Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-03-07
THE MEXICAN HORROR.
Further Details of the Inter-Ocean-
ic Railway Disaster.

uxarst Reports More Than Verified by the
visit OF the Wrecking Train to the
Scene of the Wreck-Sixty-Five Per- 81;
sons Killed and Forty Injured.
CITY OF MEXICO, March "A wreck
ing train arrived here early yesterday
morning from the scene of Thursdays
accident on the Inter-Oceanic railway.
At brought forty persons who had
been injured in the crash and DIR. AL
fred Bray, DR.. Francis Crosson and two
other surgeons who were sent out soon
after the news of the disaster was re-
ceived here
Many persons were left dead near
the spot where the train left the rails;
Others were on the point of death, and
of those who were brought back ten or
twelve cannot possibly recover.
The crew of the wrecking train told
the first detailed story of the accident
The train consisted of ten coaches.
1t was chartered to pilgrims from
Amecameca and the engineer was I'M
der orders to run carefully. 1t was
filled with pilgrims-many of them
<soAhCA onO lue CITY Std
ton shortly before 1 o'clock and was
started at LES. 1t proceeded slowly at
first, but after stopping for water the
engineer began running at the rate of
thirty miles an hour.
About twenty-eight miles from the
capital, and midway between Toman-
alta and Tenango, there is a steep
down grade. On one side of the track
the blasted rock forms high wall; on
The other in steep descent. At a
! point where the descent reaches down
: about thirty feet the track makes a
= sharp curve. The trains usually round
r It at half speed, but for reason not
yet .ascertained the engineer of the
pilgrims train tried to make it with
out slowing down. Either the rails
spread or the engine jumped the
track. The engine and tender broke
loose from the coaches and rolled
down the embankment. The coaches
ran off about fifty yards further on.
The rear coaches crashed down against
the engine and tender and trestle and
went to pieces at the foot of the en-
bankment. Five coaches were smashed
SO as to be little more than a pile of
splintered boards and beams and
twisted iron.
About twenty passengers were able
30 extricate themselves without severe
injury, and they began rescuing those
who were pinioned under the wreck
-Four women We're found with their
arms crushed and immovable under
beams and twisted axles. They lay
. aear the engine and were screaming
! sor fear of the flames. After all efforts
20 clear them had proved vain they
were torn loose, one of them losing
her arm from the shoulder; another
her arm from the elbow and each of
the other two having both arms
crushed and legs terribly mutilated.
Three of the four will die.
Three children of one family were
found dead together under an up
set car truck. Their mother lay
near by with her skull crushed and
one leg gone. The father escaped with
a broken shoulder, although le was on
the same seat with the three children
who were killed.
Fragments of arms and legs were
strewn about the wreckage, and sew
erai of the bodies were SO mutilated
that no attempt to identify them will
be made.
When the doctors arrived on the
wreckage train they found forty pill
,griins near the wreck and five who had
not yet been taken from the ruins be-
cause there was no way of cutting
them loose. The five were rescued first
and put on the train. The doctors
worked for five hours to get the injured
into condition to make the jour-
ney back. Everyone of the forty
was spattere d with blood from
: some open wound. Three men had
lost half of their scalps. Four had
fractured skulls. Six women were SO
badly injured in the back and abdo-
men that it was feared they would die
before reaching the city.
Ali the doctors agree that the scenes
ut the wreck and in the coaches during
their journey home were the most hor-
rible in their experiences
The train arrived at the curve where
> the wreck occurred at o'clock, and it
g., did not start back until nearly mid
night. When the train came into the
station forty of the injured passengers
were stretched at full length, helpless
from their wounds. All the pilgrims
were NeXicans-
The engineer and conductor of the
train are supposed to have escaped Sc
rious injury and have fled to the
woods.
Sixty Five Killed and F 'rty Injured.