Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-09-19
LUCK SAVED THEM.
a Horrible Railway Disaster
Narrowly Averted.
CLOSE SHAVE OF A G. A. R. TRAIN.

The Sea md Section Runs Into the Rear of
the FIRST and Severely Injuries Eight
Persons, Four of Them WoInen-A Ter
ribIe Wreck Prevented by Flagman's
Fortunate Look to the Rear-The on
Coming Train slows Down Before the
Shock-A Vessel With 100 Souls on
Board Overdue.
CLEVELAND. Sept ia narrow escape
from one of the most disastrous railroad
accidents ON record in Ohio occurred at
Kent. o., yesterday morning at O'Clock on
the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. The first
section of a G. A. r. train bound for Wash
ington from points in Nebraska was stand
ing at the station when it was run into by
the section following. Only by luck the
fiagman of the first train saw the second
section approaching and managed to get
far enough back to attract the engineers
attention. The latter partially stopped his
train so that it WAS running slowly when 1t
struck the rear sleeping car.
List of the Seriously Hurt.
The force of the collision damned two
sleepers together and slightly injured a
large number OF people who were just aris-
ing Many heard the warning shouts out
side, and jumped from the windows and
fed out of the doors. The more seriously
injured We're: Henry j. Knapp, Elgin, Ills,
caught on platform between cars, injured
very badly about head; Mrs. Julia NJ.
Rhodes. of New Mexico, injured in back
and internally: woman unknown, arm
broken and seriously injured internally
unconscious when the train left Kent; Mrs
Isabella Fuller, Pawnee City, Neb., ser
iously injured internally by being trampled
upon: Mrs Bowen, Lincoln, Neb, hand
4 tod i
Hall. Memphis. Neb. badly bruised and in
jured internally J. kerwin, Fillmore coun-
ty Neb. head badly cut; Jesse ID. Scott,
I.afontaine Ind, nose broken and arm in
jured
Result When the Crash Came.
When the crash came the people on both
trains We're knocked down. several falling
on seats and Others being scattered about.
Henry J. Knapp, of Elgin. Ills, was in the
act of getting off the front end of the rear
sleeping car when the trains struck. Mrs
Isabel Fuller, of Pawnee City, Neb., was
thrown down among some seats and was
trampled on in the excitement. Jesse ID.
Scott, of Lafontaine, was a member of the
Indiana party on the second train, and
when the trains struck he was thrown for
ward, striking seat.
Occupants of the Two Trains.
The train at the station consisted of eight
cars, five sleepers, one chair car and two
day coaches, the chair car being occupied
by a delegation from Iowa City, Iowa. The
remainder of the eXcursionists were from
Omaha, Lincoln, Hastings, Pawnee City
and other points in Eastern Nebraska.
Many of the people had just risen. The
second train carried the G. A. r. posts
from Huntington, Peru, Wabash and adj
iacent Indiana points
Was TnlucLy Car.
The rear car on the first train was the
Logansport and the porter of the car says
he will never go on it again. The car seems
to be an unlucky one. Shortly after it first
went out two men We're killed on it. Then
il came near being smashed to pieces again
and the porter lost his life. One night a
crazy woman committed suicide on It and
not long ago, while it was running be
tween Chicago and the coast, two men in
the smoking room got into a quarrel, one
shooting the other dead.
Where Does the Blame Lie?
1t is doubtful where the blame for the &C
cident will be laid. The company was en-
deavoring to keep the trains a station apart,
and it is claimed that the operator at Cuya-
boga Falls should have held the second sec
ton but he claims that he had orders from
the dispatcher to allow it to pass.