Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-08-11
TWEN1Y-FOUR KILLED.
Terrible Work of FiendiSh WreCkerS
of a Train in Nebraska.
RAILSTAKEN UP FROM A TRESTLE
And An Express Train Dumped
Into q Ravine-The Wreck
Takes Fire and Every Vestige
OF the Debris, Except Tough
Iron Work Burned Away-The
List of Dead May be Further
Swollen, as There Are Still
Others Unaccounted For.


LINCOLN, NEE, August 10-It was
nearly dark this evening before the
frightful mass OF debris occupying the
ravine where the Rock Island express
was wrecked and burned, few miles
south OF this city last night,
had cooled sufficiently to enable
the big crowd gathered at
the place in the hope OF learning some
| thing of the fate OF friends or relatives
to inspect the charred mass In detail,
but any hope they may have enter
tanned OF securing from the great ash
pile information as to the identity of
those who lost their lives in the hola-
caust was soon blasted.
The tons of water thrown on the
twisted relics OF the train and the bed
OF embers had been insufficient to pre-
vent every vestige of combustible mat
ter being destroyed.
Occasionally a charred skull, or
partially burned human bone, was raked
! from the bed of the furnace, but moth
ing more remained to tell the tale OF
those who went down with the ill-fated
train, aud time was required to deter
mine just how many persons were lost
in the wreck.
The list of killed and injured as fur
nished by the coroner tonight swells
the fatalities 10 twenty-tour and is as
follows:
List of the Killed.
DR.. G. q. PINNEY, Council Bluffs,
j. d. MATTHEWS, commercial
man, Omaha.
HARRY MOORE, Kansas City.
IKE DEPEW, engineer. Council
Bluffs.
w. o. HAMBELL. lawyer, Fairbury,
Neb.
C. D. STANNARD, conductor, St.
Joseph.
JOHN MUNGER, grain dealer,
Omaha.
H. R. PETERS, merchant, Council
Bluffs.
E. II. ZERNIKE, lawyer. Lincoln,
Neb.
Two unknown farmers.
Five unknown men.
CHARLES UNRUH, mother and son,
Jansen, Neb.
a. Il. EIDE, merchant, Pawnee.
Neb.
II. BEAVER, merchant, Pawnee,
Neb.
Two unknown farmers from Jansen,
Neb.
Those marked as unknown are those
passengers known to have been on the
train by the brakeman and unaccounted
for.
List OF the Injured.
Col. C. J. Bills, Second regiment Ne
braska National Guards, Fairbury,
flesh wounds in left leg. Henry c.
Footman, Council Bluffs, leg broken.
jaw Mcdowell, FairbGry, legs cut
and face bruised. c. II. Cherry,
mail clerk, Kearnev, badly bruised.
snc cut. f. K. Scott, express messen-
ger, injured internally. Mrs. Fish, wife
of a b. IL NJ. engineer, badly bruised.
10. 5. Bell, travelling man, Lin
coin, Internal injuries. j. L.
Puetz, travelling man, Lincoln, internal
Injuries. A passenger named Somret,
hurt about the head. Mrs. Fritz and
sister-ia-law, Lincoln, bruised.
The body OF DR.. Pinney, OF Council
Bluffs, was found in the wreckage this
afternoon, and, although fearfuily
burned and merely mass OF flesh, il
WAS recognized by papers which es-
capped entire destruction. he was
prominent Iowa physician.
From the confused tangle of conflict
ing stories told by excited eye.wit-
nesses,it has been definitely ascertained
that only one man met his death in the
flames.
The low moaning which had been
heard in the ruins Of the smoker had
ceased before the flames reached it,
One victim, whose name will never be
Known, lay under the tender, the upper
edge OF which lay across his thighs,
crushing them into the hard gravel. As
Colonel Bills approached he begged
piteously TO be released and saved from
the flames. Coiouel Bills is a man OF
nerve aud decision. but be was confront.
ed by terrible alternative. To move
the tender was an utter im possibility and
the long tongues OF hungry flames were
reaching out greedly for their victims,
For an instant ne thought that only
one OF the mans legs was pinned
down and he thought about amputat-
ing il. Then be saw both were fast,
and while be hesitated hopelessy for a
moment q gust OF wind drove the
flames aud smoke upon him, blistering
his face and scorchIng his clothes. Be-
fore ne could recover himself the long,
fiery tongues had wrapped themselves
about the body and head OF their terri
fed victim and stilled his screams.
As the Rock Island offers reward of
81. 900 for the apprehension OF the
wrecgers, the county and State will be
asked to add TO the reward.
Col. c. J. Bills, Treasurer OF the
National Guard Association of the
United States, was one OF the fortunate
passengers and his story is as follows:
Jay Mcdowell aud myself were seated
in the middle OF the car and as