St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-01-22
SHOWERED With OIL.
Appalling and Disastrous
Wreck at Alton juno
ton, Ill.
Tank Cars Of Oil Split by a
Passenger Train En-
CINE.
Two Other Cars Exploded by
the Heat Of the Burn
ing Debris.
Nine Persons Killed and Nine
teen Probably Fatally
Injured.

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 2l.-A wreck, which,
In its consequences, is one OF the most
appalling and disastrous that has oc-
cured In years, occurred at Wann
junction, or Alton junction, ILL.,, this
morning. The Cleveland, Columbus,
Cincinnati AZ st. Louis Southwestern
limited passenger, consisting OF an en-
CINE and four coaches, which left here
this morning for the East. ran into
switch half mile north of Wann june
ton, and crashed into train consisting
of seven tank cars standing thereon.
The result was a fire and afterWard an
explosion, which has already cost nine
persons their lives, and probably fatally
injured nineteen others, while fully
fifty more are suffering from painful
burns. The property loss to the COM
pany is great. The dead are:
burned to Death.
Webb Ross, Nation, ILL.,, engineer of
the limited, aged thirty-three; Hiram
Cornelius, Iowa, aged twenty-eight
years; Edward Miller, Alton junction,
aged twenty-five years, five unidentI-
fed men and one boy, name unknown.
All were burned to death.
The following were fatally burned
William Shattuck. aged twenty-seven,
Upper Alton; Frank Scullin, aged TWEEN
ty-fve: Joseph Hermann aged twelve;
John Wilkinson, aged twelve, Alton, Ill.
John Fred, forty-twO years old, Ed
wardsville Crossing, ILL.,; John LOuck,
twenty-siX years old, Alton; A. L.
Frazer. twenty-five years old, st. Louis,
Mo-; Edward Maupin, twenty-four
years old, Otto Hagerman and Willie
Mccarthy, Alton; Dan Harris, Alton
Junction; Frank Barton, Stanford, Ont;
LOUIS Mcintosh, William Mcintosh,
George Staples and john Henry, Alton
Junction; John Monahan. East St.
Louis: William Miller, James Mullane,
Alton Junction. All the fatally injured
were burned about the head and body
and cannot live.
Others injured were w. c. Harrison,
Wann, tWenty-three years Old; Henry
Pennington, Wann, aged tWenty-fiye;
Louis Deneave, Montreal, Can, aged
twenty-four: Henry Pilgrim, Alton,
aged thirty; Joseph Luttrelle, Alton,
aged thirty-eight; William E. Richard
son. Alton, aged Uhirty-four; David
Richardson, Alton, aged twenty-siX;
Herman EStke, Alton, aged twenty
three; Frank Bartlett, BranfOrd, Can,
aged twenty-four; Hameltine Val
Charles Hammond, Alton junction,
aged thirty-two; B. Menhaus. Pat
O'Meara, Z,B. ,Jobe, Charles Harris,
John Burke. John SeiXler, Ephraim
Richardson, John Finley, John McPike,
Eben Caldwell.
A Barber SVVitchman.
The Southwestern limited leaves st.
Louis at S:05 a. m. and is due at Nann
at S:4S. Wann is flag station OF the
Chicago d Alton and the Big Four rail
WAYS, and is about four miles this side
of Alton. There are no side tracks
there. but about half mile beyond, at
a small village known as Alton juno
ton. are several switches. The tender
of these switches, h. Grattan by name,
is also barber, and combines his
tOnsOrial duties with those of attending
TO the numerous switches at that point.
Upon him is laid the blame, by the rail-
way officials and trainmen, for the ac-
cident and Its frightful after cOnse-
uuences, and officers are now searching
for him, as he fled during the excite
ment following the accident
The Limited train, consisting of an
engine and tender. combination bag
gage and buffet car and three coaches,
reached Wann twelve minutes late. 1t
reached Alton junction running at the
rate OF forty miles an hour, the engineer
being DESTROYS of making up the lost
time as soon as possible. a switch was
turned so as to send the flying train onto
one of the side tracks. On this track,
only q few yards distant from the
switch, were seven tank cars filled
with refined lubricating oil consigned
from Beardstown to the Waters-Pierce
Oil company, of this city. AS soon as he
Saw the Danger.
Engineer Ross called to his fireman,
Dick White, to Jump for his life. He
then reversed his engine and applied
the air brakes. But he was too late.
The engine crashed entirely through
two tank cars, splitting them in half,
anu vac lllNll lOlNCNt Oil tNllN
over the others. The oil from the
wrecked tanks at ouce caught fire, and a
sea OF flames instantly surrounded the
engineer, who had jumped just as the
pilot Of the engine struck the first tank.
Throwing his hands to his face, the
brave man struggled to the embank-
ment at one side OF the track, but as
soon as ne reached it he sank to the
earth Il crisp and blackened corpse. The
fireman, WHO jumped from the cab the
Instant The engine struck the switch
escaped with few slight bruises.
i lie engineers action in reversing hi;
engine and applying the brakes, slack
ened the speed Of the train sufficiently
to prevent any serious injury to the
passengers, of whom there were abou
sixty. Several were bruised by beine
thrown violently against seats or the
aides OF the coaches, but none were Seri
Busly hurt. In the baggage department
of the first car were the mails, clever
pieces Of baggage and a CORPSE, anC
these wereall burned in a few moments
The corpse was that of a Mrs. Morrison
md was being forwarded from thu
Southwest to Boston.
Ehe FLAMES Spread
20 the other coaches and all were soor
in ruins Three of the oil tanks, whicl
were broken open by the engine crash
Ing over them, were also consumed in
brief space of time, together with tn,
engine aud tender.
The passengers and villager
crowded around the burning wreck
anxious TO assist, if possible, any un
fortunatcs who might be in need o
help. Crowds from Wann and from
Upper Alton and Alton also began t