The herald., 1896-07-13
OMAHA PEOPLE
IN Mourning
The Railroad Disaster In
creaSeS in Horror
1NENTY-HGHT PEOPLE IRE DEAD
And Bodies Mangled Beyond
Recognition
HALF A HUNDRED WOUNDED
Many Of Whom Have No Hope Of
Recovery
Pitiful Sights While the Injured Waited for
Surgical Attention
Tho Responsibility for the Accident Fixed On
the Engineer Of the Picnic Train.
Who Failed to Obey -
Orders
HALF A HUNDRED WOUNDED
Many Of Whom Have No Hope Of
Recovery
Pitlful Sights While the Injured Waited for
Surgical Attention
The Responsibility for the Accident Fixed On
the Engineer Of the Picnic Train.
Who Failed to Obey
Orders
ssociated Press Special Wire.

OMAHA, Neb., July 12.-Omaha Is q
city of mourning today. The bright
Sabbath morning brought the full real
ization Of the greatest catastrophe that
ever wreaked death and desolation to the
hearts and firesides Of the people. Never
before has fate.-with one awful stroke
made so many mourners. Twenty-eight
people were killed and fifty-one injured.
many of whom will die. Twenty-four
dead are identified and the remains Of
others are so badly mItilated that iden-
tification is hardly possible. all SEM
blance Of humanity being crushed out Of
the corpses.
It was not until after tho morning
papers were out that the first authentic
information was generally known. Then
II spread with wonderful rapidity. The
early riser in the. residence district
glanced at his morning paper and for
the first time realized the calamity.
Those who had no friends on the ILL
fated train were almost equally con-
cerned, and long before the motor trains
started hundreds of men and women
walked down town tb learn something
| more Of the terrible catastrophe.
These were added to the thousands to
whom the story brought the fear or GER
teinty Of personal bereavement. The
depot was the center toward which all
turned, and when the morning trains
brought their sad burden Of dead and
dying the depot approaches were thickly
massed with people. Very little was
said by those who gathered to witness
the next act in the tragedy. But one
sentiment was everywhere voiced. It
was burning indignation at the action
Of the railroad company in refusing sat
isfaction to the thousands of men and
women who had waited through the
night to hear some news Of their loved
ones. Only those who had seen the pa
thetic scenes that marked the night
could fully realize the brutality that had
dictated such a policy. The spectacle
Of fainting women and strong men in
tears. while the railroad officials only
hardened their hearts and grimly stated
that they were not giving out informa-
ton. inspired a degree of indignation
The list Of the injured is q lengthy
one. 1t contains fifty-eight or more
names of persons who were seriously
hurt, dangerously so to q greater or
lesser degree. In addition there Is still
greater number who received injuries Of
minor nature. These consisted OF
bruises or cuts or slight disfigurements
which will practically amount to noth-
ing. A considerable numbec.fwere also
shaken up. but not injured. This was
especially the case among passengers
who occupied the cars Immediately be-
hind the one which was demolished. The
incidental fright, combined with the
shock, threw both men and women intc
Mysteries. but owing to the work de-
volved upon the physicians in caring for
the desperately hurt. such individuals
remained without medical attendance
and were allowed to get over their at
| tacks as best they could. ,
| The condition. however. left it's effect
| upon great numbers Of the passengers,
| and when they alighted from the trains
| they were all in tremble and many
| of them, although their limbs were
sound and their general physical condi-
| tion was unimpaired, required the as
sistance of friends to lead them away
| to their homes. It was pitiful sight to
see strong men as weak as any women.
| 1t took much time to prepare the M
jured for their journey to this city. Il
was necessary to transport them to q
| considerable distance after the wounds
were dressed. Owing to the number It
| took still more time for the physicians
even though they worked as hard and as
fast as they could, to adjust the band
| ages and to dress the CHASTITY wounds
| that caused men and women and chill
| dren to scream in the loudest tone in
! their supreme agony.
Thus it was that hours elapsed after
the departure of the first section of the
returning train which carried the un-
hurt before the second section was
started. The latter carried all the wound
ed whose hurts were Of any magnitude.
1t also had on board such friends of the
injured as would not be torn away from
or forced to leave the sides of their suf-
fering loved ones.
The first section consisted of two
coaches. a baggage car and Pullman.
They were almost crowded to an uncom-
Portable degree in order to hold the
great number that boarded It The bag
gage car was reserved tog those who re