Year: 1870




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The Western papers are filled, to the exclu-
sion of other matter, with details of the fright
full casualty at Eureka, by which nineteen per-
sons lost their lives, and over forty others were
grievously injured. The Missouri Democrat of
Saturday says


The public, of course, are anxious to know
who is to blame for the catastrophe. 1t is evil
dent that somebody blundered"-who the
blunderer was is matter for the investigation
of the Coroner's jury: The testimony taken yes
terday throws some light upon this subject.


1t will be seen by the statement of Mr. Trower
a citizen of Eureka, that he heard the freight
train coming, and warned the men on the ex-
press train; but the warning was unheard, or at
least unheeded If Mr.. Trower had possessed q
little more energy and a stronger voice, he
would have been the means of saving many
lives and much destruction of property. At the
time Mr.. Trower gave the warning the express
train was moving off from the station at Eureka
and the conductor was talking to another man
and did not hear the warning. The fireman, it
seems, heard, or at least saw, Mr.. Trower, but
probably did not comprehend what he said


The accident occurred about mile and half
east OF Eureka, and midway between Eureka
and Glencoe. The express train had fallen over
an hour behind its time at Washington, and in
order to facilitate the transit of the freight trains
going West the train dispatcher at that place
issued orders to two freight trains (No 90 and
No. 30 extra) to use thirty minutes of the time
of the express train (No a. No. 80, regular,
having consumed all that it properly could of
this thirty minutes, stopped at Eureka for the
express to pass, No. 29. extra, according to the
statements of the conductor and engineer had
ample time to get to Eureka but, if their
statements are true, their watches must have
been about fifteen minutes slow, for they
say the accident. occurred at two or three
OF the express says it occurred at twenty
minutes past o'clock The weight of the testf-
mony is in favor of the latter time, and it
remains for the conductor of the extra freight
10 in
the time. If his watch had been right he
would have known that he had consumed all of
his thirty minutes before leaving st. Paul. But
he says he left St. Paul at AS; If that time was
correct, he had ample time to get to Eureka
before the expiration of his thirty minutes
margin. The conclusion seems inevitable that
train-or else with his time-piece, which it was
his duty to have regulated before starting. 1t
would seem, on the whole, that he did not use
due caution. The record of the time of his
arrival at St. Paul was written by himself, and
made up from his own time1piece. MIA


The conduct OF the conductor and engineer of
the freight train suggests the inquiry whether
they were not conscience-stric at beholding
the calamity. They tell us themselves that,
without waiting to ascertain the extent of the
dsaster-withOut turning hand to rescue the
wounded, they fled to st. Paul, leaving the dead
and the dying to take care of themselves. This
desertion of their post cannot readily be excused
or palliated. William Oder is the name of the
conductor, and Joseph Tracy was the engineer.
lu6 Only excuse Jney 0ucr 10r Cnelr 1lgnt was
that they '.went to report the accident" On
being questioned by the jury, Oder said he
.'apprehended danger from the passengers"
Tracy says he also feared violence from the
wounded men do him /?


How different was the conduct of Dubois the
conductor of the express train! He was bruised
and bleeding, but he remained for some time on
the scene, and rendered all the assistance in his
power TO the wounded. He had no fear of being
mobbed by the passengers, because he felt that
he was not blamable for the disaster. The
farmers in the vicinity testify that he acted the
part of a man, and did his best to relieve the
sufferers.


According to the evidence the two trains
were running at a rate OF about 30 miles an hour.
The grade deseends from both directions and
the trains met on level embankment about
twenty feet high. So loud was the conclusion
that 1t was mistaken for thunder by some of the
farmers. more complete wreck OF locomotives
cannot be imagined.


Horrors of the CeIIisien-Expe erienoe OF a Sur


Viyor-lneideats- =


The accident was a collision between the East
bound express train, due at st. Louis at 6 A. M,
and West bound extra freight train. The ex-
press train had fye passenger cars and bag
gage car, and the freight train was long heavy
one, drawn by powerful locomotive. At the
point of collision there is an embankment ff-
teen feet high, where the road curves SO sharply
that two approaching trains cannot see each
other until close together. 1t was at this
perilons spot that the approaching trains, at a
laundering rate of speed, came together.


The two engines rushed at each other like en-
ragged monsters with tremendous crash, reared
from the track and fell into disjointed frag-
ments on the ground. The shock was terrible.
The tender baggage car and the two forward
passenger cars of the express train on one side,
and the tender and several box cars of the
freight train on the other, went into the crash
with their engines, leaving a disordered and
frightful ruin, spattered with the blood of forty
human beings beneath its shapeless mass.
There was no warning to the passengers, aud
none of them had time to Jump. The two en-
gines were driven with such force into each
other, that it was almost impossible, after the
collision, to distinguish the parts of one from
the other; the crushed cars were iammed to-
gether, the cars being shiyered into long slyers,
and the seats, wheels, trucks, and irons
blended In an indescribable heap which
rolled of down the embankmeat. The
three rear cars OF the express
train escaped the fate of the two forward ones
After the collision they were found standing on
the track. The spectacle was one impossible to
view without absolute horror. 1t was chaos aud
death combined. The engines, both on the same
side of the embodiment, were but heap of
battered fragments while around on all sides
was confusion twice COMPOUNDED. The baggage
car and the one next 10 II were shivered as If
by an internal explosion, and the mass OF broken
timbers, iron rods, and wheels looked like the
work OF some internal agency. In collision the
principal loss results from wood splinters, sharp
jagged spears that fly with the shock, ike
arrows. Several Of the victims of this
accident we're slain in this way, and 10