St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-09
DITCHED IN A STORM
The Santa Fe Fast Passenger
Train Is Ditehed at
Havana, Ill.
Sleepers, Coaches and Bag
gage Cars Piled Together
in Confusion.
Fireman Saddler Killed and
Several Passengers Fa-
tally Injured.
The Survivors Walk Bare
footed a Mile Through
Sleet and Snow.

PEORIA, Ill.,, March S.-The Jackson
vile Southeastern fast passenger train
over the Atchison, Topeka u Santa Fe,
which left here at 80 this morning,
met with terrible accident at Havana,
forty-one miles south of here. The train
consisted of baggage car, coach, chair
car and two sleepers, and was an hour
and a half late owing to the terrible
storm which ragged all night. At Ha-
Tana there is sharp curve mile and
a half from the depot. and the engine
struck the curve at the switch and left
the track. All the cars followed,
piling up in great confusion. The
half-dressed passengers clambered out
of the windows and through the roof of
the demolished cars, and hastened,
barefooted, through the sleet and over
the icy roads for the nearest houses.
The passengers who were in the coach
extrlcated their injured companions.
Under the engine was Fireman Sadder,
who was instantly killed. He came here
few days ago from the Baltimore &
Ohio road and was a stranger. By the
side of the engine was Engineer Gerege
Birkenhead, of this city, with one arm
and a leg cut off. The others injured
are: Edward Hemmett, of Peoria.
burned and badly bruised; Walter Con-
over, of ManitO, His, left arm torn out
and fatal injuries; Charles Mulvaney,
of Streator, H., back and head crushed,
will die; Miss Emma RushtOn, of st.
Louis, seriously bruised; Express Mes
senger Bates, of Chicago. left foot torn
off and badly bruised; Frank p. Lewis,
of Peoria, seriously jammed in
the breast. The conductor, NJ. f.
Kennedy, who lives at Eureka,
ILL.,, and c. L. Hughes, BRAKEMAN, OF st.
Louis. were also injured by. being
thrown against the car seats when the
wreck occurred. The wreck lmmedi-
ately took fire and burned with great
rapidity. 1t was with the utmost diff
Guilty that some of the passengers were
rescued, and one or two were severely
burned. A wrecking train was sent out
from jacksonville at once, but when it
reached the scene the fire had swept the
debris out of existence. The loss to the
company, including the death and acci-
dent claims, will not fall short of $780,
600. An unusually small list of passen-
gers were aboard the train. The people
in the sleepers were not injured. but
had to make their way on foot for
mile through the terrible storm to
shelter without shoes or any clothes.
A. G. Woods, of jacksonville. ILL.,,
was on the train, bringing home the re-
mains of his daughter, who had died the
night before at the home of her sister,
Mrs, j. V. Read. of Oak Park. With
him were his daughter, Mrs. S. d. Os-
borne. of this place; Mr.. and Mrs j.
V. Read, and two children. The
casket containing the daughters
body, which was in the baggage car.
was burned to ashes. All the others of
the family escaped in miraculous man
ner. Mr.. Read said: II was asleep,
when suddenly l felt a tremendous
crash and found myself on the opposite
side OF the car wedged between two
seats. My first thought was for wife
and children, and l managed to get
them together. though the car was lying
at an angle of 10 degrees. just then
some one on the outside smashed in one
of the windows, and pushed the chill
dren out, and then my wife and her SIS
ter. We had our shoes Off, but we
wrapped the women and children in
blankets in the sleepers and were
thankful to be alive.''