The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1893-09-22
BIC Foua HORROR.
Disastrous Wreck Near Kankakee. ILL.,
Eight Pereons Killed Outright and Many
Others Injured.


Disastrous Wreck Near Kankakee. ILL.,
Others Injured.
MANrENo, Ill, Sept. 20.-The second
section of the Big Four express No. 4,
southbound, crashed into the rear OF
the first section at $40 o'clock last
night. Eight persons are known to
have been killed and twenty severely
injured, and it is probable that some
bodies are buried under the wreck.
The engine of the second section ran
clear through one sleeper and tive
coaches
The first section carried one Ohio s.
Mississippi sleeper for louisville, one
Ohio & Mississippi chair car for Gfeerss
burg, Ind, five day coaches and bag
gage and express cars. 1t had run to
point three miles south of Manteno
when local train, which was preced-
ing it, slowed up and fiagman was
sent back to intercept it. The engineer
of the first section obeyed the signal
and drew his train to staudstil- The
aagman of the first section in turn
started to the rear, but the second sec
ton was following so closely that he
had gone but a few yards when around
sharp curve the headlight of the Sec
ond section appeared. The first Sec
ton was now at standstiil and the
second section had not lessened its
speed of thirty-five miles an hour. The
curve was partly responsible for this
The hagman jumped down the steep
embaukment just in time to save him
self from death. The engineer, as his
locomotive rounded the curve, reversed
his engine. Seeing the hopelessness Of
any attempt to check the speed of his
train in so short distance, he jumped
down the embankment and his fireman
followed him.
The crash came then and the loco
motive drove ahead with mighty fores
into the heavy sleeping car, smashing
the frame work of its rear end to kind
ling wood. The sleeping car was in
turn driven into the day coach next
forward, which gave Way more COM
p1etely, its timbers being lighter. This
coach and the coach just forward OF it
were almost completely demolished.
All of the three cars were crowded
with people, more than half of those
in the sleeper having retired for the
from their berths and from their seats
Some were crushed under beams and
between the broken, grinding timbers
of the wrecked cars.
As soon as possible after the collision
the uninjured passengers and the train
crews went to the work of rescue.
People from farm houses in the vicinity
heard the crash and twenty men were
on the scene inside of half an hour.
They at once began helping the unin-
jured passengers and the train crews
in the work of the rescue. Having got
the living out of the death trap the
rescuers went back and brought out
four ghastly bodies, two of whom were
women.
From the two crushed coaches tho
rescuers carried or helped out sixty
people, two of whom were dead. One
poor fellow had been crushed under a
seat that had been torn loose and flung
on his head. He had been trampled
| under foot. The other body was found
sitting in seat apparently uninjured.
AS the wounded were taken from the
! wreck they were taken TO Manoto or
made comfortable on the ground and
looked after by the corps of physicians
from Kankakee, who had arrived by
special train. Soon after special was
made up of the train from Kankakee
and the injured were placed thereon.
The removal was attended by screams
| and groans from the more seriously
hurt
The passengers in the rear train es-
capped with nothing more than severe
shaking up. Many of them hurried
| forward to assist in the work of rescue.
| The fault seems to lay with the en-
! gineer of the second section of the
| Washington express train, as the first
| section train hands claim to have
| tagged it.