The age-herald., 1901-12-16
Trains Crash Together, Re- suIing in Death of Six
 and Injury of Others
VICTIMS ROASTED BY FIRE
An Icey Wind Was Blowing Across Prairie and Caused Intense Suf-
 fering to Those Who Escap-
 ed Without Their Wraps.

Rockford, H., December 1b.-Failure on the part of conductor to obey orders is supposed to have been the cause of a head-end collision on the Illinois Gen. tral between Irene and Perryvilley early this morning, which resulted In six dead, two missing and eleven hurt. The two trains were the eastbound passenger train No. and a through freight from Chicago, going west.
 The known dead are:
 Richard ormsby, Chicago, engineer of passenger train.
 James Reardon, Freeport fireman pas senger train.
 Robert Thompson. Dubuque. express messenger.
 J. w. Funk, Chicago brakeman, pas senger train.
 David Behan. Freeport freight engin- eer.
 Edward Cary, Freeport, freight Ire man.
 Missing and supposed to be dead:
 Newsbody on passenger train; name un- known.
 Section foreman from Irene; name un- known.
 The seriously injured, so far as the names could be ascertained. are:
 The Injured.
 H. c. wellman. Chicago, right arm crushed off at elbow condition critical; D. R. Ahrendt Chicago, cut and bruised by broken glass; J. H. Quinlan, passen- ger conductor, cut and bruised and crush ed about the chest, condition critical; w. B. Keefe. Sioux City. Ia., head severely cut; Frank Stadleman, New Athens. H., cut about head and arms; Thomas Hem dricks, New Athens. Ill.,, cut and bruised and hair scorched off. Five others were slightly hurt.
 The trains met in short bend in the track, both running at full speed The smoking. express and baggage cars were piled on the locomotives, penning in the occupants of the smoker, which took fire. Only three of the half dozen in that car escaped. The others. if not instantly killed were roasted to death and their bodies along with those of the engine crews were consumed. All efforts of the survivors to reach the victims were un- availing. The flames drove them back at every point.
 Suffered from Cold.
 The temperature was 20 degrees below zero and an icy wind was blowing across the prairie, the point where the wreck occurred being in a shallow cut. afford ing no protection. The injured were with out hats and wraps and suffered terribly. By the united efforts of the survivors ons car was pushed back from the wreckage to escape the flames and the injured were placed on the hunks inside. Two hours Then an engine arrived and pulled the car to Irene, three miles distant.
 A relief train was started from Rock,
 
 ford at 1:30 a. m. and arrived at ths wreck twenty minutes later. In the meantime the injured had been brought back from Irene and were transferred to the relief train and brought to Rockford. All the injured are doing we'll except H. G. wellman and Conductor Quinlan, who are in critical condition. Wreclins trains have been at work today and have the tracks clear tonight
 Six bodies were recovered from the de- bris, but were charred beyond recogni- ,tion.
 Conductor Quinlan of the passenger train. was able tonight to talk of the wreck and he said:
 ''We were trying to make time when suddenly there was a clash, throwing us all to the front of the car. I managed to clear myself from under the seat where I was thrown. and found two men close by. and tried to release them. This I was unable to do and as they did not respond to my calls l escaped through a window, being scorched by the fire as I crawled out, so quickly did the flames spread. As remember there were eight men in the car and find that only two of them got out. The rest wers doubtless burned in the wreck.
 Conductor and Engineer to Blanc.
 Chicago. December 15.-J. W. Higgins general superintendent of transportation of the Illinois Central Railroad, places the blame for the disastrous wreck al Perryville Ill, on the conductor and engineer of the fast freight train They are said by MT. Higgins to have dis obeyed orders, which were to stop al Irene, seveT-I miles east of Perryvi1lo.