Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-01-22
Fifteen Injured Less Seriously-A
Passenger Train Ran Into an
Open Switch, Wrecking and Ig-
hitting a String Of Tank Cars
Loaded With Oil-Eeavy Loss
to the Company.

ing thereon. The result was fire and
afterwards and explosion, which has al
ready cost six persons their lives, fatally
iniured several, seriously hurt still others
ana caused a great property loss TO the
company. The dead are
Webo Ross, Mattoon, Ills, engineer OF
the limited, aged SO.
Hiram Cornelius, Iowa, aged 2S years.
Edward Miller, Alton Junction, aged 20.
Two unidentified men, and one boy,
name unknown. All were burned TO death.
The following were fatally burned:
VIM. ShaJtuck, aged %, Upper Alton.
Frank Scullin, aged %, Alton, Ill.
Joseph Hermann, aged II, Alton.
John Wilkinson, aged -, Alton.
John Fred, AZ years, Edwardsville Cross
ing, Ill.
John Louk, IS years, Alton.
A. T. Frazer, % years, St Louis, Mo-
Edward Manpin, "A years, Alton.
Otto Hagerman, Alton.
Willis Mccarthy, Alton.
Dan Harris, Alton Junction.
Frank Barton, Stamford, Ontario
Louis Mcintosh, Alton Junction.
George Staples, Alton Junction.
John Henry, Alton Junction.
John Monahan, East ST. Louis.
VIM. Miller, Alton Junction.
James Mullane, Alton Junction.
All the fatally injured were burned
about the head and body and cannot live.
Fifteen others were injured, but 1t IS not
thought any will result fatally.
The Southwestern Limited leaves st.
Louis at S:05 a. m. and is due at Wann at
S4S. Wann is flag station OF the Chi
cago 81 Alton and the Big Four railways
and is about four miles this side OF Alton.
do troa QhnnT
half a mile beyond, at q small village
known as Alton Junction, are several
switches. The tender of these switches is
II. GrGttan, who is also d barber, and COM
bines his tonsorial duties with those
OF attending TO the numerous
switches at that point. Upon his
head is laid the blame by the
railway officials and train men for the ac-
cident and its frightful after consequences,
and officers are now searching for him, as
ne fed during the excitement following the
dual accident.
The limited train consisting Of an engine
and tendera combination baggage and puff
fet car and three coaches, reached Wann II
minutes late. 1t reached Alton Junction
running at the rate of 40 miles an hour, the
engineer being desirous Of making up the
lost time as soon as possible. A switch
was turned so as to send the flying train
into one of the side tracks. On
this track, only few yards
distant from the switch, were seven tank
cars filled with refined lubricating oil As
soon as he saw the danger, Engineer Ross
called to the fireman, Dick White, to jump
for mis- life. ne then reversed his engine aud
applied the air brakes, but he was too late.
The engine crushed entirely through two
of the tank cars, splitting them in half, and
was then forced entirely over the others.
The oil from the wrecked tanks at once
cau5ht fire and sea of flames instantly
surrounded the engineer, who had jumped
lust as the pilot Of the engine struck the
first tank. Throwing his hands to his face
the brave man struggled 10 the EN- 0ankment
ut one side of the track, but as soon as he
reached il he sank TO the earth q crisp and
blacSened corpSe.
The fireman who jumped from the cab es-
capsd with a few slight bruises. In the
baggage department of the first car were
mails. eleven pieces of baggage and a
corpse, and all these were burned in a few
moments.
The corpse was that of Mrs. Morrison,
and was being forwarded from the North
west TO Boston. The flames spread to the
other coaches, and all were soon in ruins
Three of the oil tanks which were broken
open by the engine crashing over them,
were quickly consumed, together with the
engine and tender.
The passengers and villagers crowded
around the burning wreck, anxious 10 as
sist if possible any unfOrtunates who might
be in need of help. Two OF the tank cars
were left uniniured by the engine The
heat of burning oil all around them gener-
ated from their contents gas the pressure
of which became too great for the huge
iron casks to withstand. simultaneously
and with fearful force, they exploded,
throwing pieces of their iron sides far out
into the adjacent fields and showeriug upon
the assembled crowd of sight-seers mass
of flaming liquid.
For lust one second after the noise of the
explosion, there were no sousds save the
swish of the seething oil as IL was forced
through the air. Then there arose con-
fusion of agonizing appeals Tor help and
cries of terror 10 which no tongue nor pen
can do justice.
For several minutes the panic was inde-
scribable. Those touched by the burning
oil groped about wildly, seeking IN vain for
relief from their torture. Almost without
exception the injured were burned
about the face and bad their eyes tempor-
arily, if not permanently destroyed. Grad
ualIy the horror Of the holocaust gave way
10 realization of the necessity for quick
relief for the wouneed. Hastily lmpro-
vised litters were formed of doors and
shutters from neighboring cottages Will
ing hands tenderly carried the dead and
injured to Wsnn, where they were placed
in the depot until a relief train could be
brought TO the scene.
The financial loss to the railroad COM
pany will De very large. Two small dwell
fngs were also burned with ali their con-
tents. II was impossible to save anything,
water would have had but little effects even
had there been water obtainable, which it
was not.
Estimates of the loss vary from 5000
to $l50,OO0 The total viii pry6ably aggre-
gate Sl25.0O0
The engineers action in reversing his en-
CINE aud applying the brake, slackened the
speed Of the train sufficiently TO prevent
any serious injury TO the passengers, of
whom there were about sixty. Several
were bgnised by being thrown violently
against the seats or the sides Of the coach
es, but hone were seriously hurt.
4 Minor Railroad Accident.