, 1889-10-04
AN ILL FATED TRAIN.
ASeries of Accidents BefalIs West
Bound Passenger.
In Collision With a Freight Train a
Black Tramp Killed.
Five Cars Badly Ditched Ten Miles
East of Town.
Conductor Rincker and Five Pas
sengers Injured.
AN ILL t TRAIN.

groans and vicious puffs tugged at a heavy
passenger train in the Omaha yards yes
terday afternoon. The burden following
unwillinRly at first. but as the groaning
of the locomotives became louder and the
volumes of black smoke from the stacks
greater the wheels revolved more rapidly
and another human cargo to be distrib-
uted at various points in the boundless
West had commenced the journey across
the rolling plains Of Nebraska.
The train lost time nearly every hour
after leaving the Missouri. The heavy
load and q series Of minor accidents
to the engines were the causes con-
tributing to the aggravating delays. The
frequent ~breakages were of course dis
cussed by the passengers, and when the
train ran into a bunch of sheep near
Grand Island u party of drummers at
once voted that it was ~'hoodooed," and
some of the more reckless spirits offered
to lay wagers that a serious accident
would beiall the reviled flyer before it
connected with the Southern Pacific at
Ogden. The ladies aboard became nerv-
GUS at this l~ignthearted talk, but were
comfortcd by men who could scarcely
themselves fight off a feeling of timidity.
Night came on and the oppression of
deep darkness was made heavier by ftful
flashes of aggressive zig gag lightning.
Children chung more closely to their pale
mothers. the gay commercial travellers
still laughed, but in more subdued tones.
The trainmen seemed severe in every act,
and each member of the crew was on the
alert.
II FIRST ACCIDENT.
Near North Platte, after the train had
been progressing nicely for an hour or
two, many travellers had regained conf
dence. Some slumbered, but others
watched the storm from the dimly lighted
coaches.
Rounding a big curve the engineer and
fireman we're appalled, to sight the
rapidly approaching headlight of a fast
freight train. With a hiss the air shot
through the rubber tubes from reservoir
to reservoir and forced the brake shoes
against the wheels. The speed Of the
passenger vas quickly reduced, but the
freight came charging on, and before any
OF the passengers knew of the impending
danger, the headlights kissed and two big
locomotives were locked in powerful en-
brace. John billiard. at the throttle of
the first passenger engine, was the only
trainman to jump and he alone OF the
crews was injured, sustaining bad bruises.
A number of freight cars were tossed to
the prairie, and beneath the end of one of
these pitiously groaned an unknown me-
gro. whose life was the penalty for at
tempting to steal a ride.
He died before he could be extracted
from the debris. His body was given
into the custody of the county authori-
ties.
A panic among the passengers was
happily averted by cool men, but the
vague restlessness and indeinable fear
following the earlier announcement that
the train was Inflated, became more bur
densome and wholly unstruno tho nsrves
of the susceptible.
up.crrors rsc,nr
At SIDNEY the nassen,oro wor .,o
sured when If bacame tnown ,h., Joh,
Fnro;ss eno;neer and Ed R,,,Lor
conductor two of tho mos, c,r.InI man
ON rho srs,.u - :. L.-- IL
train. Tho f.e,;n, Of soc,r;,r ~ .ui.
better shirts and rev;ews Of Tho e,a;rh,
wreck were les. ser,ous ,bou.b ,bo ta,o
of tho moor negro was, b srhio., - h.,
name consideration
Fifteen miles o,s, IS Cha,o,,o -,
o'clock vesterdav afternoon Tho tra;n
merrilv drew awav from , water tanL
near Arcbor citation 81 81 -.
men v;ewed rho hanaoouo -. -
glanced fprtivelv at The travel;nn s,ronr-
ers. Conductor Rincker nlo,santIv assort-
ed tn a onerr;lops n,ssonaor ,h.. Chan