The times., 1892-01-08
CREMATED ALIVE.
Horrible Fate of Four italians
i'm a Wreck.
CRASH OF TWO PASSENGER TRAINS.

Both Boilers Explode, the Two Engineers
Are Instantly Killed and -Four Victims
Arc Caught I'm the Wreck and Roasted
to Death - Seven Dead with Half u
Dozen or More Injured the Fearful Re-
sult-The Disaster Caused by Thick
Fog.
HANNIBAL, Mo-, Jan. "a head-end
collision at an early hour yesterday morn
ing between two passenger trains on the
Wabash caused one of the most fatal and
disastrous wrecks in tho history of that
road. The accident occurred at Aladdin, n
switch about two miles from this city and
almost opposite, on the Illinois side,
where trains regularly pass. Seven lives
were lost and from twelve to fifteen pas
sengers more or less injured. A dense fog
settled over this section Monday night and
this was directly the cause of the accident.
The cannon ball passeng er train, eastward
bound, leaves here about 1:20 a. m. and
has the right of way over the westbound
train, passing at Aladdin.
Lost His Bearings in the Fog.
Yesterday morning the east-bound train,
in charge of Engineer j. r. Wilson, pulled
out of the Union station here on time.
Connections at Aladdin are close, the
trains arriving within few moments of
each other, but the east-bound trains go
by at good rate of speed, while the west
bound trains are sidetracked. When the
passing point was reached Engineer Will
son, failing to see the other train on the
sidetrack, slackened his speed, but at al
most the same instant the two engines
came together with fearful crash, both
boilers exploding. The engineer of the
west-bound train, owing to the fog, lost
his bearings and, passing the switch, tore
into the oncOming train at full speed.
Four Italians Burned Alive.
Both engineers were killed instantly.
One fireman cannot survive but the fire.
man of the eastbound train will recover
from his injuries. The scene at the wreck
was beyond description. Seven of the
coaches caught fire and were entirely con-
sumed. At least four Italian emigrants
who were in tho smoking car of the west
bound train were caught under the debris
and were cremated alive before help
reached them, nothing but a few charred
bones remaining to show they ever existed.
Both trains were well filed, and the escape
of the passengers from death is miraculous.
This is the third wreck one of the engines
has been in during the past two months,
but it is now pile of scrap iron.
The Roll of Dead and injured.
Following are the killed: j. r. Wilson,
engineer east-bound train, Springfield,
Ills; body burned up; unmarried. George
Bushart, engineer west-bound train,
Springfield, Ills; scalded to death, married
and leaves a family. Warboys, fireman
west-bound train, Springfield, Ills; badly
scalded and injured internally; cannot live.
Four Italians, emigrants; names unknown;
burned alive.
The injured, so far as can be ascertained,
are: Conwell, fireman east-bound train,
badly hurt; Miss Ella King, en- route to
Dorchester Neb., skull and right leg
broken; Moses Bryant, Decatur, Ills, bad
scalp wound George Webb, chair car por-
ter, shoulder broken; ID. Dunham and E.
=. Clough, express messengers, injured
slightly: Mrs. William Groves Hannibal,
Mo-, wrist sprained.
Cost the Railway 500, 900.
A large force Of men went to work inn
mediately clearing the track. Broken
watches, rings, money and everything inn
aginable were found. The sidetrack was
cleared at g o'clock in the afternoon so that
trains could pass. Nearly all of the in
jured were sent to Moberly hospital yester-
day morning The destruction of railroad
property is estimated to be over SlOO,OOO.