The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1908-07-03
5 KNOWNDEAD ON No. ||6
REMAINS OF THE DEAD TAKEN
TO cHADRoN.
ROASTED AND SCALDED ALIVE
A DOZEN SHEEPSHEARERS WERE
RIDING ON BUMPERS.
ROASTED AND scALDED ALIVE
SEVEN TRAMPs MEET DEATH

Grows to Include Ten Men-Sheep'
shearers Riding the Bumpers Man.
sled In Freight Wreck.
Chadron, Neb., June 27.-Speciai to
The News: Ten men met death In the
terrible wreck which befeli eastbound
Northwestern freight train No. 116
near Gordon, Neb., yesterday. Three
of the men who persisted were North.
western trainmen whose homes were
In Chadron. Seven tramps were also
killed. Two trainmen were very
seriously injured, and three tramps.
The dead and injured were brought
to Chadron.
The dead:
ENGINEER GRAHAM, Chadron.
FIREMAN MYERS, Chadron.
BRAKEMAN EBNER. Chadron.
SEVEN NOWN SHEEP
SHEARERS.
The injured:
Fireman Harris, Chadron, leg torn
off between the knee and thigh, in.
ternal injuries, probably fatal.
Engineer Pace, Chadron, severe
scalp wound, two fingers on right
hand mashed to second joint.
Three tramps injured.
Conductor Walter White and a
brakeman were in the way car when
nnth uynr
thrown to the floor but escaped In
jury.
Cars Pile UP In Ditch.
The train consisted of thirty cars
The wash-out reached for about fifty
feet and was about fifteen feet deep
Beyond about thirty feet was secon}
wash-out almost as bad as the first
The train plunged into the first, the
front engine dropping into the ragin.
waters in the little gully. The secon'
engine piled up on top Of the first
Thirteen box cars, loaded with lumbe
and coal, were smashed into kindlini
wood. The other seventeen cars wer
not damaged. The water was abou
fifteen feet deep in the gully as tn
tops of the cars were barely visible
above the swirling food. On the mort
of the track hail was piled four fee
deep, only the tops of the fence post
showing. The neighboring field
were covered with from three to fiv
feet of water.
Escaping Steam ScaIds.
Immediately following the wrec
came a scene of indescribable horror
Above the kissing Of escaping steaI
and the roar of rushing water coul
be heard the cries of the imprisone
men, as they were slowly roasted
death. Their cries Of agony an
torture made strong men sick {
heart.
Work Of Rescue Started.
The work of rescue started In
mediately. Conductor White, wit
the brakeman and the two tramp
rushed to the front of the train. Fir
man Harris was found lying abo,
twelve feet from the track, near
broken tender and partly in the waite
His leg was gone, he was injured i
ternally and suffering terrible agon
By this time passenger train No.
following close behind had arrived {
the scene and a number of the pa
sengers gave assistance. Farmer
from the adjoining country arrived
wagons. The seven dead tramps we
imprisoned beneath the wreckage
the work had to be abandoned uni
the arrival of the wrecker three hou
later. The body of Engineer Graha
I'D o,,I ht,rn
beyond recognition. A little later Il
bodies of Fireman Myers and BraB
man Elmer were also recovered TIL
had been scalded until the flesh fl
from the bones.
"'m Not Hurt" He said-And Die
The sheep shearers who were ridil
the bumpers" were we'll dresse
Their bodies were crushed and burn
beyond recognition. Buried und
wreckage and hail, one sheepman ga
directions for his release. When fin
ly free he talked to the rescuers,
sisting that he was not hurt serio,
ly." Three minutes afterward he W
dead.
Remarkable Escape.
Most remarkable was the escape
one "shearer." Desiring drink,
left the bumpers at Clinton. The tra
pulled out before he was aware a
he was unable to return to the true
but caught the caboose in compa
with negro who also escaped inju
Had he remained under the train,
would have shared the fate of
other seven who persisted.
Passenger Train Behind Time.
Passenger train No. 6 was aim
two hours behind time or there wo'
have been a different story. 7
freight pulled out ahead of the p
senger, but ordinarily the passenl
leaves first.