The age-herald., 1898-09-09
CATASTROPHE
 NARROWLY AVERTED On the Hospital Train of the First
 Wisconsin Regiment. FIVE CARS RUN DOWN GRADE Toward an Up Coming Train With
 More Troops. WAS STOPPED JUST IN TIME Regiment Passed Throngh Birmingham
WAS STOPPED JUST IN TIME
Regiment Passed Through Birmingham Yesterday in Crippled Condition Several Hundred Sick-To be
 Mustered Out at Milwaukee.

What came near being a terrible catis- trophe was narrowly averted on the hos pital train of the First Wisconsin volun- teers when it was on the Plant system be- low Montgomery. The accident occurred near Sprague's Junction, at 10 o'clock Wednesday night.
 Trouble of some kind happened to one of the cars at that point and a stop had to be made for repairs. Fagmen were sent back to warn the trains which were fol- lowing.
 It is said that a very light engine was attached to the train and that it had to jerk violently to get the heavy train started. In making one of these jerks, several couples were broken, and the rear part, consisting of two hospital cars and three cars of soldiers, started back down a steep grade.
 There was not train hand on board the runaway cars, and coming on up the grade was another train of soldiers. No one on board the cars realized the danger they were in until they passed the flag men, who had been sent back to stop the train that was following. They were unable to board the runaway cars, but yelled as loud as they could. Two of the nurses, Saucerman and Kamm by name, who were on the inside, heard the cries and when they realized what was the matter, put on the handbreaks of all the cars and finally succeeded in stopping them.
 The First Wisconsin is not in love with the Plant system. They say that all of the engines jerked so that 1t caused the great est discomfort to all of the sick. Then they ran on a schedule slower than a rrelght train, having left Jacksonville Tuesday night and arriving at Montgom- cry Thursday morning.
 The Regiment m Birmingham
 Four passenger trains bearing the regi- ment passed through the city yesterday on their way from Jacksonville to Milwaukee, where they will be mustered out. The trains were passing through all the morning until noon and excited the usual amount of at tenton in the depot
 , This regiment passed through Birming- ham on it's way south last May, and it was remarked at the time what a remarkably fne-looking set of men they were-nearly all big fellows. But the swamp over which they were encamped at Jacksonville played havoc with even these strong men, and altogether they have buried about twenty six of their number in Florida. This is the heaviest loss any of the Jacksonville regi- ments had, though several of the Fernan- dina and Miami regiments doubled this number several times.
 When the regiment passed through yes- teTday there were several hundred of the who were really sick, though only about 15O were in their sleeping car berths. A number of those who were in a very se- rious condition were left behind in the hos pital at Jacksonville The last train to pass through a hospital train, and there were nine ten sleeping cars filled with the sick. Nearly all of them were sick with typhoid and~maiarial levers. Ac- companying them were three real, live Red Cross nurses-young ladies who volunteered at the beginning of the war They were a feature of the war which Birmingham had not seen before. It was their duty to pre- dishes they prepared looked most tempt ing, and entrusted greatly with the regu- lar fare of the soldiers.
 There were besides twenty male nurses on board. Surgeon McDill was in charge of the hospital train.
 Col $. P. Schadel was in command of the regiment. Among the other officers were Adjutant Olson and Majors Jochin, Sterns and Lynch. One battalion of the regiment is from Milwaukee, and the remaining eight companies are from the southern part of Wisconsin. Of course the men are all anxious to be mustered out.