Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-10-01
A HOLOCAUST THREATENED.

Heroic Self Sacrifice of Woman and
Girl-Dreadful Details.
The stove was overturned and tim bers
took fire, flames bursting out in an in
slant. Shrieks of women and children,
who were wedged in close to the burning
timber, summoned workers to that part
of the wreck, aud a score of men were
soon cutting away through the debris.
Mrs. Alice NJ. Sedgwick. with both legs
broken, lay close to a red hot stove, push
ing against it with all her might to keep
it from crushing and burning her little
daughter, who lay just by her. The
mothers clothing was burned off, and
one side of her body was roasted. Close
to her lay Laura Van Anken, frail
girl Of II, who was doing like service
for her mother, laying almost under the
stove, her arms pinioned and broken.
Breaking into the car from the rear, the
men brought water from the drinking
tanks and passed it to the imprisoned
women. In five minutes the woodwork
was drenched and the fire was cheated
out of its prey.
Rescuing the Unfortunates.
For half hour longer the men worked
like Titans, lifting out women and chill
uEtu, many VI lutLu Win legs ana ar ms
dangling helplessly. As fast as taken out
the injured were transferred TO sleeping
cars and taken back to Kent. The Revere
hotel and several nearby houses were at
once thrown open, and Doctors Sherman,
Evans, and Davis, of Kent, and Railroad
Surgeon Lashell, of Meadville began set
ting broken bones and binding up the
wounded. Mrs A NJ johnson, of Mus
kegon, Mich, was the most seriously in
jured: both legs are broken. Mrs Alice
NJ Sedgwick, Parma, Mich, right leg
fractured, light thigh and foot burned,
left hip dislocated. Mrs. G. C Thomp-
son, Montague. Mich, severe injury to
back, still unconscious from internal in
juries. Physicians say the injuries of all
three will probably prove fatal
Sixteen Others severely Hurt.
The following are the others injured:
Mrs Rev. G. A Buell., compound frac ture
of left leg. lacerated hip and internal in
juries; Lucille Buell., aged s, bruised hip
and back; Mrs Caroline Reed, Richland.
Mich, leg broken; Mrs. Thomas Reehor,
Muskegon, Mich. spine and hips injured;
Mrs. l. H Van Anken, Mcdonald, Mich,
right arm broken; Miss Laura Van An
ken, lacerated and wounded on both feet;
Nellie Stanford, Galesburg, Mich, back
and right hip injured; G.. c. Thomas,
Montague, Mich, wounded on scalp,
left shoulder, breast and right
arm; Mary Richard, Muskegon, legs
bruised; j. d. Hart, Rookie Ills, right
| thigh bruised, left ankle and right shout
! der sprained; Edward NJ. Moody, Shelby,
Mich, left hip and both legs bruised;
Frank NJ. Caldwell, second division pas
senger agent of the n. Y and O., scalp
wound, cut over lef: eye, and left foot in
jured; Charles E. McKinsley, badly
bruised by FILLING through the trestle no
bones broken; Miss Edith Somers, Grand
Rapids, left leg fractured; Miss Hulda
Westcott, Bangor, Mich, bruised back,
Miss Rebecca Clark, Bangor, hip and back
| hurt.
The Freight Conductor Blamed.
The remains of the three dead were
taken to Kent. and Mrs. Deway was sent
| to her home. Superintendent j. S. Mat
| son, who went from Meadville to investi-
gate the accident, says that the blame
| rests with the crew of the freight train.
They had instructions to wait at Rayenna