Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-03-13
CRUSHED In THEIR SEATS.
Details of the Fearful Railroad Acct
dent Near Buffalo, n. Y.
List of the Dead Gradually Growing
in Magnitude.
Pathetic Scenes Witnessed at the Time
of the Collision.

much suffering, was due to the refusal of
the brakes to work Supt. Couch, of the
Lake Shore road, says Sleeping-car Con-
ductor Fest discovered the break and went
into three different cars pulling the auto
matte brake cords trying to stop the rear
section but they would not work. He was
trying to set up hand brakes when the
crash came. Couch could not assign any
reason for the failure of the automatic
air brakes to work They are gen.
orally reliable When asked why
the engineer with the front part of the
train did not run away from the rear sec
ton, he said the break occurred on down
grade, and that gave increased speed to
the rear section. The engineer claims the
brakes on his part of the train had been
set, and he could not get away from the
rear part in time He didn't discover the
break when it occurred, his retention being
necessarily directed ahead most of the
time.
The dead, as near as can be learned are:
]. H. KGger, Rochester; Uhas. ]. Rice,
Newton Falls, Mass; Mr. and Mrs. j. E.
Stewart, Rochester; J. Swain, sleeping car
porter, Salamanca; Mrs. J. D. Bacus,
Saratoga Springs, skull fractured, died of
injuries.
The names of the serious injured are:
Henry Bubrich. Of Rochester; George E.
Martin, of Boise Guy, Idaho; the Rev
Johnson Myers, of Cincinnati; L. A. Fish
er, of Boston; A. Coombs, of Phila-
delphia; Julia Healy, of Boston; J. G.
Armstrong; of Rochester; w. W.
Branch, of Charleston, W. Va; Charles
Barch, New York; H. T. Eyer, Rochester;
L. F. Haupt, Buffalo; Geo. F. Allen,
general northern passenger agent of Lake
Shore railroad; Henry Ulrich Rochester;
]. d. Baucus, Saratoga Springs; Julius
Siegel, New York; Geo. S. Thompson, J.
f. Minnick, Philadelphia.
T. T. Stewart, Rochester, with his wife
and % months old baby was in the day
coach when the crash came. Mr.. Stewart
was instantly killed; Mrs. Stewart died
before she could be taken from the wreck.
The baby was uninjured. A complete list
of the killed cannot be learned, but it its
positively known that seven are dead, six
of whom were instantly killed. j. Swain.
a negro porter Of Cincinnati, has been
identified among the dead.
The hero of the affair was WaldrOn, enc
of the colored pOrters of the Wagner cars.
He rushed into the wrecked car, seized the
lamp which was burning In the debris and
threw it from the window, thus preventing
Il L
the Wagner car, also distinguished him
self for bravery and presence of mind.
The wounded were brought to this city and
taken to the hospitals. The relief train
arrived In Buffalo at $3.50 a. m. with all
the killed and injured.
The scene around the wreck was a terri
BILE one. The telescoped cars were a mass
of twisted iron and broken timbers and
along the track was strewn pieces of iron,
splintered doors and window frames.
The Pullman conductor says: The
steam coupling broke in pulling out OF
Dunkirk. The air did not seem to work.
and it was a sudden lurch that caused
the break 1t may have been defect
in the coupling that pulled it apartaand
In that way the steam pipes were broken
and we were without steam At some
point near West Hamburger | made the
discovery that the train was broken.
Two more bodies have been identified
as those of John w. Flynn of Canton, O.,
travelling agent for Lauz Bros. & Co., of
Buffalo, and John I. Power of Pitts6eld
Mass
One of the sad Hest incidents of the
wreck was that which befell Joseph F.
Baucus, who was married a week ago to
a young lady of Rome, n. Y. They had
spent their honeymoon in the West, and
were returning home on the Salina.
The lady was horribly bruised and her
skull badly crushed. Her husband was
injured about the legs and head
Mrs. Baucus was brought into
a sleeper and the surgeons
set about mending her wounds. The
bridegroom was stretched out ON another
seat, two doctors working over him. He
jumped up and, brushing the doctors
aside, folded his arms about the dying
woman's form. "She's cold, he cried In
despair, and he glanced up for look of
disapproval from the physicians who stood
by No she's living yet, answered one
of the doctors. The devotion of the broken
hearted husband was touching in the ex-
treme. He refused to be led away and
chung to the side of his unconscious wife.
kissing her bleeding lips and urging the
doctors on to further efforts But medical
skill proved unayailing, and the wife died
as the train was rolling into Buffalo. Mr.
Baucus is completely Frustrated.
One of the most pathetic incidents was
the miraculous escape of Baby Steward.
spoken of above) the eighteen
months old daughter of Mr.. and
Mrs. Stewart of Rochester. Mr. Stew
art and wife were in the telescoped pas
senger coach with the baby clasped in
its mothers arms, when the two sections
came together. Mother and father were
instantly killed, being discovered crushed
almost beyond recognition. In the arms
of the mother Baby Stewart was found,
prattling and crying mamma, mamma, ;"
but the mother was cold in death. The
bodies of Mr.. and Mrs Stewart were re-
moved to the baggage-car and the ladies
tenderly cared for the tiny little orphan,
which soon fell asleep. The kind-hearted
people on the train took up a collection
for the baby's benefit and $50 was rea-
hzed.
BUFFALO, March Mr. Haupt, well
known lawyer of this city, who was In the
first section, in an interview tonight said:
The truth is, the train was not in fit
condition to carry human beings from the
time it left Cleveland A coupling broke
before we left that city but afterwards the
conductor assured me that all was right
At Dunkirk the train parted twice. The
steam couplings were broken and the air
brakes failed. A travelling companion
and | discussed the situation and al
most made up our minds to get
off there and wait for another
train but finally took the chances. Mr..
Haupt says the wreck occurred at S:55.
only sever miles from Buffalo, yet it was
two hours and a half before the relief
arrived on the scene.
RUSSIA'S DESPERATE RESORT.