The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-08-10
ROCK ISLAND WRECK
The Texas Express Jumps an
Overhead Bridge.
Eight People Are Killed and
Fifteen Injured
THE CARS BURNED.
The Fish Plates Had Been Re-
moved by Wreckers.

LINCOLN, Neb., Aug. 1o.-One of the
worst railroad wrecks ever recorded
in this section occurred shortly after
10 o'clock last evening. when the Okla
homa and Texas Rock Island express,
eastbOun1, due in Omaha at a. m,
jumped the overhead bridge over the
Union Pac fc, five miles south of
Lincoln Eight people are known to
he killed and fifteen Injured
The train consisted Of an engine,
tender, baggage, smoking car and
coach The engine and com bination
car went over the bridge, leaving the
coach suspended on the trastle. Two
passengers and brake of the end
coach were not injured They man
aged to release two others.
The known killed are: Conductor c.
ID. Standard, Engineer Ike Dspew,
Fireman, name unknown
Three travelling men and two far
mers names unknown were also
killed The engineer and fireman are
buried under the engine. Others are
supposed to nave been burned to
death- The injured are: T. &. Scott,
expressman; 9. D. Sherrer, mail
clerk; O. >. Bell Of Lincoln. travelling
man About twelve Others are in
iured whose names are not known
In response to a telephone mes age
from the state prison in the vicinity
OF the wreck a relief expedition Of
physicians, police and the fire deD lrt-
ment went to the scene and rendered
all the assistance possible All the
cars were burned.
Henry G. Foot. Of Council Bluffs. the
brakeman. was the only one of the
crew who escaped nnhu rt.
His story and that OF others who
survive, indicates that the wreck was
due to the work OF train wreclxers,anI
FuI ~
crossing and was the first one on the
scene, states fshplate AMI the bar
with which it had been wrencheI
loose were found near the trest1e
after the wreck.
No. was due in lincoln at 1910
and was pounding along at a lively
gait when the trestle was reached.
There were about fifteen passengers
In the chair car. all OF whom were
got out more or less injured.
In the smoker there were ten or
twelve, and 1t is not thought single
one escaped. When the engine struck
the broken rail she jumped the track
and boun ling along over the ties for
a hundred feet. rolled to one side and
plunged down on the Union Pac &c
tracks below, followed by the other
three cars.
The brakeman tells this story: ST
knew the trouble was in the smoker
and rushed fOrwar1 to see what
could do when the plunge came 1t
was a siclxening sight.
THE car was a shapeless mass of
broken pieces and wrec are a1l
could see the crushed an mangled
bodies of the passengers inside.
"By this time help had arrived and
we got out the baggageman and mail
man"
The baggageman was terribly in
3ured. lie was squeezed batwe en-
broken mbers and begged piteOuslv
Tor some one to save him from the
flames which were rapidly eating
their way towards him.
His resources worked frant'cal1y
with saws and axes. while the hot
breath of the approaching flames
scorehed their hands and faces.
When released the ham-s were
with thirteen inches of the mans
head. The engineer and fireman
were found crushed under the engine,
which was turned upside down.
In the middle of the excitement the
brakeman had pre- ence of mind
enough TO send men out to har a
freight train following on the Rock
Island and another approaching on
the Burlington 6 Missouri r yer.
He also sent to the pen.te ntiary for
assistance and fro there the fire de-
partment was notified
The chemical en- zine was soon on
the ground, but could do very little,
and every stick Of both train and
bridge was soon reduced to a heap OF
smoking ruins
The trestle where the wreck oc-
Cured is about two miles south Of
the penitentiary, or five miles from
the city.
1t was about 800 feet long and sixty
feet high. and carried the Rock Island
track over both the Burl ngton and