Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-08-11
FRIGHTFUL WRECK
Twelve Men Killed on the Rock
island Road.
THE TRAIN PLUHeEs INTO A CREEK

THE TRAIN PLUNGEs INTO A CREEK
| And Fire Wiads OPP the Horror, the Living
Being Rescued from Crematioa With
Dimculty = Disaster Undoubtedly the
Work Of Dsstards Who HAD Removed
the Rails-List of Those Known To he
Victims. hut q Number Missing.
OMAHA. Neb.. Aug. 1.-THE most disas.
trous wreck in the states history occurred
when the east-bound Oklahoma and
Texas express on the Chicago, Rock ISL
and and Pacific plunged through an over
head bridge fifty feet high into a creek be-
low. killing ten Of the passengers, all of the
train crew but brakeman. and wound
ing many others The disaster occurred
1--WE miles south Of Lincoln. To. add to
the horror OF the awful accident the entire
train was consumed by fire, which fol-
lowed the plunge, and many bodies were
lost in the wreck. The train was com.
posed OF an express. baggage, day car,
chair coach, and through sleeper for Chi
cago. An obstruction was on the track
at the point where it crosses a raviue high
over the tracks Of the Union Pacific rail-
road. The train was running at a high
rate OF speed, and crashed through the
trestle to the ground below in an instant,
carrying every wheel from the track
Flames Complete the Awful Work.
The flames began to envelop the wreck
within Il few moments after the train went
down, starting from the lamp in the bag.
gage car and ign iting the debris. 1t was
some time before the confusion, intensified
by the absence Of the trainmen, who had
been fatally mangled at their posts of
duty, was sufficiently iessened to enable
the surviving passengers to work with
anything like efficiency. The passengers
imprisoned in the day coach aud chair
car, which were under the heavy sleeper
and On top of the battered engine, which
was sending up clouds of scalding steam,
added to the horrible confusion by the
cries OF alarm and screams to be released.
Those passengers in the rear of the train
who were not injured in the wreck at
once went to work to save their less for
tunate companions. The alarm was car.
ried to the surrounding farmhouses and
shortly the entire community was present
aiding in the work Of rescue.
Twisted into Tangled Mass.
This was attended with the greatest diff
nculty as a result Of the terrible manner
III which the cars were thrown together
and twisted into tangled mass that WAS
not only difficult to penetrate, but WAS
approached at the greatest risk of the res
cuers' lives. Many of those lifted from
the windows and gaping holes in the
burning cars chopped 10y the rescuers were
suffering from the effects of the flames as
Well rs injuries from the tumbling of the
train into the ditch. In short time medi-
cal assistance was on the ground from
Lincoln, and the work of caring for those
most seriously injured was begun in a
systematic manner. \ hospital was es-
tablished in a neighboring field and by
the light of the burning coaches the
groaning victims of the terrible affair
were brought and laid in rows on the
ground, some of them breathing their last
whiie III The hands of their rescuers.
Death List Will Reach Twelve.
When morning arrived nothing re
manned but pile OF cinders and twisted
iron Mingled with the debris art the
the remains of at least eight men and il is
believed that the total number of deaths
WILL reach twelve. Among those known
TO have been killed are the following: C..
ID. STANDARD, Council Bluffs, conductor.
burned to death; William Craig. Fair.
bury. Neb, fireman. buried under engine:
Isaac Depew, Council Bluffs, instantly
Killed; -, councilman, Narka, Kan.
crushed to death; W. o. Hambel, Fair
buy, Neb., attorney, burned to
death: 0. S Bell, Lincoln, Neb, travelling
man. crushed to death.
The injured are: F. F. Scott, Holton.
Kan, express messenger, fatally injured
internally; Colonel C. J. Bills, Fairbury.
nil
DOwell, Fairbury, legs cut and head bad.
ly bruised; Harry Foote. Council Bluffs.
brakeman. leg broken: J. E. Puetz, tray-
cling man, Lincoln. internal injuries; two
ladies living IN the Billingsley block,
slightly injured; passenger named SOM
rel, hurt about the head; a number of
people are missing and it is feared that C.
Cnrub, mother and son, of Jansen, Kan.
are among the dead; NJ. Beaver, clothier.
and A. Is EDDIE, insurance agent, both of
Pawnee City, cannot be found and are
supposed to have persisted.
Work of Train wreckers.
There is no question but that the disss-
ter was the work of train wreckers. ].
w. Giover, section man, said he saw
three well dressed men jump a freight
and go west. He said that the men each
carried long, brand new satchei. This
gives rise to n suspicion that il may have
been some of the Round Pond, Q enc
mics of the Rock Island. The ~ iences
were plainly there and uamistakablc of
train wreckers. Marks made by wrench
on loosened rail were plainly visible
and the marks Of crowbar on the cross
ties were there. The wood of the ties was
deeply denied where the crowbar had been
inserted and the rails lifted clear off the
ties, and the spikes which had been pullet.
out were lying around loose on the bridge.
P1ow Works Closed Down.