Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-08-16

The most disastrous wreck In the
history of Nebraj ka occurred at 1880
o'clock Thursday night, when the east
bound Oklahoma ami Texas express on
the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific
plunged through an overhead bridge
fifty feet high into creek below, kill
ing ten OF the passengers, al OF the
train crew but brake an, and wound
ing many others. The killed are:
Is &C Depew, engineer
G. d. Standard, conductor.
Fireman, name unknown.
Three com ercial travellers, names
unknown.
Two farmer names unknown.
Two women, names unknown; sup
pos ed to be burned in the wreck.
Twelve others were badly injured,
some lerhaps fatally.
The disaster occurred five miles
the awful al air the entire train was
consumed by ire, which followed the
plunge, and n any bodies were lost in
the wreck. The train was composed
OF an express, baggage, day car, chair
coacn, and through eeper for Chica-
go. An obstruction was on the track
at the point where it crosses ravIne
high over the ira ks of the Union Pa
CHIC Railroad. The train was running
at high ate of speed, and crash ed
through the trestle t the ground be-
low in an instant, carrying every wheel
from the track.
Flames 60 mplete the Awful Work.
The danes began to envelop the
wreck within few moments after the
train went down, starting from the
lamps in the baggage car and igniting
the debris. 1t was some tiIe before
the confusion. intensified by the
absence of the trainmen, VINO had been
fatally m ngled at their posts of duty,
was sufficiently lessened to enable the
surviving passengers to work with any,
thing like efficiency. The passengers
imprisoned 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
confusion b. the cries OF alarm and
screams to be relea ed.
Those passengers in the rear of the
train who were not injured in the
wreck at once went to work to save
their less fortunate CT mpanions. The
alarm was carried to the surrounding
community wasSrresent aiding in the
with the greatest difficulty as a result
OF the terrible manner in which the
cars were thrown together and twisted
into 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
as we'll as injuries from the lumbiing
OF the train into the ditch. In short
time medical assistance was on the
ground from Lincoln, and the work of
carl g for those most seriously injured
was begun in systematic manner.
A hos ital was established in a
neighboring field and by the light of
the burning coaches the groaning
victims of the terrible affair were
brought and laid in ows on the ground,
soma of them breathing their last
while in the hands of their rescuers.
Relief expe iitiors were I media ely
organized for distan of several
miles along tire 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 excitement, the Iassen-
gers who escaped being killed outright
screaming over tho agony Of their
wounds and dragging themselves
around pleading for something to al
lay their sufferings. others seeking for
their companions and obstructing the
work of rescuers by their crazy efforts
to enter the burning debris.