Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-03-07
BROKE A COUPLING,
And Crushed the Life Out of
Several Passengers.
AWFUL WRECK ON THELAKE SHORE.

A Score of Persons Badly Injured
Coaches Filled with Travellers Teie-
scoped by Heavy PuIlmans-A Cool
Headed Coiored Man Prevents Ter
ribIe Holocaust Railway Officials EN-
barrass the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS of the
Wounded, But Not of the Dead.
BUFFALO, n. ", March The Cleveland
and Chicago express on the Lake Shore rail
railroad, due here from the west at 8:55 p.
m, broke in two at Bay View station, about
six miles from this city last night. The two
sections came together and a terrible wreck
resulted. All attempts TO get any of the
facts from the railway officials we're fruit
less The railroad company sent a train out
from here with surgeons and wreckers, but
refused to allow reporters on board One
reporter struggled himself in as assistant to
a surgeon. Reporters were obliged to go TO
the scene by horse and buggy, thus greatly
delaying news OF the accident
How the Wreck Occurred.
The train was running at high rate of
speed to make up lost time when the break
occurred. The front part OF the train, con-
sisting of the engine, tender, smoker, and
two day coaches, was quickly brought to a
stop. The rear portion, consisting of five
heavy Pullman cars, came down grade at
full speed and dashed into the second day
coach. The coach was thrust upward by
the greater weight of the Pullmans and lies
on toy of the Pullman The Pullmans tele-
scoped the first day coach. The day coaches
were full of passengers
The Coupling Declared Defective.
A passenger says the coupling was defec-
tive. 1t broke precisely in the same place
as the train was leaving Cleveland At II 80
o'clock a relief train was made up, and ten
of the most seriously injured were brought
to the Fitch institute at Buffalo. The for
ward portion of the train was stopped by
Conductor Houghtaling, who pulled the bell
rope. Most of those In the last coach were
warned of their peril in time to leave the
car, but those in the first Pullman ear had
no warning. and were in the car when it
telescoped one coach and was buriel under
another.
The Seriously injured.
The names of the seriously injured are as
follows: Rev. johnson Myers Cincinnati,
O., cut in head and legs; l. H. Fisher,
Boston, right ankle dislocated and head cut
r. A. Coombs, Philadelphia, side and head
cut; Julia Healy, Boston, head injured and
collar-bone and right arm fractured; J. c.
Armstrong, Rochester. head cut and
leg injured; Mrs. ]. D. Baucus, Saratoga
Springs, fracture of skull (has since
died.; W w. Branch, Charlestown, W. Va,
left arm broken; Charles Burch, New York
city, left ankle sprained; II. I. Jaeger,
Rochester, \. Y, ankle sprained; L. F.
Hsupt, Buffalo, badly cut; George Z Allen,
general northern passenger agent of the
Lake Shore railroad, leg fractured; Henry
Ulrich, Rochester, knee sprained; J. D. Bau-
Gus, Saratoga Springs, face cut; Julius Sigel,
New York city, left arm broken; George S.
Thompson, ankle sprained in jumping from
the coach; J. E. Minnick, Philadelphia, arm
crushed.
six or Seven Dead.
E. { Stewart, of $50 Street street, Chss-
ter, with his wife and Is 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 is positively known that seven are
dead, six of whom were instantly killed }.
Swain, negro porter, of Cincinnati, has
been Identified among the dead.
Waited Over Two Hours for Doctors.
j. +. Minnie, who had his arm cut off, was
placed on the engine, which started at once
for Buffalo 10 bring relief. 1t was two
hours and half before the physicians ar
rived, but a wreckins train came sooner and
began the work of extricating the victims
The bodies taken out were placed in a bag
gage car One of them was that of J Swan,
q colored porter.
A Colored Porter's Goodness.
The hero o. the affair was Waldrou, one
of the colored porters OF the Wagner cars
He was the first man to rush into the
wrecked car and seize the lamp, which was
burning In the debris, and throw 1t from the
window, thus preventing a terrible holo-
caust Conductor Fest, conductor of the
Wagner car, also distinguished himself for
bravery and presence of mind
Julius Sigel was buried over an hour in the
ruins, pinned down by a heavy timber He
heard the groans OF Mrs. Stewart, who had
been sitting in the seat in front of him, until
death put an end to her agony The wounded
were brought to this city aud taken to tbs
hospitals.
A Passengers Statement.
W Z. Delsnd, of Fairport, who managed
to get aboard the relief train,
says the wrecked train was behind
time and was having trouble with the
brakes At Bay View the train came to q
sudden stop and a moment later there was a
terrible crash The sleepers at once became
separated from the rest of the train aud had
dashed into the day coach, teiescoping il
completely. There were forty or fifty PEG
pie in the day coach, and Mr.. Deland says
he cannot see how any could have escaped
uninjured He stepped Off just before the
crash and was, 50 far as ne knows, the only
one who escaped.