The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1894-08-17
Ten Are Dead.


The most disastrous wreck in the
history of Nebra ka occurred at 1890
o'clock Thursday night, when the east
bound Oklahoma an Texas express on
the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific
plunged thu o gh an overhead bridge
fifty feet high into a creek below, kill
ing ten OF the passengers, i OF the
train crew but brake | an, and wound
ing many others. The killed are:
Is &C Depew, engineer.
G. ID. Standard, conductor.
Fireman, name unknown.
Three com ercial travellers, names
unknown.
Two farmer names unknown.
Two women, names unknown; sup
po, ed to bs burr ed in the wreck.
Twelve others were badly injured,
some Q hap5 fatally.
The disaster occurred five miles
south OF Lincoln. To add horror TO
the awful a1air the entire train was
consumed by tire, which o.lowed the
plunge and any bod es were lost in
the wreck. The train WAS composed
OF an express, baggage, day car, chair
coach, and through eeper for Chica-
go. An obstruction was on the track
at the point where it crosses a ravine
high over the ira ks Of the Union Pa
citic Railroad. The train was running
at high ate Of speed, and era she'd
through the trestle t. the ground be-
low in an instant, carrying every wheel
from tie track.
Flames Complete the Awful Work.
The flames began to envelop the
wreck w.thin few moments after the
train went down, starting from the
lamps in the baggage car and igniting
the debts. 1t was some tire before
the confus;ol. intensite by tle
absence Of the trainmen VINO had been
fatally IN ngled at their posts of duty,
was sufficiently les -ened TO enable the
surviving passengers to work with any
thing like efficiency. The passengers
i'm risoned in the day coach and chair
car, which we under the heavy
SLEEPER and on top OF the battered en-
CINE. which was sending up clouds of
scalding team, added to the horrible
con! usion b. the cries OF alarm and
screams to be relea ed.
Tho passengers in the rear of the
train who were not in ured in the
wreck at once went TO work to save
their less fortunate C; mpanions. The
alarm was carried to the su rounding
community was present aiding in the
work of rescue. This was attended
with the greatest difficulty as a result
of the terrible manner in which the
cars were thrown together and twisted
into a tangled mass that was not only
difficult to penetrate, but was ap-
preached at the greatest risk OF the
rescuers' lives.
Many of tho lifted from the win
dows and gaping holes in the burning
cars chopped by the rescuers were
suffering from the effects of the flames
a. we'll as in uries from the tumb ing
OF the train into the ditch. In short
time medical assistance was on the
ground from Liacoln, and the work of
caring for those most seriously injured
was begun in systematic manner.
A hos ital was established in q
neigh boring field and by the light OF
the bur ming coaches the groaning
victims of the terrible affair were
brought and laid in ow s on the ground,
soma of them breathing their last
/ while in the hands of their rescuers.
Relief expe Tito were l media ely
organized for distan of several
miles along t! o tracks by the farmers
and people in the smaller towns. For
several hours there was no chance to
reduce the wo k to a system because
of the great citement, the Iassen-
ge S who escaped beirg killed outright
screaming over the agony of their
wounds and dragging themselves
around pleading for something to al
lay their sufferings, other seeking for
their companions and obstructing the
work of rescucrs by their crazy efforts
to enter the burning debris.