Daily Texarkana Democrat., 1893-06-05
FRIGHTFUL WRECK.
Passenger Train Demolished and
Many Persons Injured.

One of the most disastrous railway
accidents reported from this State
during the present year, was that
which occurred at 1870 o'clock yes
terday ON the st. Louis Iron Noun
tain and Southern railway at Leeper
a small station just beyond Poplar
Bluff, Mo. AT the hour mentioned
the South bound cannon ball train
composed of an engine, mail and
express cars, two chair cars and foul
Pullman sleepers came dashing into
the station, at which no stop was
usually made, at rate of about 40
miles an hour, when striking the
switch at the north end of the station
the third car OF the train, splitting the
switch, left the main track, and to-
gether with both of the chair cars. was
dragged along the track, demolishing
the cars and tearing up the roadbed
in a frightful manner. The four
sleepers, owing to their great weight,
succeeded in keeping on the
rails and after leaving the main line
passed along the switch to its ter
minus, where they were banked up
against the sheds of the saw mill, to
which the side track belonged. The
details of the wreck and It's attendant
appalling incidents, as related to us
by our popular fellow townsman, Mr..
Joe Burlingame, who was passenger
on the wrecked train, occupying a
berth on the foremost sleeper when
the accident occurred, are harrow
ing in every sense of the
word. Mr.. Burlingame was awakened
by the shock and hastily clothing
himself proceeded to survey the scene
of the wreck, finding no one seriously
injured in his car, which was the least
damaged of any composing the train,
he made his way to the wrecked chair
cars on the main line. There fear
full sight met his gaze, by the ftful
glare of the trainmen's lamps could be
seen the mass of ruins, which a few
moments before had been two of the
handsomest passenger coaches on the
road. In the first of these coaches
was party of school girls returning
home from a Missouri College. In
the next were large number of pass
engers bound for various Southern
points. These coaches were COM
pletely wrecked, the ends stove in or
torn off and the roofs displaced, from
their interior concert of agonizing
sounds could be heard, in which the
shrill screams of suffering women
blended with the groans and cries of
men in pain. Seizing an axe from a
forward car, Mr.. Burlingame proceed
ed, with the aid of other uniniured
passengers, to effect an entrance
to the car which held the imprisoned
school girls. The first object he en-
countered was the form of a young
lady, with her head and shoulders i'm
prisoned beneath shattered window,
while her lower limbs were held, as
though in vice, between the closely
jammed seats. When found the un-
fortunate girl had been rendered al
most unconscious by her painful posi-
ton and numerous wounds on her
person, caused by the broken glass
Across her chest blood streamed from
series of jagged wounds, where the
broken glass had penetrated her
bosom. She was tenderly carried
from the car, after repeated efforts
had succeeded in extricating her from
so terrible aposition. Numerous 9TH
er occupants more or less bruised and
shaken, were also removed from the
same car, From the adjoining car a
young woman was taken who had sus-
tanned three broken ribs and other in
juries which may prove fatal. A man
in the same car had his leg fractured
in two places and received internal in
juries. An aged couple also occu-
pants were seriously injured. Mesa
ges were Immediately sent out sum
moning aid and medical assistance for
the wounded, who, as soon as posi-
BILE, were conveyed to place where
every comfort could be provided for
them and their injuries properly
cared for TO this hour no deaths
have been reported. The engine pull
ing the mail and express cars of the
wrecked train arrived in this city last
night
Steamship marveis.