Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-01-26
AN OPEN SWITCH
Causes a Most Disastrous Wreck
OH the Big Four Road.
A Limited Train Crashes Into Oil
Tanks on a Siding.
Fire Immediately Breaks Out
With Awful Results.
THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS ALREADY
REACH NEARLY A SCORE.
FIFTEEN OF THE INJURED MAY BE
ADDED TO THE LIST.

All the Dead and Almost All of the In-
jured Were Covered with Burning Oil n
Moment After the Collision-Some of
the Injured Beg PiteousIy to BE Killed
to Relieve Them of Their SufTerings-A
Sad Sunday in Alton, Alton Junction
and Upper Alton, the Homes of the
Majority of the Victims.
ST. LOUIS, Jan. pa disastrous
wreck occurred on the Cleveland, Gin
cinnati, Chicago and st. Louis railway
at Alton junction, Ills, Saturday, in
which nearly a score of people lost their
lives and over fifty injured, many OF
whom were burned, the train subse-
quently taking fire. The train was the
southwestern limited, consisting Of an
engine and four coaches, from st. Louis
bound east. The switch was open and
the train crashed into another train con-
sisting of seven tank cars which was
standing on the siding.
The dead and wounded were taken to
Alton, where the latter were placed in
II hospital.
The loss to the railway company is es-
timated to be not less than $125,00O.
The blame for the terrible accident is
laid on the switch-tender at Alton juno
ton, who fled during the excitement
occasioned by his awful negligence.
All the dead were burned to death by
flaming oil.
Up to 6 o'clock Sunday evening the
list of dead was as follows:
Webb Ross, engineer, Mattoon. Ills.
Hiram Cornelius. Iowa.
Edward Miller, Alton Junction.
Two unidentified men.
William Shattuck, Upper Alton, Ills.
Henry Penning, Wann, Ills.
Willie Mccarthy, Alton.
John Locke. Alton.
Edward Maunin, Alton. - .-'
Daniel Harers, Alton Junction.
William Mantz, Fosterburg, Ills.
Charles OFT, Alton.
W. HI. Miller, Alton.
Charles Harris, Alton.
John Wilkinson, Alton.
All but the first six died of their in.
juries at the hospital at Alton, except
OFT, w. H. Miller and Mantz, whose
dead bodies were found near the wreck.
Injured Who Will Die.
The hospital physicians Sunday even
ing said the following fifteen injured
would die:
Otto Hagman, Alton.
John Frei, Alton. It,.
Joseph Herman. Alton. .su
Henry Pilgrim, Alton. EssA.
John Luttrell, Alton. SE%
William B. Richardson, Alton. M
David Richardson, Alton. S
A. T. Frazer, st. Louis.
Frank Barth, Bradford, Can. =
Frand Scullin, Alton. IA
John Burke, Alton
William Miller, Alton Junction.
- Murray, Upper Alton.
= Rotoff, Upper Alton.
Evan Caldwell, Alton.
Others Injured.
Those who sustained serious injury,
but who will probably recover, are:
Mrs. A. L. Willen and child, Kansas
City.
Henry Wiggins, Alton Junction.
George Staples, Alton Junction.
Herman Nuske, Alton.
Louis Leneau, Montreal.
Henry Staples, Uniontown, Ky.
- Montgomery, Alton.
Dan Harris, Alton Junction.
Frank Barton, Stamford, Ont.
Louis Mcintosh, Alton Junction.
William Mcintosh, Alton junction.
John Henry, Alton Junction.
John Monahan, East st. Louis.
James Mullane, Alton Junction.
W. G. Harrison, Alton.
Pametine Valentine, Philadelphia.
Charles Hamilton, Alton Junction.
B. Menhaus, Alton.
Pat O'Meara, Alton.
q. B. Job, Alton.
John Seisler, Alton.
Ephraim Richardson, Alton.
John Finley, Alton.
John McPike, Alton.
Patrick Findlay, Alton.
Charles Crow, Alton.
Besides these. more than score sus.
tanned injuries of more or less serious
nature, whose names could not be
learned.
Dreadful Scenes.
The scenes in the wards occupied by
the injured were heartrending Lying
on cots, wrapped and swathed in cotton
and bandages until they almost lost
semblance to human beings, and sur
rounded by weeping relatives and sor-
rowing friends, they formed picture
that brought tears to the eyes of even
the physicians, accustomed as they are
to such sights. The meanings of the
patients were piteous. Every few mo-
ments somt tortured soul writhing in
agony would half arise from his couch,
then fall back suffering more intense
pain than before. Seeming to know by
Intuition when the physician was near
them, they would beg piteously to be
relieved of their pain, even asking to be
killed.
Only those thought to be fatally in.
jured were allowed to remain at the
hospital. All the others were removed
to their homes, or to the homes Of
friends throughout the city, that they
might receive undivided attention Of
their friends. Many volunteers, too
were at the hospital, to administer to
the wants of those there, and, if posi-.
BILE, lessen the pain Of their last few
hours on earth.