The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1896-06-05
too intent on asrertaining tho fate a

too intent on nsrerta ining tho fate a
their own loved ones.
The orps Of reporters which crossed
the bridge at daylight gazed upon he
most appalling spectacle.
Crawling through the shapeless mass
Of masonry and iron that impeded their
progress on the bridge, they came
shortly into the thick Of this carnival
OF the elements carnage.
on every side lay the bodies OF dead
horses. overturned freight ears. ais-
mantlei homes with blcar-eyed. daz.i
with sorro~ful human beings gropinp
about. sobbing aud moaning In The
utter paralysis of thought
They knew not what to do. and
wandered aimlesSly about. charmed
by the very horror Of the scene
On either side Of the ROADWAY Tho
railroad yards were torn into a HORT
BILE burlesque ON chaos. Great heavy
freight ears had been lifted from IN.
tracks in their entirety and hurled
yards away. plungng down cmbanls-
mcnts and landing bottom side np in
the morasses and marshes of the is
land.
Somcstimes the trucks had remained
on the track. the bodies being literally
torn from them and hurled in indis-
criminatc confusion hithcrand thithcr.
Mixed with this great mass of rail-
road debris were the former homes of
people who had lived down around this
part of town.
Parts OF dtrcrcnt houses were thrown
OF one home rather than an aggr,ga-
ton of di fferent firesides.
The long low line OF frame houses
that stood 10 the right of the bridge
where the bridge trolley met the local
street ears is gone. Not even the
wrcckagc j, in sight The ground Is
almost swept clean
Further on brick house stands by
the roadway. Part Of he roof is gone.
The front wall of the second story
has been blown out aud there can be
seen the whole contents OF the room.
by one of those freaks OF the storm
the contents of the bed room have
been untouched. With the roof and
front wal. gone the picture, even arc
still hanging on the walls. A lamp
stands ON the little center table and
the bed, but for the black stains of
mud and water, stands still untouched.
in perfect order.
Across the street from this house,
was AZ white horse. with a great bloody
stain on his side. His team mate il
twenty yards beyond. both dead.
The wagon they were hauling, a great
heavy dairy. was hurled upside down,
with its wheels twisted off and spliu-
tered against an iron pier Of the biz
bridge.
Looking far OF to the right. tia
ruins of the East 81. Louis Cold Stor-
age Co. loom up. and nearer 10 the wa
ter the shattered remnants OF the keh-
Tor mills
by the waters elgearc the battered
steamboats,, thrown high and dry upon
the shore. deserted now. all save the
city OF Quincy. A bcdraggled horse
could be seen standing weakly on the
slanting deck. with head down and
tail blown away by the wind-a mis-
era Die picture
A little closer TO the bridge a ire
mendous barge. loaded with iron. is
tine water half torn away
At the left the relay depot still looms
UP intact. but the deva station about
II is unsr.akable
The Nandalia and Chicago. Burlinr-
ton 4 Quincy and other freight depo,s
are wiped from the face of the earth.
sinolderng mass Of charred ruins
shows where the lIctzel mills once
stood.
The fremont and the Mantcl honses
ire totally demolished. the latter hav-
mr. been blown into Cahokia creek
Mrs. Hayes, the wife of the pro-
'rietor OF the fremont house. was
iiiied and her son desperately i'm inred.
The proprietor escaped. Three Others
ire supposed To be now in the ruins.
M men can be seen working to re-
over the bodies
No one Is supposed to have been
tiled in the ManteIl house.
Martell was reported dead, but later
urned up alive
Death in the Nandalia freight dcpot
vas rampant. Cashier Frank Meteor
mex. laramas.cr Joe Franks and
Ilbert Valkman are known 10 be dead.
rank Bland and Dan Kelly were re-
orted 10 bc dead, but later il was
ound that they were only injured.
Cashier Fout. Of the Illinois Central.
vas killed in the crash which carried
way the freight depot OF that com