Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1902-05-15
DEATH LIST IS q
TWO HUNDRED OTHERS SURVIVE
IN GREAT AGONY.

: y
IN GREAT AGONY.
Railroad Yards Near Pittsburg Mass
Of Flames-Men, Women and Child
rem Are EnveIoped in Raging Fire.
Many Will Die.
Pittsburg, May IA careful and
systematic search for the dead and
injured in the Sheraden horror re-
veals list of "a dead and POP injured.
The complete list OF the injured may
never be known, as many were able to
get away without making known their
Identity conservative estimate
made by those thoroughly familiar
with the situation places the number
more or less seriously hurt at not
less than 800. The official list of
dead given out by the coroner follows:
Ebert Berry, Hugh Flaherty, Dallas
Byrd, Antonio Leo, - Finnerty, j.
L, KEENAN,, H. S. Smithley, George
ID. Wilson, Matthew L. Marion, Donald
Smith, William H. Fife, Charles Haer-
zig, Walter E. Rice, Elmer e. Hunter
w. w. Taylor, Passed. Nader, W. E.
Reise, Walter E. Wright, John Swan,
Achille Ferris, four unknown.
This list will likely be added to DUR
ing the day. as quite number of
the victims at the hospitals are re-
ported by the physicians to be in such
serious condition that it will be
miracle If
Cause of Catastrophe.
The cause of the catastrophe was
the explosion of a train of naphtha
cars being switched in the yards and
in the switching the rear car tele-
scoped a car forward. The leaking
naphtha ignited from switch light
causing an explosion, which threw the
flames so feet high. Much of the es-
Gaping naphtha ran through Corks
Run to Esplen borough, a distance of
one and half miles, and caused an
other explosion, blowing to atoms the
Seymour hotel and the Collins house
and badly wrecking frame building
nearby, in which were congregated
20O or more men from Pittsburg and
vicinity, betting on the races and base
ball games. Few of the occupants Of
this. building escaped injury. Mrs.
Seymour and her daughter of the
Sheraden hotel were seriously, and
1t is feared fatally, injured.
The first car of naphtha exploded
about 4:40 o'clock and the spectacle
soon attracted a large crowd on
streets lining the hills on both sides
of the railroad.
The second car exploded about 5
O'Clock, but it was at 6:15 o'clock,
when three more cars of the deadly
stuff went up with roar that could
be heard for miles, that the work Of
destruction really began. A torrent
of flame belched forth on each side
OF the track, sweeping back the terri
fed spectators like charge of artil-
lery, and sending a tower of fame
over their heads resembling Mont
Pelee on small scale. The scene
that followed was beyond description.
The successive explosions had heated
the air to such an extent that before
the third explosion many were rem
dered unconscious by the extreme heat
and the gaseous fumes and were car.
ried away when the torrent of flames
swept over the excited crowd.
There was an awful hush for mo-
ment, then followed scene of frenzy.
Men and women, their clothing ablaze.
their faces scorched and blistered,
and their hair burned off their heads,
ran wildly shrieking, hither and
thither, only intent on escape from
that awful furnace of fire. Some gave
vent to frenzied appeals to kill them
and put them out of their misery, and
little children, with their curly locks
and light summer clothing afire, cried
piteously as they were swept along.
The townspeople did all possible for
the stricken victims and all the Pitts
burg ambulances were Immediately
dispatched to the scene with a corps
OF physicians. Many of those not seri-
ously burned were removed to their
homes in Sheraden. while others were
sent to the various Pittsburg hos
pitfalls and the dead removed to under
taking establishments in Sheraden
vicinity and to the Pittsburg morgue.