The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1893-09-28
TWO TRAINS COLLIDE
rRlGHTFUL ACCIDENT ON THE
ILLINOIS CENTRAL ROAD.
One Portion OF n Heavily Laden W"rtds
Fair Train Crushed Into by the Second
section and the Three KearmOst Cars
Completely Tsie>coped.


Nihe Weet
Nine nconle were killed aud twenty
injured 10y fearful rcar-end collision
between :wo sections of III" Big Four
train. Anown as No. ~. near the village
OF Manteno. few miles north of Nam
kakee. on the line of thu Illinois Cen
trail Railway. \ special train left Chi
cago at go o'clock AT night over the
line OF the Illinois tcntraE railway. bnt
conducted 10y the Cleveland. Cincinnati.
Chicago ami ~. Louis Railway Com
pany The, train was III two sections
and was fill, Il with Worlds Fair visit
nrs from Indiana and the southeast.
Al ID O'clock the first section stopped
ii Mantcnc Il town of 6tO inhabitants
forty->ix miles from Chicago. 1t is re-
back the proper distance to signal
the other half of the train. approach
ing ut Il high >p ed.
The locomotive Of the rear section
struck the rlar OF the sleeping car
ahead when going 1t he rate OK most
a mile Il minute. TIE engineer saw
the impending calamity and jumped
with the fireman after doing every
thing y, s,ihlc to check the speed of
the engine. i5n:h were badly bruised.
but escaped with their lives. Tho
three rear >lecEnrS on section No.
were tale-copcd. Tie powerful engine
of the second section driving lis way
into them. and every person in tho
provided cars WAS killed or injured.
Scene OF Horror.
The scene about the accident was one
Of aimos. infinite horror. Tho engine
plowcd its dreadful way literally
through the bodies Of Sic ,ping men
and women. Blood hr>lncartd the iron
s. 4
taking on the force Of the locomotive
addict to the disaster. Tho night WAS
dark AID the ~hrick- of the injured
and dying mingled with the hiss of tho
steam rom the broken boiler. The
pa~>,ngcrs on the coaches @! the train
behind escaped with nothing more than
Il shock. which in samn eases was
sufficiently sc,r.c to throw them
from their sleeping herths. Many of
them dressed and hurried forward to
assist in he work of rcScuinT the IN
fort,nates who were still pinioncd in
the wreck. They were hardly on the
ground lcEoIc the residents of NantcnO
! had reached the spot. Houses near the
place of the collision were hastily
thr, wn open. and each hnrane an I'M
proyiScd hospital. Several physicians
We're on the ears and they passed among
the wounded. alternating with the few
resources at thti" command the suffer
ings OF the wounded. Sheets and table
J cloths were torn into handagcs and
wounds s.illfully dressed while bravr
and kindly women ministerial TO thrir
wants with coffee hastily prepared and
: with cup, Of water.
. Help Arrives.
! Some Of the trainnlrn hurried IN
Nantcno and rhcn wired to kankakcc
! and Chicago for assistance. \ dozen
! physicians from kankakco arrived AT
the scene of the wreck as rapidly a
as they could be conveyed in Il hurried
, ly made up train. As soon as the in
i iu,cd were rescued from the wreck
: they were taken to Mantcno t. be
cared for prior to their removal to
Chicago. The arrivals We're timely
and their efforts much appreciated by
! the tcrror-stricken passengers, many
) OF whom. otherwise unin lurcd. were
suffering from the suddenncss OF the
shock and We're ~oin" about wringiny
/; their hands, and crying.
| The cries of those who were caught
, by the broken iimbcrs and twisted
ironwork of the shattered sleeping
cars were pitiahlc and the work of get
| ting them out attended with the ut
| most difficulty. so thoroughly had the
! engine done its work Of destruction
7! AS the labors If the relief party pro-
cceded. dead and dying were found
! mingled with the sometimes uncnn-
scicus bodies of those whose lives wcrs
providentially preserved. The worst
Of it all was in the rear car, where
the ponderous locomotive had struck
. with unchecked force. But 50
tremendous was the impact that each
of the three rea" coaches contributed
its ouo.a 10 til. list Of casualties. Sev-
eral were hurt by being hu"lcd from
urlc' hcrths t. :hc floor below. who
escaped further damage, but all these
were able t. be about. ard some Of
them aided ;lftcrwaru in the work Of
; mercy.
The wreck va. the worst that has
occurred on the Illinois Central system
for twenty years. Several of the in
jurci are beyond recovery. and il is
probable that the list Of fatalities will
be 1wpIlcd 70 fourteen.