Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1892-02-11
AN UGLY WRECK.
Trainme KIN d md Several Badly
Injured.
An OPEN SWITCH THE CAUSE.
Two Cars OF Cattle Completely Wrecked
The switch Found Locked AFTER the
Train uad Passed Iu-ihe Estt-
mated Loss

FIRE ola kened and steam boiled beyond
likeness {, his kind, two firemen dead
from horrible wounds, form the red en-
tries In the account chargeable to the
criminal curelc ess Of some employee
OF the Chicago & Alton railroad whose
wits fell rs lccp at larrabce siding half
way between mi might and Sunday
morning
The "Kansas City Hummer" over the
Alton leaves Chicag at G ,'cloclS in the
evening II is due at Ccntralia, Mo,
five minutes past in the NOR ling.
The train contested of baggage car,
smoking car Horton chair car and
the two Pullman slecpcrs Ovid and
Parnassus. II carried compare.
lively few passengers and the
smoker and chair car was
almost empty. Su'dav morning
the train left Certraiil nearly an hour
behind time. From Centralia west
ward there Is n straight piece OF track
for ten miles and Engineer Chris Adle-
man opened his throttle. The train
was soon running at speed perhaps
equaling fifty mi es ~ hour. LARA
bee siding is Eve miles west of Cen
tralia. The pace is dcsolate and no
house stands within haf a mile Of the
switch. Upon the siding yesterday
morning at 3 o'clock stood train
N. II, an eastbound freight, carry.
ing mixed ioad OF cattle. hogs
an merchandise. II was waiting for
No. 81, the hummer" to pass In the
caboosc were Conductor Fred Graham,
Rear Brakeman John Foster and some
doing stockmen. Out of the cab
window, on the 6reman's side, leaned
Engineer Ole Ellikson. waiting to SEQ
the express go by. Fireman Thomas
Hindou an was upon the other side.
Front Brakeman Ed DER was ahead,
| near the switch.
The sv itch was pen.
No. 80 plunged d wu the line toward
the glowing headlight Of No II, the
only glcam in the darkness, like an
arrow from cross-bow. Asitreachcd
the switch II swcrve southwark and
during two awful seconds Engineer
Chris Adleman met the supreme IN
mont Of his life. lie saw death CLOVER
ing ahead and krc his guardianship
OF the lives behind, but his quick brain
and firm nerves did their duty rs II by
devotion's very instinct. wild shrek
from his whistle was born twin to the
grinding Of his brakes rs they had
never ground Def re, and ih'n the two
beacon lights cras ed toge her
The freight train was driven bac,
several CIR lcrgths by t'e impact Thr
two locomotives tclesc0pcd to the very
flues Of their boilers, Ms one might clasp
hi fingers. Tie tc der II the pasSen.
| g'r locomotive was thrown forward
| over the two como'iveS and rem tincd
resting upon end right ross the main
line sixty feet bcv'nd the point Of
meeting. The baggage car and smoN.
ing car were shunted forward south OF
the siding, leaving the T. lis but cling
ing together, and the hair ear, FL
lowed BY the seepe, was hurled
straight on against the b of the pa,-
sengcr locomotive. The forward tr cks
OF the chair Cur left the rails and were
broken and the remainder of the pas
senger stood n'act upon the siding,
shaKcn, but unrArmed. Not a passen.
| ger was scratched.
Trainmen AMI passengers hurried
| from tina ears aud In moment the
| burning head light oil illumed gnustlv
scene Engineer Alderman had been
| thrown from the cab upon the north
/ side of the track strili ny upon his
head and en- ting "A long cash when
| bled with free ION. Ills left log wa,
broken at the knee. Fire IAN Keller
was caught in his crushed cab. MIR.
Charles liask, J., formerly of this city,
now of the Chica 20 q ubr, a pa ier,
| a laUs a.. ..,I.
upon the scene. A, nc reached KEEL or
the fireman reste upp his hands be-
side the track, his l'g Imprisoned In
the VIZ, clSagc. The right Lao ana.
cruelly b Oxen aud IS nc was Iif,ed
away BIZ i.iiJ leg left his BODY nj t,o
hip socket and cntrails followed II
The man had becn ne "A bic ding tarso.
half paraly2ed and nearly in ,ensible 10
pain,
Fireman lllndouman lay beside hi,
cab, his left cg broken, aud bleeding
from many siigh'cr hur.s The cab of
No II was crushed ike box of enrd
board. Within it lay Ellison, sLap,.
less, AIRED and blackcncd. Live
Goals covered him in part and rushing
steam from the boiler his engine
breathed death acr IS him. Happiiy
his vital spare clptd the agonies II
slow extinction.
The door Of the baggage car was
locked aud was so found after tho
wreck. John ODay, The baggageman.
found himself plunged through the
broken 70 4 of his car and recovered
sense upon the ground. b tn bones of
his right arm broken below the elbow.
Four cars OF cattle followed the
freight engine, Two Of these we're
completely wrecked and their brute
occ pants lay in hudded confusion
among the debris, manned and dying.
lifting wild voices OF pain ant terror
TO the night adding To the horrors
of that scene, wncrei1 the smell OF
burning human flesh di,tra ted one
sense, where iay deal, and d ing ling
ing 10 life with pra err, pi cd around was
wreck and over all z ca cd the fitfu
flames OF burn oil
% I Of the sleep'r, thev brought
cu HONS for the h RI ones Krllerwas
dying lie wi,he TO sit erect upon his
b eeding stumps but oud pnt brea.ue
in that position. lie prayed fer en- v,
and beside him his won lie brother
q eman invoked the virgin and the
saints Adleman, cooi and full OF
'er e, demanded no ussistauce. Dr.
Go"rge Vial, Of New Y,rN, upon his
way 10 Ca H. rnin, asst ted by Com
du "r Fell, Passe ger Agent dill on.
ni ihe Alton, who was alb ard III,
Ovid with his wife and chi d, by MIR. Has
Ee l. Mrs GDvna Mr. q n Hammond and