductor, shoulder hurt; j. D. Tanner,
Lynchburg, badly bruised; Joseph Gold
berg, New York, leg and shoulder
bruised and hand hurt: Miss Inez Jack
son, Texas, bruised; r. B. Goodfellow,
hand and foot injured; j. c.
Cassell, Roanoke, superintendent arm
hurt; NJ. D. Temple, Chicago, back in
iured; Mrs. r. B. Young Marshall, Tex,
body bruised.
On the body of Mr.. W. c. Stead, of
Cleveland Tenn, was found the sum Of
$14, 900. He was on his summer vacation
and was going to England.
Nothing New in the Cronin Case.
CHICAGO, July 3.-There were no new
in the Cronin case yester-
day so far as the reporters were per-