Huntsville gazette., 1889-06-01
A TRAIN WRECKED,
Irain Wrecked on the st. Louis q San
francisco Road and All the Passengers
AnJured-Reward For the Wreckers


railroad, which left st. Louis Thursday
night at s:15 o'clock, was wrecked three
miles west of Sullivan, Mo-, sixty-eight
miles west of st. Louis. Not a passenger
escaped unhurt and forty-nYe were seri-
ously injured, though no deaths are yet
reported.
The train was running at high rate of
speed when suddenly and without warn
ing 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 turned their attention to
the more unfortunate injured, and in a
'fery short time forty five passengers, all
badly hurt, Sad been released from the
debris. A temporary hospital was i'm
provised 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 women are under the
care of DR.. Mcintyre, chief surgeon Of the
road.
1t was IL :25 D. m. when the accident oc-
Cured. 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 curve in the road about three
miles west of Sullivan and when this
curve was reached a sudden jolt and jar
was felt all over the train. Every body
felt 1t and the people in the rear cars could
hear the forward coaches rattling and
rumbling 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 bridge and a
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
the cars in all directions and some of them
were thrown from the coaches and down
the embankment. Walter Davidson, who
travels for the Westing ghouse Air Brake
Company was thrown right out of win
dow 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.
The explanation given by the trainmen
and passengers was that the spikes and
fish-plates had been removed from the
rail at the curve thus leaving the rail
looss on he ties. The forward portion of
the locomotive passed the place all right,
but the tender jumped the track and was
thrown part of the way down an embank-
ment 1t would probably have gone the en-
tire distance had not the forward end held
it up. Who removed the spikes and plates
is not known, but the supposition is the
work was done by train robbers who want
ed 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 and were not prepared to
do their work at that time. The road Off
cials claim it as a clear case of train
wrecking
In the same train were several physi-
clans returning from Springfield, where
the State medical convention was being
held, and they also rendered valuable as
sistance in caring for the injured. Among
the latter was DIR. Russell, who received
very serious hurts, having both ears taken
off and being otherwise injured so badly
that he could not be brought home and is
now at Sullivan.
The following is list of the injured: D.
S. Weikert, Wentzville, NO., both legs
broken four inches above the ankle,
may lose one of them; Georee s. Simpson,
Hancock County, Ill, shock and cut on
face; Patrick O'Day, seven years, 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 in right foot and bruised about
the chest; William Doherty, left hand cut
and bruised; Mrs. Mary Griffith, Fair
Creek, Ill, injured in forehead and right
elbow broken; John o Oatley, Rolla. Mo-,
right shoulder injured and thumb dislo-
Gated; John E. Holloway, Cuba, Mo-, lower
portion right side bruised and cut in fore
head; Mrs. Mary E. Nash, Bloomington,
Ind, bruised on left side and severely
shocked; c. w. Phillips, Springdale, Ark,
fracture of arm and cut on shoulder; DR..
Ed S. Russell, Tuscarawas, o., flesh
wound, ear torn off and cut in head, Sc
we're shock but rallying nicely, his wife
also cut in the head; B. II. Newman, Cuba,
Mo-, cut in the mouth; d. Railey, New
/ ork, arm and leg broken; d. S. Graves
Marshfeid, arm, leg and back bruised;
John Kendrick, Fort Smith, Ark, slight
ly bruised on forehead; Joe E. Harlin,
Cuba, Mo, cut on head, bruised on chest
&t on arm and shoulder bruised; Walter
Davidson, st. Louis, cut on head and
slightly cut on arm, hip bruised; j. B.
Sally, RolIa, No, bruised on right leg
and arm; B. B. Mcintosh, St Louis,
bruised on shoulder and side; J. 0. Nor
rison, Richmond, Mo-, cut on head slight
ly; Emma Pattonson, Decatur, Ill, face
bruised; Mrs. w. J. Wright Decatur, ILL.,,
cheek bruised M. Lipo, st. Louis, bruised on
shoulder, side and back; Mary O'Day,
wrist cut slightly; E. F. Shaw,
Durango COL, bruised on shoulder
and slight cut on forehead; Anton Marx.
st. Louis, slight cut and bruised on side;
j. ]. Brinton, Sparta, Mo-, cut on head,
right hand and left leg; ]. G. Hovele,
Litchield, H., cut and bruised on head,
bruised on shoulder and hip; Croel Cres-
Ter, Galveston, Ind, bruised on foot and
arm; I. L. Cone, Brest No. cut on mead
and back and shoulder; Hattie Shank,
st. Louis, light cut on head; c. j.
Wright, baggageman. bruised on knee
and right side, cut on face; Paul Horn,
Mount Pulaski, Ill, cut on head, bruised
on shoulder; Mrs. w. j. Wayne, Deca tur,
Ill, slightly bruised.
No deaths have as yet resulted from the
effects of injuries received by the passen-
gers though several of the injured ara in