The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-20
FATAL RAILWAY COLLISION
Eight Killed Outright and a Score or
More Badly Injured.

The First Section Of a Passenger, With
Rear Sleeper, Stops al a Tank-The
Second Section at Tremendous Speed
Dashes Into the First, the Locomo-
tive Literally Flowing Through a
Car Filled With Sleeping Travellers.
Blood-curdling Results Eusue-The
Blame Not Definitely Plaoed-List Of
Killed.
Kankakee, H., Sept. 19-At 9:20 last
night, one-fourth of a mile south of the
little village of Manteon, and eight miles
north of this city, the second section of
No. 45, which is the big 4 express
leaving Chicago at $40 o'clock p. m,
crashed into the rear end Of the first sec
tion with awful results. Eight persons,
it is known positively, are Dead with a
probability of three more who remain
still buried under the wreckage. A score
of others more or less severely injured are
a number of them, it is thought, fatally
CONFUSION OF ACCOUNTS.
The first section stopped at a water
tank and here accounts differ as to the
cause Of the accident. One is that no
fiagman went back from the first section.
Another is that fiagman went back and
did his duty properly, but that the engi-
neer of the second section was asleep and
the fireman feeding his furnace.
Both, however, discovered the train
in front of them in time to jump and es-
cape without serious injury. The track
is straight for three miles at the place
where the accident occurred. The flag
man has disappeared. The rear cars of
the first section were the Ohio and Mis-
sissippi sleeper and two chair cars, all
fairly well filled with passengers.
sHIvERED INTO sPLINTERs.
The collision reduced the rear car to a
shapeless mass of splintered timbers and
twisted iron. The wreck of the rear car
was thrown high in the air, falling back
on the engine The terrible impact
forced the forward sleeper into the rear
end of the day coach Just ahead. This
coach was filed with sleeping passen-
gers, and the scene which cnsued was
one OF almost infinite horror. The engine
plowed its dreadful way literally
through the bodies Of sleeping men and
women.
SHOCKING SPECTACLE.
Blood besmeared the iron and wood Of
the shattered cars, and in the darkness
the awful screams of the injured and
dying mingled with the hiss Of steam
from the torn and twisted boiler.
The passengers in the rear train es-
capped with nothing more than severe
shaking up. Many Of them dressed and
hurried to assist in the work of rescuing
the unfOrtunates who were still piniOned
in the wreck. The crash of the collision
was plainly heard in Manteon, and in a
few minutes the residents of that village
were upon the scene in force.
PROMPT ASSISTANCE.
Houses near the spot were hastily
thrown open, and each became an imprO-
vised hospital. Local surgeons from this
city were hastily summoned, and several
OF them, together with other residents Of
Kankakee, hastened to Manteon. Their
arrivals were timely, and their efforts
much appreciated by the terror-striclIen
passengers, many Of whom, otherwise in
jured, were suffering the suddenness ef
the shock and going about wringing their
hands and crying Historically.
LIST OF THE KILLED
Following is the list of killed:
Emil Kimmell, Dayton, o.
j. w, Powell, New Vienna. o.
J.. L. sweet, LOulSFlIle, KY
David Jackson, Carmel, O.
Minnie DIVERS, Lower Albany, Ind.
O. Edwards, Chicago
Jacob Simffer and John Curran, both of
Columbus, 0.
Some of the wounded will undoubtedly
die.
LATER FROM TIE SCENE.
1t is not believed that any Of the injured
now in the hospital will die. The respon-
sibility of the disaster cannot be placed
on any one or set of individuals until the
coroner's inquest has sifted matters. All
the trainmen, except the engineer, were
employed by the Big -Four.
EITHER WILL DEMUR.
Should the blame be placed on the
engineer, the Illinois Central will be
blamed; if upon Duncan, the fiagman, the
Big -Four will be responsible. The coro-
ner at Kankakee this evening began an
inquest over the remains Of the victims Of
the wreck. Only three witnesses were
examined before the inquest was ad-
journed, but enough testimony was heard
to develop the fact that there viii be a
bitter fight between The Big Four and
Na.