The St. Louis Republic., 1904-07-06
TRAIN BLOWN FROM
TRACK BY TORNADO
Continued From Page One.

| from the engine. There was no wind after
the cyclone cloud disappeared-onlya a light
| rain"
As soon as news Of the disaster reached
Petersburg. switch engine was hurried
to oakford. and General Manager Gridley
and Conductor Coleman were conveyed e
Petersburg. where their injuries were
dressed.
Conductor Coleman said the whole thing
happened so quickly that scarcely a mo-
ment's warning was given.
My attention was first attracted to the
storm by ,he cries Of the passengers" he
said. i was seated In the ladies' car when
the women and children began to scream.
Some Of them pointed out Of the win
dows, and there could be seen the ap-
preaching cyclone. In appearance It re-
sembled huge inverted haystack. As II
swept along, the point sweeping along the
ground, everything in its path went down
before it.
CAR TURNED OVER.
In the instant between the time I first
sighted it and when It struck US, I saw
trees go down like hay before a scythe.
When the tornado struck our train 1t
L.,
man would lift chair. and over we went.
the car turning completely over After
ward. found the remainder Of the train
had been treated the same way. nothing
but the engine and tender escaping"
CONDUCTOR ELF-POSSESSED.
Conductor Coleman saw the approaching
storm and went through the train calling
the passengers to keep seated. He was on
the platform of the last coach when the
tornado struck. When he regained his
senses he was half buried In sand heap.
Cut severely about the head and with a
splinter thrust through his right leg near
the thigh. the conductor went to the work
of rescue. Superintendent Gridley. whose
arm was broken. extricated himself from
the debris, and. with the conductor. di-
rected the relief work.
When the injured had all been taken
from the wreckage, they were placed in a
coach and taken to Petersburg, where
physicians dressed the wounds temporari-
ly, preparatory to moving the injured to
hospitals at Springfield
JUDGE LANES DESCRIPTION.
Former County Judge Frank e Lane of
Petersburg, who was a passenger on the
tarin. tells the following story:
There was little or no warning of the
cyclone. The train was travelling at .
fair rate of speed, and 1 noticed that the
speed began to slacken. A light rain was
falling. which was suddenly accompanied
by a violent gust ofswind.
Il could feel the train sway back and
forth and then the entire train was lifted
from the rails.
THE cars seemed to settle back on the
rails again and the train was then borne
upward. There was a momentary pause
and the trim toppled and fell upon its
side.
Men and women were struggling all
around me in their efforts to free them
selves from the mass of wreckage- l man
aged to escape without injury
Baggageman Wiley. who was killed In
the wreck. was badly injured in similar
accident near the same place two years
ago At that time the train on which
he was working was lifted from the tracks
by a storm and wrecked. Wiley sustaining
a fracture of each leg.
The only damage reported as resulting
from the cyclone. in addition to the train
wreck, was the destruction Of a barn a
short distance from the scene of the
wreck.