The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1893-01-26
BIG FOUR HORROR.
Fearrul Accident on the Big -Four
At Alton Cm) Junction


Aitoa's Horror.
AITox. i'll. Jan s4-Nine person,
killed outright twelve fatally injured
and nearly a hundred more or less seri
iously hur1 was the appalling result OF
scries 81 accidents at Alton junction
Ssturisy An open switch on the Big
Four main track VAS the prime cause
~ the disasters The Southwestern
limited rzn through the switch into a
fright train standing on the siding
and Engineer Webb Ross of the limit.
80 WAS instantly killed The wreck
took FIRE, and while a great crowd was
watching the spectacle an oil tank car
exploded with terrific force. enveloping
tire spectators in a sheet of burning oil
Eight of them were instantly killed and
sco-cs were frightfully burned, a dozen
81 whom A. least will die.
The Southwestern limited leaves St
LOUIS AT S.es and is due at wann
Al SIS Wann Il flag station of the
CisicAco & Alton and Big Four railways
EnG h about four miles this side of Al
tHn- There are no side tracks there,
hut about half mile beyond. At small
village known As Alton junction, are
several switches The tender of these
switches. Z Grattan by name, is also a
ha-aser. and combines his tonsorial
dutics with those Of attending 20 the
uuBerouS switches AT that point Upon
him u laid The blame by the railway
ofsciAls and trainmen for the accident
and us friChtful after Consequences,
and officers are now searching for him,
a. ~ -
ing the dual accident
The limited train. consisting of an
engine and tender. a combination and
buffet car and three coaches left St
Isauis a. o'clock Saturday morning,
thirty minutes late, and making up lost
time ~ = forty-seven mile per hour
Sped when Il ran into the switch and
collidcd with long freight train. con-
slsfinC mostly Of loaded tank cars
Engineer Webb Ross, Of Nation, saw
tse danger too late. but he threw on
the arr brakes and stayed with his ma
chine. heinC buried in the wreck and
burned 20 a crisp Fireman White
jumped and escaped uuiniured The
FssssenCe-S were fearfuIly shaken up
hut none were seriously hurt An eve
witness SAYS that the shock Of the col
fision waS snch as n split two loaded
rzrfzS wide open and the oil immediate
II caught fire. the flames shooting City
fees into the air. The locomotives and
baggage car were totally WRECKED but
the remainder Of the passenger train
wzs moved beyond the reach of the
flames
In an Incredibly short time the train
wnx n mass 81 flames Fear Of an ex-
plosion prevented any attempt to save
n Tire wrecking train came up from
EzSz - Louis at IL O'Clock and half
dorm switch engines were run ont from
he-e - clear the yards Traffic on the
t~c rsaSx WIS entirely suspended and
. srecisl train WAS made up on the
klscu - cSrTy belated passengers
tk-ough % 81 Louis
Hearing 81 the wreck hundreds of
reople os this city and vicinity were at
S-scsc6 tyy curiosity 20 the scene And
hen occurred one Of the most awful
disasters on record A few minutes
PAST - O'Clock there was light explo-
-icn % one tank which scattered the
6-ll-ss IN eli sides. setting Ere 10 the
staclJ wards enclosures This produced
the impression that the danger of ex-
rlnsious WIS ~ hand and the throng of
ss-znCe-s rushed fox safety 20 the stock
vz-as A minute later there was q
fastening Report that shock the earth
fr half minute and spread one sheet
% seeshinz. burning OIL in all direc-
siauS Fog those within q circle of 100
-zrdsthe-e wHs no escape Their cloth
1nE ~zS burned and literally fell from
rhei- eodieS
Ina moment those who were not dis
Gssled s,eCzn running hither and thither,
waving their hands and screaming for
heln Some went % the nearest water
md others rzn into the fields and are
missing res- Panic reigned for . short
ttus- until tire uninjured recovered
the.- presence os mind % care for the
zfnica>d
Siuce the disaster Ten Of the injured
hz-e die6 and n h thcught nineteen
cthe-s czuBos live