The Van Buren press., 1893-01-28
THE wANN HORROR.
Appalling Results Of the Big -Four
Accident at Wann, Ill.

The Death Roll win Reach ut Least
Thirty,land Many win be Maisned
for Life-Revised List Of
the victims.
Sr. Louis, Jan. 24.-The terrible
calamity at Wann, Ill, which was bare
ly outlined in these dispatches, will
take its place in the annals OF railroad
disasters almost without a parallel.
The primary accident, which resulted
in the death of Engineer Ross, and
which was the result OF switchman's
negligence. was followed by con-
sequences simply appalling.
The wreck attracted a large crowd,
not only from the immediate neighbor'
hood, but from Alton, miles 0,
more distant, who stood around and
watched the burning oil train. appar-
emily unmindful of the danger to which
they were exposed, or busted them.
selves with efforts to save prop
crty endangered by proximity to
the burning train. The story
Of the explosion has been told.
but the extent of the havoc is only now
becoming fully apparent. More COM
plete ruins were never seen. Every
thing touched by the awful blaze was
destroyed. Beside the tracks are the
ruins Of three cottages homes OF the
railroad men, the stock yards are bad
ly damaged, trees are torn and twisted,
while the rails of all the tracks at that
point are twisted all out of shape.
The scene of the wreck was visited
by hundreds of people Sunday. and the
sight presented, notwithstanding the
efforts of the wrecl<ing crew at work,
gave vivid idea of what the experience
of few awful moments must have
been to those who met instant or lin
gcring death by the blazing oil. For
hundreds of yards around were ruins
of the clothing thrown off by the
blazing victims as they ran hither and
thither in their agony and despair.
In the fields are patches of ground
from which the grass hus been burned
as the blazing men and boys rolled
over in a vain effort to extinguish the
burning and boiling oil with which
their clothing was saturated and which
spread like lightning over their poor
dcfenseless bodies.
Many horribly CHASTITY finds were
made by the crowd which visited the
scene Pieces of human skin burnt to
a crisp, parts of hands aud feet, locks
of hair, shrcds of clothing, cut and
torn boots and shoes, coats, hats,
vests and underclothing, torn from
the burning victims by themselves or
by the brave men who assisted them Mt
the risk Of their own lives and limbs.
Eight gloves of human skin, just as
they were pulled from the hands Of the
victims, with the nails of the fingers
still adhering to them, were found by
visitors. and. horrible to relate, some
Of these and similar finds were carried
off as relics by those who discovered
them.
From 1900 to 1000 yards away from
the place OF the explosion pieces Of
and other fragments were
found beside burned patches Of grass
which had caught fire. Pieces of money
melted together by the intense heat
were found at least 800 yards from
where the tank blew mp.
The people of Wann and also OF Al
ton and surrounding country respond
ed with alacrity in ministering to the
suffering, but notwithstanding all that
could be done by human skill the death
list already numbers sixteen with the
of several more being add
ed. Below we give a carefully revised
list of the victims SO far as obtainable:
pRAD.
Webb Ross, OF Nsttoon. engineer of the linn
tied.
H.A. Cornelius, Of Iowa. student at Shurtleff
college.
Henry Plnney, Alton junction.
WIN. Mccarthy, boy, Alton.
Edward Miller. Alton junction.
WIN. Miller father OF Edward.
Ell Maupin, st. Charles, Mo.
Chas. UT, boy. Alton.
Unknown man supposed to bo John Mantz.
Upper Alton.
Unknown man. not Identified.
WIN. Shattuck Upper Alton.
Dan Harris, Alton junction. NJ
Henry Penning. American bottomsL
John Lock. glassblower, Alton.
Henry Virgins. Alton junction.
John Wilkinson.
INJURED IN ST. JosEPH's HOSPITAL ALTON.
W. G. Harris. Alton; face aud head.
Frank 9cullin, Alton; face and hands
Louis Dsneaue. gisssblower. Montreal, Can;
not serious.
JOS Hermann, Jr., Alton, 10y; dangerous
Henry Pilgrim, Alton; dangerous.
John Luttre!l. railroad man; very dangerous
William Richardson. Alton junction; will
die.
David Richardson. brother Of William; viii
die.
John Wilkinson. Alton. boy; very dangerous.
John Frstz, EdwardsviIle crossing; will die.
Herman Estke. Alton; very low.
Frank Bartel, glassDlower, Brantford, Ont;
very low
Chas Harris. Wann; very low.
George staples. boy; very low.
A. e Frazier, tramp; dangerous.
Hamilton Valentine. American bottoms;
critical condition.
Charles Grove, home unknown; slightly in-
jured
Pat Findlsy. glassblowsr. Canada; slightly
injured
Charles Hammond, American bottoms;
slightly injured,
Otto Hagaman, Alton. boy; will do.
John Burks, Fosterburg; badly burned.
INJURED IN HOUSES AT wASN.
John Henry. Jr.. wann; hopeful.
Henry Weigand. Wann; will die.
John Philbrick, wann; both eyes burned