Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1901-12-20
TEN ARE KILLED
IN RAILWAY WRECK
CareIessneSS Brings Two Hi
nOiS Central Trains To-
gether on Curve.
ACCIDENT NEAR ROCKFORD.

Fire Follows Collision. and Those Who-
Escaped Other Horrors were Conn
PEELED to stand ou Prairie with Tenn
Perature 20 Degres, Fellow zero
DisoJedienee of plain orders ~ the
crew OF The freight tram cad ID the
wreck on Tie Illinois Cents. eight
miles east OF Rockford. IN. jasf aclore
midnight Saturday night. N.al 81 sons
were killed ami -uelse were Injured
in the debris of crushing steel living
spLnters and broken glass t re-
suited from the fearful iD.a.e. Ut the
two trains. The trains am ,oeether
on sharp curve. There was 70 time
for a warning shrek OF the whistle.
There was tile flashing of TWO head
lights, shock. and both engine were
crushed into shapeless masses OF steel.
Six passenger coaches and ten freight
cars, loaded with merchandise. were
piled into one great mass OF broken
timbers ana splintered Woodwork. IN
this mass were buried engineers ana
fremen of both trains. and III least
five others. This pile Of wreckags
leaped into flames almost in an Instant
Those Of the victims who were not
fortunate enough TO be- killed outright
were burned to death hours before re-
lief could reach them.
The Dead
David Beehan. engineer OF freight
train. resided IN FreeporL Edward
Carey, fireman on freight train. re-
mains taken 10 home in Freeport.
Richard Ormsby. engineer OF passenger
train; body held 1t Rockford for con
clusion Of Inquest james R-ardon
fireman OF passenger Uau. boe. taken
10 home in Freeport William 3ey-
holds. OF Irene. III George He.aolLs
IN the EMPLOY " the co4pau us sec-
ton foreman With headquarters at
South Addison. Robert Taomf sou. BAG
gage eXp9essman GA passen-e. train
residence nj Dubuque. H. Porter coll
ored man on passenger tram c-e2zboy
on passenees train believed 10 be
Coates OF Chicago
Z. L. Adsent. Chicazo. bruised or
fac9 and head d. - cancbestar Chi
cago; bruised about body. left arm cut.
Hays Fletcher. Chicago. cat IN right
arm and head T. Howard. chicago.
bruised on body ant eul over left eye.
Jack Lewis. Chicago. bruised on head
and left shoulder p III Miner. Chi
cago; slight cut on leit hand: right leg
wrencbed j H. Quin'an. conductor OF
passenger train: bruised abou the
chest and severe scalp wound. resides
at Chicago probably fatally injured
Z. Traverse. Chicago. ont ON head and
face. H. B. Wellman 80 jackson
boulevard. Chicago. left shoulder dis
located; right arm crushed and ampu-
tated; condition serious.
Fire Follows the Wreck
The fire followed so close upon the
impact that those who escaped other
horrors and suffering We're compelled
to stand IN the open prairie with tenn
perature 20 degrees below zero. INSULT
GENTLY clad. while the surviving mem
bers of the crew of the wrecked rains
tramped four miles through the storm
to secure relief. The passenger was
the regular Omaha train. due in Chi
cago at g. 40 p. m. IL consisted of bag
gage and express car. a smoker.
coach. parlor car and diner 1t was run
ming al high rate of speed. being over
three hours late on account of the cold
weather The freight train was run
ming as No. 81 and it was composed
of fourteen loaded cars, three empties
and the way-car. The freight was
running at nigh speed and the trains
came together without warning
slight curve hiding each from the other
Neither engine whistled for brakes nor
used the air so far as could be ascer-
tanned. The crash was terrific. both
engines being reduced TO scrap iron.
The roof of one car was hurled into a
field far from the right Of way. while
casting weighing 200 pounds was
thrown into a field 200 feet away.
The temperature was 20 below zero
and an icy wind was blowing across the
prairie. the point where the wreck oc-
Cured being in a shallow cut. af
fording no protection. The injured
were without hats and wraps and suf-
fered terribly BY the united efforts
of the survivors the way car was
pushed back from the wreckage TO es-
cape the flames and the wounded were
placed on the hunks inside.
Rev. DR. p. s. Henson of Chicago
who had a narrow escape. said: y
sight met my eyes that | shall not
soon forget. Two whole trains were
ablaze, the flames burning with appail-
ing rapidly. Evidently every person
who had been confined in the debris
was unconscious from his injuries 81
was dead because | heard no cries
Clothes fired by Explosion.