Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-04-29
TheniLegs and Arms
All That Remain of About
Twenty Human Beings.
DREADFUL DISASTER ON TEE RAIL.

The Fatal "Y" Derails a Train, Result
ing In the Roasting to Death of Pas
sengers Pinned in the Wreck-One Man
Entirely Beheaded and u Dozen or So
More or Less Wouned-Names OF the
Victims as Far AS Known-The Burned
Bodies Unrecognizable.
HAMILTON, Ont, April 29-The limited
express on the Grand Trunk railway, due
here at 6:55 a. M, yesterday met with an
accident when about two miles west of this
city, the result of which was the loss of
many lives. The train was composed of an
engine, two baggage cars a smoker, a Chi
cago and Grand Trunk through passenger
coach, Wabash coach, Wagner first-class
coach, Pullman car and two Wagner sleep
ing cars in the order named Conductor
Poole was in charge of the train, with J.
Watson, of Lordon, engineer, and E. Chap
man, of London, fireman
The Fatal "Y'' Again.
The accident occurred at the junction
where "Y" is built This "Y" is used to
switch through trains for Toronto on to the
Toronto branch from the main line. The
train is said to have been running at speed
OF forty miles an hour or more when directly
on passing the switch the engine jumped the
track and plunged into a water tank which
stood in a 81 ace between the "Y," smashing
the tank into atoms and turning the engine
almost upside down. The baggage cars came
directly after the engine, and the first of
these was pitched over the locomotive and
thrown on the main track, leaving its wheels
behind it. The other baggage car caught
fire from the engine and the two cars were
soon in flames
The Coaches Take Fire.
The coaches following, with the exception
of the two Wagner cars in the rear of the
train, were huddled together by the shock
and soon caught fire from the baggage cars.
The passengers on the train, many of whom
were asleep at the time, hada terrible ex-
perience. Large slivers of iron and wood
flew in all directions and the confusion
among the wrecked passengers can better be
imagined than described. The majority Of
those aboard the train were enabled to get
out of the coaches before the fire had reached
them, but in the confusion which reigned it
is not known just how many victims were
left to the mercy of the flames, pinned in by
the material Of the wreck AMI unable to ex-
tricate themselves The screams of the men
who were being burned to death in the
smoking IT could be heard above the noise
of the escaping steam and the roaring of the
flames
The More or Less Wounded.
NIL
Clark, of l41 West Ohio street. Chicago, had
his right leg broken and his head bruised, he
may have received internal injuries, in which
case he will not recover; Antony Maus, an
Italian, on his way from Wisconsin to Italy
not serious; f Twin Chapman, fireman, of Lon
don, not serious; Enoch kenZie, a mining en-
gineer, of London, not serious; A. Murray, en-
gineer, of London, ribs broken, not serious I'M
less internally injured: G. c. Asbell, of Ed
wardsport Ind, cut and bruised not serious;
William Lepsey, of 90 North Sangamon street.
Chicago, sprained ankle; A. l.. Doney, IS West
Adams street, Danville, his. head cut, not
serious; J. A. Palmer, lion, n. Y, head cut,
not serious; George White, going to Union
Hill, n. Y, from Wisconsin, ear cot off and
head cut; Andrew J. Carpenter. of Yanktop.
ID. T., cut and bruised, not serious: s. E.
Young, 2S4 North avenue, Chicago, knee and
back hurt, not serious; Joseph Morrow. on his
way from the west to Clark's Island, Me-, cut
ABOUT mead, mol serious.
Numbe. of Passengers and Their Fate.
There were us people on the train besides
the ten trainmen. OF these, IA were in the
day coach, 81 in one sleeper, five in another
sleeper, and eleven in a third sleeper, leaving
SO persons in the smoker and two coaches
Thirty or thirty-five of these were in the
smoker. This car and the second baggage
car were telescoped completely, and took fire
The wrecking of the tank cut
off the supply of water, and the thirty or
thirty-five passengers were at the mercy of
the flames. or this number thirteen, as far
as can be learned, got out safely. Two men
were killed instantly. One of them, L. S.
Gurley, of Chicago. had his head taken off
and his body thrown clear of the wreck, and
the other, an Italian, on his way to Italy,
was crushed to death.
A CHASTITY Pile of Burned Flesh.
The remains of from sixteen to eighteen
men We're taken out of the wreck an hour or
two later. They were cut to pieces almost to
a man and burned beyond all possibility of
recognition. They were huddled together in
a heap in the end of a smoker, and were
pinned in by timber which made it impos-
sible for them to extricate themselves
Nothing could be done for them, as the fierce
for men to rescue them. The only way in
which it could be ascertained that from six
teen to eighteen bodies had been taken out
was from the fact that legs and arms cor
responding to about that number were
found. The remains were taken to the
morgue 1t will probably be days before the
dead are identified.
Not Referable to Negligence.
A. sl,o 81,
be learned, there was no negligence on the
part of the railway company. The train
simply jumped the track at frog. The en-
gineer and fireman did not jump, because
they had no time They were gotten out from
under the debris with difficulty, and it is
miraculous how they escaped. The baggage
man and expressman, James WEIGH and Fred
Dumas respectively, both of Niagara Falls.
were in the car which jumpedsover the en-
CINE. yet neither was hurt
A Very Complete Wreck.
Conductor w. H Poole, OF London. saws
that the train was fifteen minutes late, but
was not running more than twenty miles an
honr when the accident happened, as all
orders are that trains must not run at that
particular place at a greater speed than
twenty miles. The place where the accident
there is a switch on rather sharp curve.
hence the precaution of running SLOWLY.
Seven cars, including one baggage, two first
class coaches, a smoker, q first-class day
coach and two Wagner sleepsrs were burned.
there being not a vestage of wood or any
thing that would burn left One car, a bag.
gage, was demolished, and the engine was
the most complete wreck imaginable
And tlv nNo Tn ~,