Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-12-19
WRECK ON THE |. c..
EIGHT PERSONS KILLED.
AND TWO ARE MISSING
Eleven Badly Injured-Fire That Fol-
lows Awful Crash Plays Havoc
and Spreads Dire Sufferine-Pas-
senger and Freight Trains Come
Together at Great Speed.

Rockford, H., Dec Height peo-
pie are known to have been killed
and their bodies cremated in the head
end collision on the Illinois Central
railroad between Perryville and Irene.
Sunday morning. Upwards of a scol c
of other persons were seriously or
severely injured. More are known TO
be missing. Their remains are sup
posed to have been burned in the
ruins.
Engine to engine, running at great
speed to make up lost time, the east
bound passenger flyer from Dubuque
collided with west bound through
freight train from Chicago. One
engine exploded, scattering fire in the
ruins. A minute later an oil car in
the freight train exploded with rush
and a roar casting streams of burning
fluid envelOping the cars of both
trains, destroying them in short order
The flames prevented the rescue of
| the injured in the burning coaches,
whose cries at first could be heard
distinctly.
Richard Ormsby. Chicago; engineer
of passenger train.
James Reardon, Freeport; fireman
Of passenger train.
J Robert Thompson, Dubuque; Amert-
can Express messenger.
J. w. Funk, Chicago; brakeman pas
senger train.
David Behan, Freeport; freight en-
gineer.
Edward Carey, Freeport; freight
| fireman.
Missing and supposed to be dead:
Newsboy on passenger train, name
unknown section foreman, from
Irene, name unknown.
The injured are: Aherndt, $50
West North avenue, Chicago; cut ana
| bruised by broken glass; B. Barns
ness, Lodi, Wis, slightly cut and
bruised; A. L. Boggs, St. Louis, slight
| ~ cut and bruised; C. M. Burch,
Kankakee, slightly cut and bruised;
D. J. Canchester, ST. Paul, slightly cut
and bruised; G. H Clarke, Lincoln,
Neb., severely cut and bruised; M E.
Franklin, Lake City, Ia, slight
| bruises; P. J. Garvin, Fort Riley
Kans., slight cuts, Ernest Hardesty,
Murphysboro, Ill., bruises, not serious
Frank Hardesty, Murphysboro, H.,
severe cuts; Thomas Hendricks, New
Athens, H., cut and bruised and hair
burned off head; the Rev. P. S. Her
! son, pastor First Baptist church,
hands slightly cut and lower limbs
| slightly bruised; John Hussey, hide
! pendence, Ia, slight cuts; W. 3.
Keefe, Sioux City, Ia, head cut
severely; Mrs. Fred Place, Waterloo,
Ia, severe bruises; Mrs T. W.
Place, Waterloo, Ia, slight cuts
and severe burises; J. H.
| Quinlan, passenger conductor, cut
and burised, crushed about the
chest, taken to Rockford City hospital,
condition critical; c. E. Shurtlefr,
Genoa, ILL.,, badly burised; Frank
Starteleman, New Athens, H., cut
about head and condition serious;
B. E. Travis, Chicago, slightly cut
and severely bruised; H. J. Wellman,
895 Jackson boulevard, right arm
crushed Off at elbow Taken to Rock
ford City hospital; not expected to
lrecover.
The investigation conducted Dy
officials Of the road thus far has failed
to- assign any positive cause for the
catastrophe. Just where the blame
should be laid cannot now be stated,
as the train orders were burned in the
Wreckage. What little can be learned
directs the possible blame to the con
ductor Of the freight train for failure
to obey orders received Or possible
carelessness in computing the time
between running nOintS