River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-07-30
FIFTY WE'RE KILLED.

Flf III WERE KILLED.
Trains on French Railroad Collide and
Two Score and Ten Deaths Result
Three Lives Lost by a Disaster Near
Dayton. q.
PARIS, July GA collision between
exenrsion trains occurred at ST. Mande
Sunday night in which fifty persons
were killed and three carriages
wrecked. Both trains were returning
from a musical festival at Fontenoy.
The second train crashed into the pre-
ceding train before the latter had
left the st. Mande station. The guard
van and the three rear carriages
of the fast train were wrecked and
caugh. fire from the gas. The injured
occupants were shrieking in despair
and the other passengers hurriedly left
the train and assisted in extricating
the victims. Soldiers also aided
the fire brigade to quench
the flames and rescue the suffer
ers. The work of helping the in
jured was carried on by torchlight A
dispatch from st. Mande dated | o'clock
a. M. says that 100 persons were injured
and that forty-nine dead bodies have
been recovered. including those of two
children who were mangled beyond
recognition. Most of the dead victims
are legless, their limbs having
been crushed off through the tanning
together of the seats. Fully 10000 on
lockers are at the scene. Many rela-
tives of the victims are assem- bled at
the railway Station, and heartrending
scenes are witnessed as the victims are
extricated from the wreck The driver
and fireman of the second train were
burned alive. II is reported that the
station-master has gone mad and de-
camped.
DISASTER IN OHIO.
DAYTON, O., July 27.-The wreck at
Middletown, near this city, in which
three were killed and thirty wounded.
on the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton
railroad Saturday night, is one
of the worst that has ever hap
pened in this vicinity The National
Cash Register Company had given
its employees an excursion to Woods
dale, near Hamilton, and "A train of six
teen coaches left here at s o'clock in
the morning. Several other trains
took passengers to Woodsdale and at
o clock in the evening, when it was
time to return, about 1000
people boarded the train. The day
had passed merrily and everybody
was laughing and chatting when
the train reached Middletown at
o'clock on its way to this city. Some
one had turned the air-brakes on for a
joke and the engine was putting and
wheeling to pull the heavy load with
the brakes on. Pretty soon a draw
bar broke and the train was
stopped on the siding at Middle
town for repairs. The train was
No. 5, with Conductor Glance and En-
gineer Harry Brewer in charge
Several fiagmen were sent back to flag
No. Al freight, with Engineer Schwind
and Conductor sam King in charge AS
soon as the repairs were made the pas
senger excursion pulled out on the
main track To make start. The flag
man started on run TO catch the
train and just then freight "a dashed
around the bend. Nainly did the
brak smen signal the freight train to
81 up. On IL came ana udSHtu INTO the
rear of the passenger, wrecking three
cars. The rear coach was tossed to
one side, the next one was splntered,
and the third stood on end by the
freight engine. A scene of blood and
carnage followed. Shreks of men and
women rent the air Wild con-
fusion prevailed for a time, and soon
citizens of Middletown and the excur-
sionists who were not hurt lent a hand
in rescuing the dead and injured. A
wrecking train and two relief trains
with physicians and assistants were
sent out from here and two trains from
Cincinnati The rescuers succeeded
in getting all of the wounded out of
the wreck and bringing them to this
city at o'clock Sunday morning. The
dead came ON later train at
10 o'clock. A thousand people thronged
the union depot anxious to see and hear
of friends and relatives. Women cried
for children, husbands and sweet
hearts, and the scene at the depot was
"A sad one. At length all the wounded
who could walk were taken to the hos
pital or to their homes. The killed
were Maria Frier, William Matthews
and Frank SimontOn, all of Dayton