The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1889-07-12
a FEARFUL FATE.

Terrible Disaster ON the Norfolk = West
| ern Railroad IN Virginia -hctween
Number ~ rers"ns Injured Many oi
the Dead Roasted 4" tho burning Care
4 Partial List ~ the victims-Pnrticu-
1 lars Hard 10 Get Owimg "a the Obj
structivc Tacties of the Railroad Oni-
| cials.
| lyxcHnrRG, Va, july "A half-mile
east ~ Thaxton's, thirty miles west Of
I this city. occurred az three o'clock this
! morning the most appalling railroad ac-
I cident which Virginia has ever known.
4 The east-bound passenger train on the
Norfolk a. Western railroad was pass.
ing over a culyert when the track gave
! way aud the whole train went through 10
/ the bottom twenty-five feet below. Tho
I accident was caused by a wash-ont due
I 70 the heavy rains which have fallen
within tho last three days. All OF tho
cars, 1--WE in number, with the engine,
were piled up in a hopelcssly confused
mass. The darkness which reigned over
all for moment was quickly dispcled as
the wood work OF the ears was ignited by
flames from the lamps.
II was only a few minutes after that
the wreck was all ablaze, and 10 the hor-
ror OF bruised and broken limbs aud
mangled bodies was added the certainty
uf fearful death by fire. Many had
gone 10 their death quickly, but the
shrirks 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 81
intense horror.
Those who were able 10 crawl from
the wreck lent their aid BY the light of
the flaming timbers TO their less fortu-
nate companions But little could DO
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, aud were roasted in full sight Of
those who had been fortunate enough 10
escape.
Thus far the charred remains Of seven
or eight human beings have been taken
from the wreck. They are badly mutilat-
ed, and II Is impossible in any way to
identify them. Their names will not DO
known unless list OF the occupants OF
the cars can be obtained. IL is believed
that fully thirty people have been killed.
II Is difficult. however, To obtain any
definite Information because ~ the OBJ
structions placed ia the way OF news.
gathering BY the railroad officials.
Further Particulars Partial List Of the
Killed aud Injured.
BALTIMORE, Nd. July 3.-Thc Suns
special from Roanoke, Va. says The
easi-bound passenger train on the Nor
folk q Western railroad. which left here
ut l2:o5 a. M. yesterday was wrecked at
Thraxton's, twenty-five miles distant
from this city. The baggage, express,
smoker, passenger and two Pullman
cars were burned, having taken frs
from the explosion Of a gasoline lamp in
one ~ the coaches. The train went into
a chasm created by a wash.out while II was
going AT the rate Of forty miles an hour
Ii j. impossible ~ give an exact list ~
the killed and BOUNDED on account OF the
meagerness OF the information obtaina-
BILE. There is only one wire ia use be-
tween Roanoke and the scene 81 the ac-
cidenf. and il is next to impossible to get
any thing over il but railroad business.
The killed as far as ascertained are:
Patrick Donovan, Lynchburg. Pa.
Charles Bruce. Roanoke, Va.
Fireman l.. q. Summers. Abingdon, Va
Mail Agent Nathan Cohen, Roanoke.
". c. Stead, Cleveland, Tenn, en- route
TO England.
J. ". Beal, Cleveland, Tenn, en- route
to Paris.
A. N. James. Roanoke, Va. travelling
engineer Of the road.
J. W. Linsay, Roanoke, Va, train dis
patcher.
John Kirkpatrick I.ynchburg. Va.
Dennis Mellon, Roanoke, janitor ~ tho
general Offices OF the Norfolk & Western,
en- route to New York to be married.
A little niece OF Mrs. Judge Thompson,
OF Staunton, Va.
II i believed that fifteen or twenty 9th.
ers persisted, as there were nearly sew.
enty persons on the fraiu, and between
fifteen and twenty are unaccounted for.
The dead bodies were horribly cremated.
The injured are: Bishop Alphcus w.
Wilson, 81 Baltimore; wrist cut and body
slightly bruised. He Is at the Hotel
Roanoke here. aud will be able 70 leave
for Baltimore ia few days. The Bishop
\ lost his gold watch. all his clothing. and
$500. }. +. Temple, Pottsville. Pa. head
and limbs burned; r. 7. Dexter, Beverly.
Mass, severely bruised on the head and
body; J. b. Young. Radtord. Va. arm
mashed; Mrs. Judge Thompson. Stanton.
Wa. bruised and leranged with grief over
the death ~ her niece; Roland Johnson,
Roanoke, va. conductor. sriyhtfully cut
On head and face; r. G. On Barry. super
Glass. Roanoke. baggage agent arm
\ broken; W. II. Hayward, Pullman con-
ductor, shoulder hurt; J. ID. Tanner.
I.ynchburg. badly bruised; Joseph Gold
berg, New York. leg and shoulder
bruised ana hand hurt: Mss Inez Jack
son. Texas, bruised; X. B. Goodfellow,
Roanoke, hand and foot injured; J. {.
Cassell, Roanoke. superintendent. arm
hrrt. NJ H. Temnp Chicago back In.
jured; Mrs. r. y. Young. Marshall. Tex,
body bruised.
\ on the body Of Mr. W. G. Stead. 81
Cleveland. Tenn, was found the sum ~
$4,000. He was on his summer vacation
and was going 20 England.
.
Nothing New ~ the Cronin Case.
CHICAGO. July a-Thcre were no ne
developments in the Cronin case yestcr.
day, 50 far as the reporters We're per-
mitted 10 learn. Judge Longe neckcr said