The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1893-01-26

NUMBERS sss.g. ssvs.
Uae azatasisel Spectators, ssf q ssmr1s.nEi
Railroad Wreck Csvared wsth
ssurnlng OIL
ALroS, Ill, Jan. 81 1.-THE southwestern
limited express, west hound, ol, Che Cleve.t
land, Columbus, cinrinaati and ST. lnais
railroad, due here al ], clock this lsprn. /
ing, agasisiuto an open switcl. at Wanw.
four miles castsof here. Tho passenger
engine smashed nulahcr Of freight cAr-
and oil tanks and set The wreck on fire.
Engineer Ross, OF the passenger engine. /
was caught IN the wreck aud burned TO
death, but nobody else seriously huss.
Both trains were burned up, The iossE
being 100000
While crowd stood watching the /
wrcck an oil tank car ex .,lodcd will, ter
riic force, envclopiny the spectators in
sheet OF burning oil. Eight Of them we're
Instantly killed and scores Of them were
frightfully burned, IL dozen of whom nj
: least will die. Six bodies burned to A.
crisp were not identified. but two we're
Identified us Hiram Cornelius. u student
OF Shuri!isie college, fruas Iowa, and Ed
ward Miller. OF Aiion Junction. .Twemty-
i've people were 80 badly burned. that the
majority will probably die, and Che total
list embrace over 100. A large prepor-
sion of the killed aud injured are Young
men. students in educational Institutions.
An eye witness says the shock OF the
collision WAC sacl. az tu split two loaded
tanks wide open aud the oil Immediately
cuaght fire, the flames shooting fifty feet
into the air. The locamotiyean baggnge
cars were totally wrecked. but the re-
malnder OF the passenger train was re-
inovcd beyond The reach of the fire. In an
incredibly short time the freight train
was mass OF flames, the fear of an cx-
piosion presenting any attempt to safe il.
A wrecking srain came up from East ST.
Louis ut IL O'clock. but could do little,
and half 1t dozen switch engines
, were run out from here to clear the
yards. Traffic on the two roads
was entirely suspended and n
special train WAS made up on the
Chicago ahd Alton to carry The
hela'cd passengers through to ST.
Louis. Hearing Of the two wrecks hundreds
of people from this city and vicinity were
attracted by curiosity 10 the scene. And
then occurred one of the most awful dis
asters OH record. ~ few minutes past ~
o'clock there was u slight explosion OF one
tank, which scattered debris on all Sides
setting fire TO the stock Yards enclosures
This produced the impression that the
danger of AZ explosion was passed and the
.hrong Of bystanders rushed in to save
The stock Yards from destruction.
A minute later there was deafuning
report that shook the earth for half q
minute and spread one sheet OF seething,
burning oil in all directions. For those
within circle of 100 Yards there was no
escape, aud their clothing was burned and
literally fell from their bodies in IL mo-
ment, and those who were not disabled
began running llither aud thither waving
their hands and screaming for help. Some
went TO The nearest water aud others ran
into the fields and are missing yet. Panic
yeigmcd fer IL short time until the unin-
jurcd recovered their presence of mind to
care for the afflicted. Two barrels of lin
seed oil were taken from grocery store
and applied to the wounds by several
physicians who happened to he OF the
grounds, and every house in the little
village and its vicinity was summoned.
AS soon as possible trait was made up
and twenty or the sufferers were drought
here 10 ST. Jescpll's. Webb Ross. the
brave engineer who lost his life, leaves
wife and six children as Mattoon.
No attempt 10 liz the 'lame for the
fatal wreck has yet hecn made, and moth
ing further will he known until after the
Investigation of the coroner's jury tomor-
row.