Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-07-09
FIREMAN AND WOMAN
CAUGHT BENEATH
ENGINE
COACH IS D|TCHED
DOZENS HAVE MARROW ESCAPE
WHEN PASSENGER PLUNGES
OFF RAiLs-OOUBLE BEREAVE-

tpIfNldl
La Sale, July 9-Two are dead one
badly injured and dozens of people
escape with cuts and bruises in a
wreck which ditched the locomotive
and first coach of the Burlington work
train returning to La Sale from Ogles-
by at O'Clock yesterday afternoon.
One of the victims. a woman. met in
slant death when she was caught be-
meath the overturning engine and her
body terribly crushed The second vie
tim. the fireman, lived until II o'clock
last night at ST. Mary's Hospital. lir
was pinned in the cab and escaping
steam resulted in scalds which eG
tended over his arms and legs. Do.
ems of passengers. including women
and children returning from picnic
parties at Deer Park, had miraculous
escapes from death when the coat n
overturned While many were bruised
and shaken up, none sustained seri.
Gus injuries
The dead are:
Fireman Cooper, La Sale.
Miss Martha FIass. La Sale, sister
in-law OF Fireman Cooper.
Engineer John Zucher escaped with
minor injuries. He is confined to his
home In La Sale today. Physans e.'-
pect that he will be able to appear at
the inquest tomorrow.
Train was Northbound
The train was northhound ont oi
Oglesby for La Sale and was carrying
unmber of passengers enroute from
the cement mills and picnickers whc
had visited Deer Park. The train was
made up of the locomotive and three
coaches. The engine was running re
versed with the tender IN front
II was at a point near what is
known as Bent's siding. south of the
Vermilion bridge that the accident
occurred. just how fast the train was
travelling Is a question as yet unde
cded but when the tender left the
track 1t carried with It the engine ant
the first coach
In the cab of tho locomotive were
Mrs. Cooper. wife Of the fireman ans
Miss Hass, her sister, along with th'
engine crew.
AS the tender left the rails i
sweryed about and stopped directl.
at right angle to the track, FORMING
an effective blockade against the en-
gine and cars behind it. When the lc
comotive was derailed it swerved owe
to the right, going over an embank
ment at that side of the right OF way
and carrying with it the first coach
As the engine went over Miss Has
was pinned beneath the cab and II
believed that her death was lnstal
taneohs. Practically her entire boa
was crushed under the great weigh
Cooper was pinned in the cab and a
the escaping steam reached hlm n
hands, arms and legs were terror
scalded. His cries rose above III
screen of the heightened women an
children mong the passengers. 60
per's wife was thrown free from IL
engine and escaped with minor i
juries
The miracle Of the accident is Il
escape of the passengers In the ov
turned coach While all were mo
or less bruised and shaken up and
few cut by flying glass, not one W
seriously hurt.
Aid Rushed to Scene.
As word Of the accident reach
La Sale relief was soon on its wa
Physicians were hurried to the seer
first reports indicating that many
the passengers had been injured. A
balances followed and soon after
had been extricated from the wre'
Cooper was started for tho La Sa
hospital.
When il was seen that passeng'
had escaped serious injury rescur'
we're at work to remove the body
Miss Hass from beneath the locor
tive. ..,t
Coroner DOnahue arrived on
scene of the wreck within a sh
time and ordered the removal of
body to an undertaking establishm
in La Sale.
Meanwhile every effort was made
save the life of the fireman at
hospital, but 1t was seen that
chance was slight. The burns VIII
he had sustained were Of such a
ture that little hope could be held
that he would survive and at
o'clock last night death came.