Omaha daily bee., 1893-01-23

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face and head and in many places the skull
and cheek bones were exposed.
Wives and mothers sisters and daughters
on being shown the bodies of the beloved
lead, shrank back in horror, and could
scarcely be convinced that the distorted
features before them were all that remained
of those so dear to them aud whose taking
away meant, in SONS instances, the loss Of
their sole support and rcliaucCs
The coroners inquest was held at the
hospital, the jury having previously been in
session at Wann and Alton Junction. The
verdict in each case states that death was
caused by burning oil, accidentally cN
plodCd and thrown over them
The funerals of a number of the victims
will be held tomorrow and the others will
be buried Tuesday
Edward Miller was buried this afternoon
at Alton Junction.
Rumors of More Deaths.
There was rumor on the streets late this
afternoon that eleven students from Shurt-
lctf college had been missing since the acci-
dent of yesterday All efforts of the Associ
atcd press reporters to verify the rumor
failed, however, and it is the opinion of the
majority of Alton citizens that there is no
truth in the statement. But the fact that
there were found this morning near the
scenes of the wreck other bodies additional
to those reported in last nights dispatches
gives rise to II probability that there may be
yet more bodies which have not been found
When Mrs. William Mantz reported to the
Alton police department this morning that
her husband, who had started for the scene
of the accident about 10 o'clock yesterday
morning, had not yet returned, searching
party was organized, and after a long time
the dead body of MantA was found near
Wood river, over half mile from the place
where the explosion occurred. The SuppOSi-
tion is that he started to run in the direction
OF his home as soon as the explosion took
place and was caught by a shower of the
SCething tiuid. He, however. must have run
some distance after he was burned and proba-
bly, fell dead on reaching the spot where his
body was found. Reports about the time of
the finding of Mantz' body and others miss
ing, induced a search which is still going on,
for the bodies of other victims.
Hundreds Flocking to Alton Junction.
The scene of yesterdays dreadful catas-
tOphc was visited by hundreds today. Most
of this crowd was attracted by mere curiOs-
ity, while relic hunters were present in large
numbers. The latter carried with them me
mentOes in the shape Of twisted bits of the
wrecked tanks and still others, mostly boys,
scraped around in the ruins of the baggage
and buffet car to see if they could find any
thing of value
cared to remain long II seemed TO some as
though the shrieks of pain and cries OF hor-
ror that awoke the echoes yesterday still
hovcred in the air and to others the memory
of the grief and anguish impaired a sacred
ness TO the surroundings Even the wreck
ing crew, busily at work clearing away the
debris of the wreck and fire, worked in Il
subducd manner as though impressed with
the solemnity of the surroundings
No trace had been found up to 6 o'clock of
the runaway switchman Richard Grattan.
1t is thought he run away for good.
The total loss to the company, so the rail
way officials state tonight, will be between
Sl95, 900 and sl5O,0O0 1t includes the engine,
combination baggage and buffet car, and
twenty oil tanks and freight cars and their
contents. The fact that three palace cars
were drawn away from the wreck by a
switch engine before the oil tanks exploded
led to an erroneous report that they also
were burned.
The railway company sent the remains of
tho dead engineer, Webb Ross, to Mattoon
last night, and also sent the fireman, Dick
White who suffered sprained ankle when
he jumped from the engine, to his home.
None of the other trainmcn were so seriously
injured as to incapacitate them from duty.
What Eye Witnesses Say.
William Hammond, a Big Four track
walker, who was quite severely burned, said
to the reporter today: There was nothing
that could do. Water would do no good,
and so | stood looking on. | had started to
stroll away when the explosion occurred. !
had not got seventy feet away before | was
knocked to my knees by the crash of the
tanks. ! felt the hot oil light on my head
anu nunuS anu IclJ InS IcaI1ul burning sen
sation. To relieve myself buried my head
in the earth and threw dirt over my hands.
Then | ran away.n
Louis Deneau an employe of the Alton gas
works, attracted to the spot by curiosity,
was also burned about the head and hands
Dencau states that he was fully 800 yards
away from the tanks when they exploded.
One curious feature about the affair is
that when the tank exploded the oil shot di-
rectly upward to height of some 200 or 30U
feet then, as though impelle1 by some cen.
tral force, suddenly shot out III all directions
falling over wide area.
Louis UT, who was instantly burned to
death, was almost underneath one of the
tanks, and was scalded by oil that ran oveI
the sides of the tanks.
John Webster was standing about twenty
feet from the tank and was only touched by
Il few drops from the mass of fire that went
flying over him.
The blazing, flying oil was distinctly visi
BILE at Alton, four miles away. Several per
sons state they saw it, and to be visible
there it must have reached a height of ovel
200 feet.
1t Was an Appalling Sight.
81 was standing 25O feet west of the
tanks" said James Maupn to the reporter
''when the explosion came. The roar made
by the burning oil told me it contained al
unusual amount of gas, and | had started Il
go to my horse, which was hitchcd some dis
tance away just as | started the explosion
came There was Il dull roar. For al
instant my eyes were blinded by tho flash
Then ] saw a huge wall of fire com
ing directly toward me | rcmcm
ber now that il was so high as tC
be far above the tree tops, and must
have been 300 feet high. The sight was Il
most beautiful one, but was too close foI
! comfort, and ! ran as fast as could from tho
! approaching wall. ] was just in time, for as
| it was my overcoat was set ON fire by some
drops of the burning fluid, which reached
me. ] hastily pulled it Off, and as did Sc
| ON each side there rushed by me what
| | could hardly distinguish for the sheets Of
| flame as human beings. ! hastily threw my
| overcOat over the man nearest tC
| me and then rolled him over IL
the dust. After extingushing the fire
! cut off his boots and the upper part of his
| clothing and told HIM to go to the station
| Afterwards ! assisted two more victims who
rushed past me, shrieking and bowling il
! agony. Thirty or forty others passed mt
while | was assisting these poor wretches
| | afterwards learned that the first man
assisted was Edward Maupin, Il man whose
| surname is the same as my own, but o
! whom l never before heard. After this
! jumped in my buggy and FASTENED to Altoi
| for medical assistance
Many other eye witnesses were inter
| viewed, but all tell practically the SANE
! story.
MEXIID'S ENpDRTS