The Oskaloosa herald., 1901-12-19
DEADLY COLLISION.
Illinois Central Trains Come To-
gether Near Rockford, Ill.

Rockford, H., Dec. 16.-Failure on
the part of conductor to obey orders
Is supposed to have been the cause
of head-end collision on the Illinois
Central between Irene and Perryyille
early Sunday morning. The two trains
were the east-bound passenger train
No. and through freight from Chi.
cago going west. As a result eight
people are dead or missing and IL in
jured. The known dead are:
The victims.
Richard Ormsby, Chicago, engineer OF
passenger train; James Reardon, Free
port, fireman Of passenger train; Robert
Thompson, Dubuque, American Express
messenger; J. w. Funk, Chicago, brake
man passenger train; David Behan, Free
port, freight engineer; Edward Carey,
Freeport, freight fireman.
Missing and supposed to be dead-News-
boy on passenger train, name unknown;
section foreman from Irene, name un-
known.
The injured, so far as the names
could be ascertained, are as follows:
H. G. Wellman, S95 Jackson boulevard,
Chicago. right arm crushed off at elbow,
taken to Rockford City hospital conditinr
critical; d. r. Ahrendt, 669 West North
avenue, Chicago, cut and bruised by bro
ken glass; II. C, Quinlan, passenger con-
ductor, cut and bruised crushed about the
chest take ! to Rockford City hospital, con-
dition critical; w. B. Keefe, Sioux City,
Ia, head severely cut; Frank Stadleman,
New Athens, ILL.,, cuts about head and
arms; Thomas Hendricks, New Athens,
ILL.,, cut and bruised and hair scorched oft;
G. E. Shurtleff, Genoa; c. NJ. Burch, Kan
kakee; NJ. Z. Franklin, Lake City, la; A. L.
Boggs, st. Louis; John Hussey, Inde pend
ence, Ia; latter five slightly hurt.
Scene at the Wreck.
The trains met in Sight 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. Only three of the half dozen
in that car escaped. The others were
penned in and if not instantly killed
were roasted to death and their bodies,
along with those of the engine crews,
were entirely consumed. All efforts OF
the survivors to reach the victims were
unavailing. The flames drove them
back at every point. The temperature
was 20 degrees below zero and an icy
wind was blowing across the prairie,
the point where the wreck occurred be-
ing in shallow cut, affording no pro-
lection. The injured were without
hats and wraps and suffered terribly
BY the united efforts of the survivors
the way car was pushed back from the
wreckage to escape the flames and the
wounded were placed on the hunks in
side.
Relief Work.
Two hours elapsed before any relief
was at hand. Then an engine arrived
from the east and pulled the way car
to Irene, three miles distant, A relief
train was started from Rockford at
1870 a. m, having on board Drs. 6. II.
CatLin, Henry Richings, w. B. Helm
and Agent f. w. Brown. It arrived
at the scene of the wreck 20 minutes
later. In the meantime the injured
had been brought back from Irene IN
the way car and were transferred TO
the relief train and brought to Rock
ford. All the injured are doing well
except H. G. Wellman, of Chicago, who
is in critical condition.
Wrecking trains have the tracks
clear. Six bodies were recovered from
the debris, but were charred beyond
recognition.
Disaster in Montana,
Helena, Mont, Dec. 16.-Word from
Kalispell, Mont, reportsa passenger
train wreck near Essex, on the Great
Northern railway. Eight were killed
and several injured