The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-01-22
A BATH OR FIRE.
4 HORRIBLE CATASTROPHE NEAR
ALTON, ILLINOIS.
A Flying Passenger Rushes Through
an open SWith Into a Train
Of Oil Tank Cars.
Resouers and sghtseers showersd With
Blazing Oil While a. Work by tie
Explosion Of Two Of the Tanks.
Six UnfOrtunates Roasted to Death, Nine
teen More Fatally Burned, and Over
Fifty Others More or Less Serious
ly Injured-Ths Passenger
Train Reduced to Scrap
Iron By the Flames
Scenes and In
Cidents

mile north of WAnn Junction aud crashed
into train consisting OF seven oil tanl
cars standing thereon. The result was
| fire and afterwards an explosion, whict
has already cost six persons their lives
probably fatally injured nineteen more
| while fifty more are suffering from painful
burns.
The list of the dead is as follows:
Webb Ross of Mattoou, Ills, engineer
of the limited, aged 80.
Hiram Cornelius OF Iowa, aged %.
Edward Mile of Alton Junction, aged 25
Two unidentified men aud one boy.
They were gll burned, to death. The fol
lowing were fatally burned:
William Shattuck, aged q, Upper Alton.
Frank Schullin. aged %, Alton.
James Sherman, aged i, Alton.
John Wilkinson, aged l2 Alton.
John Ford, aged ~, Edwardville, Ills.
JOhu LOuck, aged %, Alton.
Al Frazer, aged o. St. Louis.
Edward Maupin, aged 24, Alton.
Itta HHgerman of Alton.
Willie Mccarthy OF Alton.
Daniel Harris of Alton Junction.
Frank Barton OF Alton Junction.
Lewis Mcintosh of Alton junction.
William McIutosh OF Alton JuRction.
George Staples of Alton junction.
John Henry OF Alton Junction.
John Monahan of East st. Louis.
William Miller of Alton Junction,
James Mullen of Alton Junction.
All the fatally Injured were burned
about the head and body.
Among the seriously injured are w. c.
HtrrisCn OF Wann, Henry Pennington of
Waun, Louis Leueave OF Montreal, Henry
Pilgrim of Alton, Joseph Luttrelle of Al
ton, William Richardson and David Rich
ardson OF Alton, Herman Estke of Alton,
Frank Bartlett of Uniontown, KY, Ham
lin Valentine of Philadelphia and Charles
Hammond of Alton.
The limited train, consisting of an en-
gine, E combination baggage and buffet
car and three coaches, reached Wann
Junction from St. Louis twelve minutes
late. The train was going at a 45-mile
rate, making up the time. The switch
was turned so as to send the flying train
into one of the side-Jracks. On this track,
only few yards distant, were seven tank
cars filed with lEbricating oil AS soon
as he saw the danger Engineer Ross called
to Fireman Richard White to jump for
his lite. He then reversed the engine aud
applied the air brakes, but too late. The
engine crashed entirely through two Of
the tank cars, splitting them in half, aud
then forced on and entirely over the
OF therS
The oil from the wrecked tanks at once
&
surrounded the engineer, who had jumped
just As the pilot struck the first tauk. The
brave man struggled TO an emOankment
at once side of the track, but sOou as he
reached II, sank to the earth, crisp ana
blackened corpse. The fireman escaped
with few slight injuries. Though sew
eral of the sixty passengers were violently
thrown against the seats, all mlraculOusly
escaped serious injury. Ia the baggage
department OF the first car were the mails,
the baggage and a corpse. These were ali
burned in a few moments. The flames
spread to the other coaches. and all were
soon in ruins. Three CT the oil tanks
which were broken open by the engine
crashing over them were also consumed in
4 brief space of time, together with the
engine and tender The passengers and
villagers crowded around the burning
wreck, anxious to assist, II possible. any
of the uufurtuuHtes. Crowds from Nanu
and from Upper Alton and Alton also be
gan to arrive as soon as the news spread.
II was at this time III o'clock, When a
great crowd WAS watching the rapid de-
struCuon OF the railroad property, that the
Gu mIuItlOn OF the horrible AHA r occurred.
Suddenly the TWO remaining uuluJured
tanks, simultaneously and with fearful
rec, exploded, throwing pieces OF iron
far out into the adj lccnt rields. and show
ering upon the assembled crowd mass Of
flaming liquid. For jasc one second after
the noise OF the explosion there was no
sound save tie wh.sL' Of the seething oil as
il was forced through the air Then there
arose confusion Of aEOnlziug appeals for
help and cries OF terror which cauuot be
described. Those touched oy the blazing
oil grUped about wildly. seeking ia vain
for relief Almost without exception the
injured were burned about tie face and
had their eyesighJ temporarily, II not per
maneutly, destroyed Those who were
uuInJured were 50 terror-stricKen as to be-
unable TO assist their less fortunate com
panious for some time.
Gradually the horror Of the holocaust
gave way to a realization OF the necessity
for quick relief for the wounded. Hastily
iugrOyised lttrvS were made and vii
ling hands teBdeTly carried the dead aud
injured 10 town, where they were placed
in the depot Uuti. relief train could Oe
brought 10 the scene. Word Was dis
patched to Alton aud while train was oe-
la- made up ana sent for the wounded,
preparations were N a.l.e Tor their reception
At -. Joseph, hospital
When the traiu bearing the dead and
wounded reached Alton this afternoon
almost another panic eusued- \ great
crowd had gathered at the depot. Many
had relatives and friends among The vie
tins. and IS last as the bodies We're taken
Ou u ths train sobbiug wives, mothers
and daughters. IN tlelr attempts 10 eaten
ii sight % the features, would snatch
franuctliy a. tbs covering, aud, Lu4luE
tGat which they dreaded 10 see. wJu 1
throw themselves utol tLe body IL
an agony OF grief Finally, all iLe dead
and wounded were taken care OF and tie
crowd dispersed. or gathered i1r9 AIt.e
knots and discussed .u- horrible sifa5r.
The scenes in the hospital 70 winch he
V CtIWs were removed were
TIE dry. oI.-~o4A@l rA-s
Were Gus away from TIE bos -=s aaa le.l4
bare the horrible work @: sue burning l-
Il auds AMI fslr> were sT1-l-a AMI d.
-Crted, aud eyes e.ta-r Da nj cut or
a. ne eaten ans eacrustel wlt4 u-0e1 aud
-gsi- The land o. many were banned -
s C.isD Fingers were iIl-sia - sad arms
we're broken. Several ll .us victims we re F.
oand o be v.-AaCt cui.cle, t1e le-
having cooked and o1rue- g ant. it r.--~E f.
!. uu- 10 the c.o aia- IL removal or tesI
zasy q Its ova aeco-L
" E-u ,hr engagements could - rnsis, +.
- eager tasllg u. relative, az t5.- vscsl Ass 1
y ~ aoEIItsd 20 tie hospital A2rrglos /