The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1894-06-07
DEATH IN THE DARK.
HORRIBLE WRECK OF A WiSCON-
SIN CENTRAL TRAIN.
Six Persons Are Mangled and Burned to
Death and II Much Larger Number Seri.
ou>y Injured-Fire Adds Its TerrOrs to
the Struggling Survivors.
Switch Was Tampered With.

The St. Paul limited southbound
train on the Wisconsin Central Rail-
II ad. which passed Marshteld at l:O3
a. III. met with 4 horrible accident
which has yer leen equaled in
Northern Wisconsin, and adds an other
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.
EIGELOw. JUDSON. brakeman. Stevens,
Point. Wis
EOsLEE OLIVER. newsboy, Stevens Point.
WI
GEBHARDT. GEORGE, fireman. Stevens
Point Wis
HUBBARD. JAMES. engineer. Stevens
Point. Wis
RUSSELL. WILLIAM B.. ..ailroad surveyor,
Milwaukee.
WAGNER MRS JOHN Butte. Mont.
The train, which was in charge OF
Conduct II Gavin and was made up Of
seven coaches and sleepers, left Alb
b0tt's Ford behind tina and while
! running at fifty miles a. hour struck Il
| defective split switch at Meanwhile, u
| deserted sat on. derailing the entire
train and pilinS engine and cars in Il
| heap of broken timbers. To add to
| the horror, the entire mass was loon
| in a sheet of flames. which, mingled
, with the groans and cries of the in
| iured. made a scene that terrified the
| hearts of the bravest.
Number OF knlei Not known.
According to the dispatches abe ut
| fifty pa sange were IN II train. Tn
Ger di~ectiCn of Division super nten-
dent Horn, who Eapi ene1 to he on the
| north-bOund passenger. spec al train
| was fit I'd up and lett TO. Stevens Point
at ! o'clock bearing the remains OF
Engineer Hubha, d. Fireman Gehhardt
| ard Russell and a pas enger. When
tho body of Bigelow, the hei I'd brak. =
man, was recovered it had u watch in
one hand and lantern on an arm.
Meanwhile. tre scene of the accident.
was once a lively sawmill 'own, but Of
late years has gradually sink to Meth
] ing, unit n W all that rev aims is a lew
| scattered buildings. During the forest
fires last fall the depot urned, and
about all that is left t, mark the place
| is a heap bu. ned ruiz and u numb r.
{ f de tracks. The accident occurred
at the first swift h. where a supposed
| broken bar caused switch to open
sufficiently t. derail the train.
/ After leaving the ,ack the train
plowed along ever the ties for Il dis
tance of ten rods and then toppled and
! rolled over, the engine and tender GO
| ing into the ditch and the cars 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 not to DO pinEei down
| crawled, many making wonderful es-
capes.
Receiver Howard Morris and Sidney
| Hirsch. 4 business man from IrOnwOod,
occupied the company's business car,
which did not get into the heap and
escaped destruction by burning. The
rear sleeper and he business car alone
came out practically unharmed.
| Cause Of the Terrible Disaster.
General Manager Whitcomb said of
the accident and the possi| le eau e:
"The split switch of the passenger
track has evidently Eeen tampered
with, allowing the whee.s of the loco
mot We t. catch tho point" De-
scribing the catastrophe Mr.. Hirsch
said: Our traih was running at
the rat, of about fifty or sixty
miles All hour when the crash came,
and the train seemed to go into
heap within a few seconds. | was
asleep in the next to the rear sleeper
at the time and was thrown from my
berth, as were all the Other pas
sengers. AS soon as We could scramble
out we found terrible state Of affairs.
The baggage, express. smoker, day
coach, u business car, and q sleeper
/ were piled m top of each other, and
within very few minutes the pile was
ON fire"