Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-01-26
DIRE DISASTER.
Double Accident on the Big Four at
Alton Junction.
Numbers of Persons Witnessing a Railway
Wreck Caught In a Terrible tx
plosion and Horribly
Burned.

plosion and Horribly
Burned.
ALTON, ILL.,, Jan. 24.-Nine persons
killed outright, twelve fatally injured
and nearly hundred more or less seri-
iously hurt was the appalling result of
series of accidents at Alton junction
Saturday. An open switch on the Big
-Four main track was the prime cause
of the disasters. The Southwestern
limited ran through the switch into a
| freight train standing on the siding
and Engineer Webb Ross. of the limit
ed. 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
the spectators in a sheet of burning oil.
Eight of them were instantly killed and
scores were frightfully burned, a dozen
of whom at least will die.
The Southwestern limited leaves St.
Louis at sos and is due at Wann
at S:48. Wann is flag station of the
Chicago & Alton and Big Four railways
and is about four miles this side of AL
ton. There are no side tracks there,
but about half a mile beyond, at small
village known as Alton Junction. are
|
switches, r Grattan by name is also a
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 railway
officials and trainmen for the accident
and its frightful after consequences,
and officers are now searching for him,
as he fed during the excitement follow
| ing the dual accident
The limited train, consisting of an
engine and tender, combination and
buffet car and three coaches left St
Louis at o'clock Saturday morning
| thirty minutes late, and making up 10.
| time at fOrty-seven mile per hour
speed, when it ran into the switch and
collided with long freight train, con-
sisting mostly of loaded tank cars
Engineer Webb Ross, of Mattoon. saw
the danger too late, but he threw o
the air brakes and stayed with his ma
| chine, being buried in the wreck and
burned to a crisp. Fireman White
jumped and escaped uninjured The
passengers were fearfuIly shaken up
but none were seriously hurt. An eve
| witness says that the shock of the col
lision was such to split two loaded
taaks wide open and the oil Immediate
| Iy caught fire, the flames shooting fifty
feet into the air. The locomotives and
baggage car were totally wrecked but
the remainder of the passenger train
was moved beyond the reach of the
| flames.
In an Incredibly short time the train
was a mass of flames. Fear of an ex-
plosion prevented any attempt to save
| it. The wrecl1ing train came up from
| ocf
dozen switch engines were run out from
| here to clear the yards Traffic on the
| two roads was entirely suspended and
a special train was made up on the
Alton to carry belated passengers
through to st. Louis.
Hearing of the wreck hundreds of
people of this city and vicinity were at
tracted by curiosity to the scene. And
| then occurred one of the most awful
| disasters on record A few minutes
| past p o'clock there was a light explo-
| sion of one tank which scattered the
| debris on all sides, setting fire to the
| stock yards Enclosures. This produced
the impression that the danger of ex-
| plOsiOns was at hand and the throng of
strangers rushed for safety to the stock
| yards A minute later there was a
| deafening report that shook the earth
| for half a minute and spread one sheet
of seething, burning oil in all direc-
tions. For those within a circle of 100
yards there was no escape. Their cloth.
ing was burned and literally fell from
| their bodies.
In moment those who were not dis
| abled began running hither and thither.
waving their hands and screaming for
help. Some went to the nearest water
| Al
missing vet Panic reigned for a short
time, until the uninj ured recovered
| their presence of mind TO care for the
| afflicted. Two barrels of linseed oil
were taken from grocery store and
applied to the wounds by several phvsi
clans who happened to be on the ground.
| Every house in the little village was
turned into hospital. and every doctor
| in Alton and its vicinity was summoned.
| AS soon as possible a train was made
| up, aud many of the sufferers were
| brought here to St Joseph hospital
The total list of dead is as follow
Webb Ross, Mattoon, Ill.
Hiram Cornelius, Iowa.
Edward Miller. Alton junction.
Two unidentified men.
William ShattuclS, Upper Alton. III.
Henry Pennlng, Waun, Ill
William McCarty, Alton, Ill.
John Locke, Alton.
Edward Maupin, Alton.
Daniel Harers, Alton Junction.
William Mantz. Fosterblrg, III.
Charles Utt, Alton.
w. III. Miller, Alton.
Charles Harris, Alton.
John Wilkinson, Alton.
Of these all but the first six died of
the hospital at Alton, except Utt. w.
III. Miller and MantZ, whose dead bodies
were found near the scene of the wreck
yesterday morning.