Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1894-08-16
PLUNGE TO ETERNITY
ROCK ISLAND TRAIN CRASHES
THROUGH A TRESTLE.
Flames Bfeak Out In the Wrecked Csr.
saA Cremste Passengers snd Trainmen
-Hescuers Labor Under Great Din cuity,
bat Showed In Saving MANY Lives.
Ten Arc Dead.

The most disastrous wreck in the
history Of Nebra ska occurred ct 1896
o'clock Thursday night, when the east
bound oklahoma and Texas express on
the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific
plunged through an overhead bridge
fifty feet high into q creek below, kill.
ing ten of the passengers, all OF the
train crew but q brake r an, and wound.
ing many others. The killed are:
Ii &C Depew, engineer.
G. u. Standard, conductor.
Fireman, name unknown.
Three commercial travellers, names
unknown.
Two farmer . names unknown.
Two women, names unknown: sup
DO: ed to be burned in the wreck.
Twelve others were badly injured,
&c me Ierhaps fatally.
The disaster occurred FIVE miles
south OF Lincoln. To add horror to
the awful affair the entire train was
consumed by fire, which ,ollowed the
plunge, and many bodies were lost in
the wreck. The train was composed
OF an express, baggage, day car, chair
coach, and through 8 eeper for Chics-
20. An obstruction was on the track
at the point where it crosses a ravine
high over the ira ks of tho Union Pa.
citic Railroad. The train was running
at q high rate of speed, and crashed
through the trestle I the ground be.
low in an instant carrying every wheel
from the track.
Flames Complete the Awful Work.
The flames began to envelop the
wreck within a few moments after the
train went down, starting from the
lamps in the baggage car and ignitine
the debris. 1t was some tine before
the confusion. intensified by the
absence OF the trainmen, VINO had bee.
fatally m ;ngled at their posts of duty
was sufficiently lessened to enable the
surviving passengers to work with any
thing like efficiency. The passenger!
imprisoned In the day coach and chail
car, which we 9 under the heavy
sleeper and on top OF the battered en-
CINE, which was sending up clouds o.
scalding team, added to the horrible
confusion b. the cries of alarm anC
screams to be relea ed.
Those passengers in the ear OF the
train who were not in, ured in the
wreck at once went TO work to save
their less fortunate companions. The
alarm was carried to the SUI rounding
farmhouses, and shortly the entire
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 q tangled q that was not only
difficult to penetrate, but was ap
preached at the greatest risk of the
rescuers' lives.
Many of tho Q lifted from the win.
dows and gaping holes in the burning
cars chopped by the rescuers were
suffering from the effects Of the fame
as we'll as injuries from the tumb' ms
OF the train into the ditch. In a short
tine medical assistance was on the
ground from Lincoln, and the work oil
caring for those me st seriously iniu,ed
was begun in y systematic manner.
A hos ital was established in q
neighboring field and by the light OF
the blu, ming coaches the grCaning
victims of the terrible affair were
brought and laid in ows onthe ground,
SOM of them breathing their last
while in the hands of their
Relief expe 1itions inmedia' ely
organized for q distan.e of several
miles along the tracks by the farmers
and people in the smaller towns. For
several hours there was no chance to
reduce the work to q system because
of the great excitement, the rassen-
ge.s who escaped being killed outright
screaming over the agony of their
wounds and dragging themselves
around pleading for something to al
lay their sufferings, Others seeking for
their companions and ob~structing the
work OF rescuers BY their crazy efforts
to enter the burning debris.