The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-06-06
/ ST. PAUL LIMITED WRECKED
THE TRAIN RUNS INTO A DEFECTIVE
SWITCH
And the Cars Are Piled Into a Heap,
Killing and Wounding at Least n
Dozen-The Train Almost Entirely
Consumed.

Dozen-The Train Almost Entirely
Consumed.
MARSHFIELD, Wis, May 30.-The St.
Paul limited. south-bound train on the
Wisconsin Central road. which passed
here at 1903 a. m, met with a horrible
accident. The train, which was in charge
of Conductor Gavin and made Up OF
seven coaches and two sleepers, left Abb
bottsford behind time, and. while run
ming at fifty miles an hour, struck a de-
fective split switch at Meanwhile. de-
serted station. wrecking the entire train
and piling engine and cars in a heap OF
broken timber. To add to the horror,
flame. which. mingled with the groans
and cries OF the injured, made a scene
that sickened the hearts Of the bravest.
The victims are:
JAMES HUBBARD, engineer, Of
Stevens Point.
st GEORGE &C., eERHARDr. fireman
JOHN BIGELow. head brakeman,
Stevens Point.
RUSSELL. civil engineer. Stevens
Point.
Aged man and woman, names IN
known, burned in the ruins.
Henry Chester. Marshfeld, legs and
spine badly injured.
O. w. Bozely. news agent. Stevens
Point, injured internally.
Arthur Turnice. Chicago, head cut and
otherwise injured; will recover.
Dr. WeitZel Glinden, hurt internally.
Fannie Burtle, Springdale, ILL., hand
badly cut
william Ryan. Sturgeon Bay, ribs
broken and head cut.
E. A Twitchell, attorney-at-law, Min
neapolis. head cut.
No. north-bound passenger passes
No 4 at this place, and as soon as word
was received of the accident No. went
to the scene with a number Of physicians
and nurses from here. The dead end
wounded were brought back, and the
depot was turned into hospital, where
everything was done TO make the un-
fortunates comfortable.
Scene of the Wreck.
Manvtlle, the scene of the accident, was
once a lively saw-mill town. but of late
years has gradually sunk to nothing, un-
til now all that remains Is a few scat
tered buildings. During the forest fires
last fall the depot burned, and about all
that is left to mark the place is heap
Of burned ruins and a number or side
tracks. The accident occurred at the
first switch, where a supposed broken
bar caused a switch TO open sufficiently
to derail the train.
The train run on the ties fer several
rods and toppeled over, the engine and
tender going into the ditch and the bars
piling on top of each other. All were
soon set on fire from the stoves. From
out Of this tangled mass men and women
who were lucky enough not to be pinned
down crawled, many making wonderful
escapes. The bodies of Russell and Jud
Bigelow, who were caught in the tim
Der. were not recovered until about
o'clock this morning and were burned to
a crisp. AS near as can be ascertained
about fifty passengers were on the train.
Under the direction of Division Super
intendent Horn, who happened to be on
the north-bound passenger train,
special train was fitted up and left here
for Stevens Point at Z O'Clock, bearing
the bodies of Engineer Hubbard, Fire
man Gebhardt and Russell and a pas
senger. When the body Of Bigelow, the
head brakeman, was recovered. 1t had
a watch in one hand and a lantern on
an arm. The injured, who are distributed
among the different hotels, it is thought
will recover. except, perhaps, Mr. Chester
of this city.
Receiver Howard and Sidney Hirsch,
q business man from lronwOod, who
were on the train when the accident oc-
CURED, arrived in the city at 1885 on the
regular train from Stevens Point. From
them it was learned that FIVE. as far as
known. were all that were killed out
right and fifteen or sixteen injured,
some Of them very seriously. Mr. Hirsch
says that the only passenger known to
have been killed was a woman, name
unknown, who boarded the train at Mel
len station and who was riding in the
second day coach.
Train Went Into a Heap.
"Our train was running at the rate Of
about fifty or sixty miles an hour when
the crash came" said Mr.. Hirsch, and
the train seemed to go into a heap with
in a few seconds. I was asleep in the
next to the rear sleeper at the time and
was thrown from my berth, as were all
the other passengers. AS soon as we
could scramble out we found a terrible
state Of affairs. the baggage, express,
smoker, day coach, a business car and a
sleeper were piied on top of each other
and within a very few minutes the pile
was on fire. catching. IT was stated, from
the locomotive which lay in heap be-
meath all the cars. The fire
burned rapidly and 1t kept ell
the persons who escaped without
injury, very busy rescuing those who
were injured and pinioned beneath the
wreck. Some fifteen or sixteen passen-
gers were taken out more or less In
jured and sent to Marshfield for proper
care The bodies Of the trainmen and
unknown woman were recovered as soon
as possible and were sent away. 1 scarce
" know how we got out after the crash,
and l know that the escape was a mar
row one for all those who came out alive
and unframed. The train was reason
ably we'll filled, that is, the sleepers were
pretty we'll occupied"
Receiver Morris occupied the compa-
ny's car. which did not get into the heap,
and so escaped destruction by burning
The rear sleeper and the business car
alone came out practically unframed.
General Manager Whitcomb said of
the accident and the probable cause:
1.-The split switch Of the passenger track
had evidently been tempered with, al
lowing the wheels of the locomotive to
catch the point. The engine and all the
cars of the train, except the rear sleeper
and business car. left the track and all
were burned except the two mentioned.
The injured are receiving every atten-
ton possible and the wreck will he
promptly cleared so that trains can move
tomorrow.
w. B. Russell, who was killed was an
employe of the chief engineer and had
been up the road on business for the
company. He was a young man en-
ployed as road man and came here from
England.
Two Killed in Massachusetts.