Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-02-28
An Inflated Train.
Three Passenger Cars Plunge
Into River.
THIRTY FIVE DEAD AND WOUNDED.

Ten of whom Are Suddenly Sent to Etern-
ity-A Broken Piston Results in a
Wrecked Bridge. and the Unfortunates
Are Carried Down Sixty Feet-Dreadful
Scenes and Acquiring Criee-The Death
Roll and List of wounded--Drief Report
of Another Horror.
ST. GEORGE, Ont, Feb sS.-The most ter.
rible accident in the history Of western On
tario since the Dos Jardines canal accident
some years ago, in which nearly 100 lost their
lives, occurred here last evening shortly after
D O'Clock to train on the Great Western rail
way. Just to the west of the village is an iron
trestle bridge Of three spans over branch OF
the Grand river, which hows west and south
OF this place. At the hour named the train
known as the ST. Louis express, bound east to
Hamilton, passed here. Just east of the sta
ton piston-rod of the locomotive broke, and
by bounding against the track forced the rails
to spread just as the first part Of the
train was entering on the bridge.
The locomotive, tender, and smoking-car
passed over in safety, but the first passenger
car, Pullman car and dining-room car
went crashing through the middle section OF
the bridge into the river below So great
was the velocity at which the train was run
ming as the bridge sank down that the Pull.
man crashed into the first pier, rebounded
and was thrown clear off the bridge and,
turning completely over, landed right side
up. This car contained most of the unfor-
tunate passengers, who without an instant's
warning, were hurled 10 death. The dining
car was left standing on end at the foot OF
the eastern pier, and the first-class passenger
coach lay shapeles heap of splintered iron
and timber alongside
News of the terrible calamity spread
through the village, and soon the terror
stricken villagers with all the medical and
surgical assistance the town affords were
focl1ing toward the scene Of the disaster.
The train, which is generally one of the
heaviest loaded on the line, was made up
last night of five coaches, consisting Of bag
gage car, smoker, flrst-class passenger coach,
dining, room and Pullman sleeping cars In
the dining car at the time the accident oc-
CURED there were only about seven pas
seng-rs besides the walters. The first Of the
villagers who reached the scene Of the big
sInash-up describes IL as one oil sickeEing hor.
ror. From out of the twisted and broken
cars and from out of the chasm below the
bridge could be heard piercing shrieks of
anguish aud cries for aid, while the means of
the dying and the prayers Of those pinned in
by life-crushlng timbers were OF the most
piteous description
The dining car being mostly constructed Of
iron was almost impenetrabie BY the ares
and saws 1t stood On end and the poor &C.
cupantS we're pitched to the bottom AMONGST
mass Of broken tables and dishes and on the
top of aIl was the cooking furnace In full
running order, making tho danger of fire i'm.
minent Luckily the first thought of the res
cuers wus to prevent fire Beneath all the
mass OF debris one man was calling for help,
and when taken out was scarcely injured.
The shriel.s Of lady near him were heart
rending, but she died before they could ros
cue her. Two men were sitting together
talking; one was killed instantly, the other
was rescued badly, but not hopelessly in.
jured.
The work Of rescue was at ones bsgun.
Huge bonflres were lighted at either side of
the wrecked train TO illuminate the scene, fast
growing black with the coming night, while
strong men with axes, saws, or crowhars in
hand worked as they had never worked be-
fore to rescue the suffering passengers Ex-
press wagons were hastily turned into impro-
v;sed ambulances To convey the dead and
wounded to the station house, which, for the
time being, was used as temporary norgue,
and to the three hotels, which had been
thrown open TO receive the unfortunates
The list OF killed is as follows George Leg
gait, Michel, Ont W. NJ Wempie London,
Ont. DR.. A. W. Swan. Woodstock, Ont. A.
". Francis, Woodstock, Ont Mr. Mclean.
nj Mclean & Beecher, Detroit; G. W BARNS,
Woodstock, Ont Capt Lizzie Moore, Of the
Salvation Army, Branttord, Ont.; one
woman and two men not Identified
The injured SO far as learned are as follows:
Thonlas L. Doutney, temperance lecturer;
Mrs, and May Jennings, Paris; Mr. and Mrs.
Buddin, Dorchester; Mrs Higgins, Rossin
house, Toronto; Mrs Mcleod, Inzersou:
Miss Chafee, Pontisc, Mich. James Hyslop,
Goderich; Dan Peacock and R W. Wright.
woodstock; John Mckinley, Detroit; Fred
Hancock, London; George Forbes, New
York; j. r. Marshall and Mrs. J. R Mar
shall, Regina; J. II. Wilson (colored), Chat
ham; Mrs Evans, Hamilton; George
NARCOTIC, dining-car conductor, Niagara;
Robert Hilton, St Catharines; Mr. Nc
Laughlan, London; Conductor Revell, seri.
ously; D. W. karn, Woodstock; W. NJ. Ben
nett. Sanilac, Mi b. DR.. h Lequesne, Cleve-
land, O.; A W. Francis, Woodstock; Mrs.
A. SendaIl, Detroit
The engine driver and fireman Of the
wrecked train jumped from the engine before
the crash came, and both were seriously, per
haps fatally, injured Had they stood by
their engine they would undoubtedly have
escaped unhurt
The bridge. formerly Of wood, is about
sixty feet high and was recently overhauled
and transformed into substantial iron