Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 October 1889 — A HORRIBLE COLLISION. [ARTICLE]

A HORRIBLE COLLISION.

SCBI’RBAN PASSENGERS TERRIBLY MANGLED AND SCALDED. Five Killed Outright and a Dozen Injured, Some Fatally—An Engineer’* Running Ahead of Time the Cauzo of the Fatality —Distressing Scene*. [Chicago telegram.] Through the wanton carelessnea of Engineer Seth Twombley five lives were sacrificed in a wrack on the Eock Island Eailway, near Auburn Junction, a suburban station of Chicago. The passenger train had just passed the junction station and was stopped by a train crossing on an intersecting line, when Twombley’s freight came rushing up from behiud and Bent its engine crashing into the passenger. Before it struck the passenger train Tvrombley and his fireman jumped off aud made* their esoape. All of the killed save one were from Washington Heighta. The following ia a list of those instantly killed: Mr*. Ward, Washington Height*; Mrs. Captain Broun, Washington Heights; Miss Sadie Kelly, Washington Haights; Fred Huebner, Washington Heights; James W. McKinzie, Auburn Junction. The seriously wounded are: Mrs. A. K. Steele, Washington Heights, scalded about the breast and face and internally injured, probably fatal; Ous Mulcahey, S ntyslxth and Wallace streets, soalded abou. tile face and arms and two ribs fractured, also ins iured about the abdomen ; Mrs. Clark, of Washington Heights, daughter of Mrs. Captain Brown, who was killed, scalded all over her body and badly bruised about the head ; Parker Harding aud sister, Tracy avenue, scalded and bruiseu about the head and face; Anton Shuberg, Washington Heights, terribly scalded about head and arms aud internally injured. Others Injured are: Edward Smith, Jr., Daniel Lawrence, G. Klein, John Tierney, Michael Haggerty, Mrs. Wheeler, and Dan CrCounor. o! Washington Heights. The suburban passenger train which was wrecked left the Bock Island depot at Van Buren gtreet at 5:30 o’olook, wtth Conductor C. 8. Ellis in charge and Engineer Parker at the throttle. At 6:19 o'clock the train had passed Auburn Junction station and had discharged nearly all its passengers. The passenger trai, was made up of an engine and seven coaches. Just beyond Auburn Junotion, at Eightyseventh street, the rear oar is uncoupled to be sent on to Washington Heights, while the forward cars contiuue on the branch south to Morgan Park and Blue Island. The train had Btopped to let an incoming train' from the Washington Heights branch pass and to unoouple the rear oar when freight train No. 91 crashed into the rear. The passengers in the forward cars were badly frightened, but did not realize the extent of the acoident for some time. They heard the crash and felt a slight shook, but did not take in the situation until the smoke and hissing steam attracted their attention. The greatest confusion followed, and nearly every one rushed from the truin. The locomotive had forced its way clear inside of the rear coach, and the hissing steam and the shrieks of the wounded and imprisoned passengers increased the horror. There wore between twenty-five and thirty people on board the fated car, and that any of them escaped alive is a miracle. The passengers from the other cars at once lent a helping hand, and many were saved who but for timely assistance must have succumbed to the scalding steam and choking smoke from the engine.

By some at present inexplicable reason, the freight was ten minutes ahead or time, and presumably to this is the sad accident alone due. The track is a straight one at this point, and Engineer Twom* bley must have seen the passenger ahead! some time before he struck it. He says that he reversed his engine immediately and whistled down brakes, but the velocity of the train proved too groat to be halted in time to avoid the smash-up. According to some of the spectators the freight was running at tho rate of twenty miles an hour. It was a heavily loaded train, and from the fact that the engine Crashed almost its whole length into the car without seriously injuring the sides, it must have been running at a high rate of speed. Tne bodies of the dead were in a horrible condition, and in some instances were literally cooked. Miss Kelly was so badly scalded that it was almost impossible to distinguish her features at all.