The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1894-06-08
DEATH IN THE DARK.
HORRIBLE WRECK OF A WISDOM
SIN CENTRAL TRAIN.
Sic Persons Are Mangled and Burned to
Death and Much Larger Number seri-
ousiy Injured-Flre Adds Its Terrors to
the Struggling Survivors.
switch Was Tampered With.

bWitcn was lhmpereu
The st. Paul limited southbound
train on the Wisconsin Central Rail-
road, which passed Marshfeld at 1:03
q. m. met with horrible accident
which has nover teen elualed in
Northern Wisconsin, and adds another
long list OF victims through disasters
OF this kind. Six persons are dead, and
from fifteen to twenty are injured,
some OF them fatally. Following is a
list of those killed outright.
BIGELow. JUDsoN. brakeman. Stevens
Point, Wis
BosLEE OLIVER. newsboy. Stevens Point.
Wiz
GEBHARDT. GEORGE. fireman. Stevens
Point Wis
HUBBARD. JAMES, engineer, Stevens
RUSSELL. WILLIAM B., railroad surveyor.
Milwaukee,
WAGNER. MRS JOHN Butte Mont
The train, which was in charge OF
Conductor Gavin and was made up OF
seven coaches and sleepers, left Alb
running at fifty miles an hour struck a
defective split switch at Meanwhile, a
deserted station, derailing the entire
heap of broken timbers. To add to
the horror, the entire mass was soon
in a sheet of flames, which, mingled
with the groans and cries of the in
jured, made scene that terrified the
hearts of the bravest.
Number OF Killed Not Known.
According to the dispatches about
fifty pa senge were n u train. I'm
Ger di recti( of Division Super .nten-
dent Horn, who hapr ene1 to be on the
north-bound passenger, spec al train
was fit I'd up and left TO- Stevens Point
at o'clock bearing the remains OF
Engineer Hubha d. Fireman Gebhardt
and Russell AMI a pas enger. When
the body of Bigelow, the he d brak =
man, was recovered it had wa cb in
one hand and lantern Oh an arm.
Meanwhile, I scene of the accid ent,
was once lively sawn i'll own, but of
late years has gradually s nix to meth
ing, unit W all that lie aims is a few
scat. cred buildings. During the forest
fires last fall the d pot turned, and
about all that is left t. mark the place
IS heap bu ned ruiz and numb ~
Of de tracks. The accident occurred
at the first swift h, where a supposed
IL
sufficie 1tly to derail the train.
After Lowing the t ack the train
plowed aloGg ever the ties for dis
lance OF ten rods and then toppled ard
roll d over, the engine and tender GO
ing into the ditch and the cars piling
on top of each other. All were sool
set on fire from the stoves. From out
of this tangled mass men and women
who were lucky not to be pinned down
crawled, many making wonderful es-
capes.
Receiver Howard Morris and Sidney
Hirsch, busine. man from Ironwocd,
occupied the company's business car,
which did not get into the heap and
escaped destruction b. burning. The
rear sleeper and he business car alone
came out practically unframed.
Cause OF the Terrible Disaster.
General Manager Whitcomb said of
the accident and the posi- lie eau Q:
"The split switch CT thu passenger
track has evidently Teen tanrer- d
with, allowing the whee.s Of the loco
mot We t. catch the point. De-
scribing the catastrophe Mr.. Hirsca
said: Our train was running at
the rat, of about fifty or sky
miles an hour when the crash came,
and the train seemed to 60 into
heap within few Sc oHds. l was
asleep in the next to the rear sleeper
at the time and was thrown from my
berth, as we're all the -other pas
sengers. AS soon as we could scramble
out we found q terrible state Of affairs.
The baggage, express, smoker, day
coach, a business car, and sleeper
were piled On top OF each other, and
within very few minutes the pile was