The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-05-31
Passenger Train Leaves the Track at
Meanwhile While Running About
Fifty Miles an Hour.
CARS AT ONCE TAKE FIRE
And Six Persons Perish i'm the
Flames or Die from Injuries.
Large Number of Others Seriously Hurt
Three Killed in a Freight Wreck
Fall of a Grand Stand.

MARSHFIELD. Wis. May 30.-The worst
wreck that has ever occurred on the Wis
consin Central, by which at least six peo-
pie lost their lives and several We're
wounded, some seriously, occurred early
this morning. No. 4 passenger train. with
engineer James Hubbard at the throttle.
pulled away from Abbott's Ford twenty
minutes behind time. Just as the engine
reached the upper switch at Meanwhile. and
while going down grade at a terrific rate
OF speed IL jumped from the main track
on to the side track, leaving the latter
after going about twenty feet and rolling
down a slight embankment, with the ten
der on top, turned bottom up. Two sleep
ers, one coach, besides the smoker and
baggage, five in all, began burning imme-
diately, and all but one were consumed.
Engineer Hubbard was found lying at the
edge Of his cab so terribly scalded from es-
Gaping steam that he died in about ten min
utes. Fireman Bearhart was dead in the
cab when found, he having been scalded to
death. Jason Bigelow. the head brakeman.
was not found for about eight hours. his
remains lying under the debris close to
the engine. The flesh was burned off his
face, presenting a horrible appearance. The
flesh from both arms was literally burned
off, exposing the bones, and both legs were
burned off. w. b. Russell, assistant TO
Chief Engineer l.. NJ. Gibson, was burned
beyond recognition. His remain were sent
to Milwaukee for burial. Mrs. John Wag-
ner. an elderly lady, en- route from Butte,
Mont. to Monitowoc, was dreadfully disig-
ured. her face and body being terribly cut
and bruised. She died almost instantly.
Oliver Bosley, the news agent, suffered ex-
c~ruciating pain, and died at 10 o'clock this
morning. He was crushed under a coach.
Henry Klieber received internal and ex-
ternal wounds. probably fatal. The other
injured are: Charles Weinburn, a travel
ing man of Chippewa Falls. badly bruised,
Fred Jack OF Bessemer. Mich, badly
bruised; Arthur Tunaca, of Chicago. cut in
the head and legs sprained; William Ryan,
of Sturgeon Bay, Wis. several ribs broken
and his head badly cut.
The cause Of the accident is hard to de-
termine. Some think it was from a weak
ness in the track. while others, railroad
men among them, are inclined to bellows
that the switch had been tempered with.
MEANWHILE. the scene OF the accident, was
nee a lively sawmill town, but of late
years has gradually sunk to nothing, until
now all that remains is a few scattered
buildings. During the forest fires last fall
the depot burned. and about all that is
left to mark the place is a heap Of burned
ruins and a number of side tracks.
A Passengers Story.
MILWAUKEE,, Wis, May 3O.-Receiver
Howard Morris and Sidney Hirsch, a bust
ness mar from Ironwood, who were on
the train when the accident occurred, ar
rived in the city at 1926 on the regular
train from Stevens Point. From them it is
learned that five, as far as known, were
all that were killed outright and fifteen or
sixteen injured, some Of them very serious
ly. Mr.. Hirsch says that the only passenger
known to have been killed was a woman,
name unknown, who boarded the train at
Mellen Station, and who was riding in the
second day coach. Our train was running
at the rate Of about fifty or sixty miles an
hour when the crash came said Mr..
Hirsch. land the train seemed to go into
a heap within a few seconds. / was asleep
in the next to the rear. sleeper at the time,
and was thrown from my berth, as We're
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
and within q very few minutes the pile
was afre. catching, IL was stated, from the
al Gfi0 the cars. w TSe h iay burned IN e hf raPid Psne s56
1t kept all the persons who escaped with
.ut injury very busy rescuing those who
I1< aA1 ACC TIC
wreck. some fifteen or sixteen passengers
were taken out more or less injured and
sent TO Marshfeld for proper care. The
bodies of the trainmen and unknown wom-
an were recovered as soon as possible and
were sent away. / scarcely know how we
got out after the crash, and / know that
the escape was a narrow one for all those
who came out alive and unharmed. The
train was reasonably well flled-that is,
the sleepers were pretty well occupied"
Receiver Norris occupied the company's
business car. which did not get into the
heap, and so escaped destruction by burn
ing. The rear sleeper and the business
car alone came out practically unframed.
General Manager Whitcomb said of the ac-
cfdent and the probable cause: The split
switch OF the passenger track had evident
ly been tamepred with, allowing the wheels
OF the locomotive to catch the point. The
engine and all the cars of the train, ex-
cept the rear sleeper and business car left
the track and all were burned, except the
two mentioned. The injured are receiving
every attention possible to give and the
wreck will be romptl 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 COM
pany. He was a young man employed as
rodman. and had come here from Eng
land.
Three Killed In n Freight Wreck.
SHARON, Mass, May SO.-Three men
were killed and one seriously injured in a
freight wreck here to-day. An express
freight smashed into some freight cars
left on the north-bound track by the local
freight train. The dead are: Edward T..
Goodwin, fireman, of Roxbury; BENJAMIN
Mcleod, of Boston. and an unknown tramp.
The one seriously injured is a tramp who
was stealing a ride in company with the
one killed. His name is not known.
"
struck "a Broken Rail-.
MACON, Ca, May N.-The rear coach of