St. Paul daily globe., 1892-05-06
Fearful Awakening Of Travel
ers in a Wrecked, Tor
rent-Swept Train.
Plunge to Death Through a
Weak Bridge in a Howl
ing Storm.
Seven Passengers Taken Out
Dead and Scores More or
Less Injured.
With Train Lights Out and
Water Rushing in, the
Scene Was Awful.

FORT MADISON, To-. May 5.-Without
word of warning, in the midst of
frightful storm, the east-b0und trans
continental express on the Atchison,
filled with human beings wrapped in
slumber. plunged through trestle
weakened by rain, about 1:45 o'clock
this morning, between Revere and Me-
dill, in Missouri.
1t was trightful night. The rain
fell as it has never been known to fall
before, and only an occasional flash of
lightning could be seen in the gloom.
The great express had come through
from San Francisco, Los Angeles and
Mexico to Kansas City on time. On ar
irving at Kansas City at 4:40 WedDes-
day afternoon orders were received to
hold it until 6: 40 andsrun to Chicago on
the time of the Denver limited, which
was very late.
At GAO the train, composed of a
postal car, baggage car, smoker, chair
car, tourist sleeper and two Pullman
coaches, commenced its run to Chicago.
All went we'll until pile and trestle
bridge over the Fox river, near Revere,
was reached. This bridge was about
It's feet long and 80 feet high. Two
hours before the transcontinental eX-
press struck the bridge a heavy freight
train passed over it in safety, but the
heavy rains had swollen the torrent
which ragged beneath the rails to mill
iature Niagara, which had carried the
bridge out of line, yet left it standing,
and. so far as the engineer on the loco
motivefcould see, all right.
A Fearful Awakening.
safety's sake, for the storm was terrific,
the train crawled slowly onto the bridge.
The engine crossed in safety, but not
the balance OF the train, for the bridge
went down with its precious load, only
the engine and rear sleeper remaining
on either end of the abutments. The
other part of the train was preeIprtated
into the swiftly flowing waters which
coursed through the ravine thirtY-six
feet below. Five cars with their loads
of human freight, wearied with long
trip. and the remains of the bridge, sank
together in one conglomerate mass of
crushed timbers, torn and twisted iron
work and mangled humanity.
Then rose a wild shrek from the
wounded and dying, rising above the
roar of the storm. The engineer aid
fireman from one side of the stream,
and the uninjured occupants of the
rear sleeper on the opposite bank, hur-
ried to give what aid was possible to the
Door unfortunates who were battling
for life in the ravine below. Men
sprung from the windows of the wrecked
cars and fighting their way through the
whirling waters, filled with debris,
reached the banks and fell to the
ground exhausted. Seven sank in the
wreck to die. Twenty-siX are known
to have been injured. The following is
list of the
Killed and Injured:
WILLIAM HYNEs, Oklahoma City, o. T.
LON MARKER, Kansas City, Mo.
S. e. VERKELER, Westport, Mo.
LESTER CORNELIUS, brakeman, k1rksvllle,
Mo.
j. C. GRAVES, Macon, Mo.
WOMAN and CHILD nine months old, whose
names could not be learned. supposed to be
from Los Angeles, CAL where, by papers
found. she owns considerable land Her
ticket was for Allegheny, Pa. Another child
two years old was injured.
Those injured, some seriously, others
slightly, are:
Robert Schultz, Lexington, Mo-; Amena
Chicago; A. d. Meads, saltwater. Minn.;
Postal Clerk Claude Beal, Vermont. H.;
Postal Clerk r. e. Duetcher. Chicago; Porter
John Gunther, Chicago; .: L. Boise, Kansas
City. Mo-; N: S. Bones, Oklahoma City; j. II.
Snyder, Lexington. Kan; S. A. Lough, Che
topa, Kan; James Moran, Sedley, Ind.
Frank Graves, Sedley, Ind; W. G. Smith.
Hartford. Conn: F. W. Moore, Winnebago,
ILL.,; r. Ii. Moelen, Kansas City; Mrs. A. j.
Sullivan, Coffeyville, Kan; Mrs. Alice
Hughes, Sedan, Kan; Mrs. j. H. Heating.
Baton, n. NJ; r. II. Cowln, Chicago;
j. H. Winslow, Chicago: n. Lancaster, Chi
cago; Mrs. Jane Heisy, Riverside. Ill. !; Martin
Rigle. brakeman Kansas City.Mo.; W .Isham,
gen, Reading. Pa. Mrs. Z. p. Ullen and
son. Athens, Pa. >; William Adams. Dewsbury.
Yorkshire Eng: II. NJ Cutler, Chicago; Andy
Roman, Riverside H., and about fifty more
with slight cuts and scratches.
Chaos Reigned Supreme.
The three first cars fell in heap in
the river and were crushed to splinters.
The first chair car slid on its side and
turned completely over. partly on dry
land. The other cars were precipitated
into the creek. which had now become a
raging and giant river. A terrible scene
ensued. Almost every seat and window
had been broken. Water poured in at
the windows. and every light in the
train went out. There was no one to
lead, for Conductor Tucker lay in the
water with a broken leg, his face cut
and his body badly bruised, and one
brakeman lay dead and the other was
cut in the head, arm and shoulders.
The engineer and fireman at once
rushed to Dumas for assistance, while
the fortunate uninjured passengers
went bravely to work rescuing the inn
prisoned sufferers and taking out the
dead. A relief train was at once equip
ped here with trainmen and physicians,
and at O'Clock started for the wreck. 1t
arrived there after daylight, being de-
layed by a small landslide in the track
between the two points. The suffering
undergone was rendered especially
severe, because all the clothing of the
injured were drenched aud cJld with
the water and rain, and new clothing
had to be procured at neighbOring farm
houses in the vicinity. In the mean
time this city was in a fever of excite
ment.
At PAS the relief train arrived, and
the injured were borne to the hospital
L. carriages and ambulances and the
dead were taken to the undertakers
and laid out to await the arrival of |
friends. Many of those injured are in a
serious condition. but in only two cases |
are fatal examinations anticipated. No
one is to be blamed except the COM
pany, which employs no track walkers |
in Such DerilOuS time as this