The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-08-10
COULD ONLY MOAN.
Dreadful Scenes at the Rock
Island Wreck Last Night.
Terror Stricken People Refused
to Leave Burning Cars.
ONLY 4 FEW BONES.
Cars and People We're Licked
Up by the Flames.
The Number of Killed Will
Probably Reach Twelve.

LINCOLN. Neb., Aug. 1O.-Train No. 8
on the Rock Island, which was wrecked
last night on the high trestle over the
MON Pacific tracks. is an accommoda-
ton called Fort Worth accommodation"
and is due to arrive here at $40 p. N.
Last night it was about ten minutes late
and WAS making up time when it struck
the trestle that crosses Salt creek, about
four miles from the city and two miles
from the penitentiary. When it struck
the trestle, the rails Immediately spread
and the engine drawing the two cars
after it, went humping along over the
cross ties for about fifty feet and then
with 4 crash, it fell forty feet to the bed
of the creek below.
The engine burst, and glowing Goals
spl reading. ignited the wooden supports
and the coaches behind it, and in few
moments the bridge, dry as tlnder from
its long exposure to the sun, was one
mass OF flames. The Goals falling upon
the coaches lying in the bitches, set
them afire, and i've minutes after the
first warming, the entire mass of cars
with their load of human freight below
was one mass of flames.
1t was an awful sight. The flames
mounted high in the heavens. coloring
the entire southern sky brilliant car
mine, while the mOOnbeams fell upon
the glowing mass below, from which
mortal shrie1s of agony and pain were
heard to issue. Willing hands were
there te help, but little could be done
Pinned Xhe M All H.
The engine had fallen first. then the
combination car of smoker and express
coach fell, partially upon that, and the
rear coach falling behind it telescoped
that car, thus pinioning those unfortu-
mates who were in the smoker so that it
was impossible TO save them or for them
to escape.
Harry Foote, the brakeman who did
such efficient work 1T the wreck, says
he IS positive that there were at least
ten men in the smoker. six of whom he
can describe. In addition TO the crew
he mentions a man whose name he
does not know, employed by an
elevator builder named Counselman, at
Narka. There were also several passen-
gers who got on at Jansen. and two got
on at Pawnee City. f. says that
when he took out Fred Scout, the bag
gageman, who was crying s'Harry, Harry,
hurry for Chrisi's sake" he heard a faint
grOAn from tho smoker, and again
another when the flames reached it. but
that was all.
Probably all we're mercifully crushed
to death, for the car was smashed al
most perfectly fiat One man
was found lying outside the
smoker He was probably On
the platform when the train went over
y.
and is now at the OPEL house. The pas
sengers rescued from the chair car were
paralyzed with fright and could only lie
on the bank and moan, rendering no as
sistance to the work of the rescuers-
One family of Russians, consisting OF
a man, wife and child, was 50 completely
panic stricken that. like horses in a fire.
they could not be induced to leave the
car and had TO be carried out
Only "a Few Issacgkened Bones.
The wreckiag crew so far has dis
covered only few blackened bones and
fragments Of burned flesh
As Bell, the Lincoln travelling man.
was not killed as first reported, but ter
ribly injured in ternally. He was taken
to his home at S11 North Sixteenth
street
Among the thirteen passengers in the
car were Mrs. Fritz and sister-in-law,
who were badly shaken up J. E. Fritz,
a Lincoln travelling man, had three ribs
broken. and is a mass of cuts and bruises
but it is thought he will recover
J. r. Brinker, Denver travelling man
was supposed to have been killed but he
turned up this morning, having missed
the train at Beatrice.
Col. {. J. Bills, treasurer of the Ma
tional Guard association of the United
States, was one of the fortunate passen-
gers and his story is as follows:
LAY Mcdowell and myself we're seated
in the middle of the car and we dis
covered that the train likely to go
over the tresfle, Mcdowell started
down the aisle. I yelled to him TO
7 sit down and the next instant the crash
came The engine went overheard first
and the smoker on top of that, and the
rear coach in which we were seated
/ jammed down on the. e.other. The car was
crowded with passengers and we were
forced along the backs of seats in front
Of US. and all but Mcdowell and myself
were horribly mangled-
As soon possible. we climbed
through a window and in fifteen minutes
succeeded in extricating nine persons
who were jammed IN the debris Hear
ing the shrieks and cries for
help on all sides, 1 left Nc
Dowel and ran three miles across
the country to the peniientiary without
| making a stop. I had Warden Beemer
telephone the police department aud
they responded promptly and nobly with
the patrol carriages and physicians
No Chsncs For Escape.
Col. Bell says that two men in the
front of the chair car were killed and
burned. and that he had hold Of one,
trying to get him out, but could
not manage II. He thinks it would
be impossible for single man
to have escaped from the smoking
Car. l. fell foremost on the engine aud
the chair car which followed hattened