The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1893-01-28
TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
Wreck OF a Big Four Fast Train
at Alton Junction, u.
The Accident Supplemented BY Terri
BILE Holocaust Caused by Expiod-
Ing OIL Tanks-seventecn
Dead and More Dying.

anu ucdIlN u uutlulCu
riously hurt, is the appalling result Of
series of accidents at AltSn Junction
Yesterday. An open switch on the Big
Four main tack was the prime cause
of the disasters The Southwestern
limited ran through the switch into a
freight train standing, on the siding.
and Engineer WeSb Ross OF the limited
was instantly killed. The wreck took
fire, and while,a great crowd was
watching the spectacle an oil-tank car
exploded with terrific force, envelorins
the spectators id a sheet 81 burning oil.
Eight Of them we're instantly killed
aad scores were fr9htfully burned.
Alton junction, or Wann, is located
two miles cast of this city and is a wa
tering, transfer and feeding station for
the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago &
St Louis and the Chicago, Burlington
& Quincy railroads. The latter road
joins the Big Four at this point, I'M
ming into st Louis over the same track.
The fast through train known As the
Southwestern limited was coming out
from St. Louis at 9 o'clock yesterday
morning, thirteen minutes late and
making up lost time at a forty-seven
miles per hour speed, when it ran off an
open switch and scollided with a long
freight train consisting mostly o floaded
tank cars. Engineer Webb Ross.o of Mat
toon, saw the danger, but too late, but
he threw on the air brakes and staid
with his machine. being buried in the
wreck and burned to a crisp. Fireman
White jumped and escaped iininjured.
The passengers were fearfully shaken
up but none were seriously hurt
An eyewitness says that the shock
of the collision was such rs to split two
loaded tanks wide open, and the oil i'm.
mediately caught fire. the flames shoot
ing fifty feet into the air. The locomo
tive and baggage cars were totally
wrecked, but the remainder of the pas
seugcr train was removed beyond thu
reach of the faues.
In an Incredibly short time the freight
train was q mass of flames. Fear of ar
explosion prevented any attempt to save
it. The wrecking train came up from
East St Louis at IL o'clock, but coult
do little, and half a dozen switch en-
gines were run out from here to cleal
the yards. Traffic on the two road.
was entirely suspended, and A specia'
train was made up on the Chicago 4
Alton to carry belated passenger,
through to St Louis
Hearing of the wreck, hundreds q!
people from this city and vicinity were
attracted by curiosity to the scene
And then occurred one Of the mos
awful disasters on record
A few minutes past IL o'clock there
was a light explosion of n tank
which scattered the debris on all sides
setting fire to the stock-yards inclos
ures- This produced the impression thai
the danger Of explosions was passed
and the throng of bvstandefs rushed
in 20 save the st~ock-yaris from de-
structiun. A minnie later there was n
dcafcnIng report that shook the earth
for half a minute and spread a sheet OF
seething, burning oil in all directions.
For those within the circle of 100 yards
there was no escape. Their clothing
was burned and literally fell from their
bodies. In a moment those who were
not disabled began running hither and
thithcr moving their hands and scream
ing for help. Some went for tile hear.
est water and others ran into the fields
and are missing.
Panic reigned for u short time, until
the uninjured recovered their presence
of mind to care for the afflicted. Two
barrels of linseed oil were taken from o
grocery store and applied to the wounds
by several physicians who happened to
be on the ground. Every house in the
little village was turned into a tempo
rary hospital and every doctor in Alton
and its vicinity was summoned. As
soon as possible a train was made uI
and twenty of the sufferers were
brought here to st. Joseph's hospital.
The total loss. so far as can be ascer
tanned, includes the engine, No log, o.
the limited; cafe and baggage car, No
500: seven tank ears full OF oil and hal
a dozen fat cars all of these being
completely destroyed. No accurate es
innate of the loss can be made at pres
emit but 1t will reach at least 500, 900
Webb Ross. the brave engineer who
lost his life, leaves a wife and six chill
dren at Mattoon. No attempt to fix tn,
blame for the fatal wreck has yet beer
made. and nothing further will bt
known until after the investigation o
the coroner's jury to-day.
A revised list at dark shows sixteer
dead and fourteen more who can no
possibly recover
THE DEAD.
Webb Ross. Mattoon, ILL.,. engineer. 80 year
old.
Hiram Cornelius, weIlmnn. Ia, college stu
dent. g years
Charles UT, Alton. Is years.
Henry p .nning. Alton junction, II years.