Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 October 1890 — CHILDREN IN A WRECK. [ARTICLE]

CHILDREN IN A WRECK.

EXCURSION TRAIN SMASHED IN A COLLISION. Five and a Large Number Mangled in the Ruin*—Some One's Carelessness Responsible lor the Horror - Heart-'lending Scenes at the Wreck. Chicago Dispatch: Through the carelessness of the train hands of an Illinois Central traiu, who failed in -the performance of their duty, two pa»senger trains cama together Sunday night at tbe Kedzie avenue crossing of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad tracks, enacting >a horrible death-deal-ing scene. Five persons were killed, two fatahy injured, and eleven more or less seriously injurod. The klllod: No. 159 Ashland avenue. MARGARET DIENER, 14 years of age. living at Ashland avenue and Twentieth street. OTTO SCHOLEFF. 80 years of age, living ut No. W* Center street. PETER BERGER, 22 years of ago, living at 008 Hastings street. UNKNOWN M AN,’about 27 years of age. Tho fatally injurod arc: Lena Ifiswio, No. 189 Orchard street, left leg broken and orushod abeub the upper part of the body. Loitisk Tokusr. 10 years of age, residents* unknown, logs crushed uud severe internal injuries. Fred Riswic, No. 180 Orchard street, left leg broken and band crushed. Miss Bonne, No. lid Burling street, collar bone and right arm broken. Fked FriSTKW, right hand cut off. John Kkakmer, left arm broken and fingers of right bund mashed. Albert Bchokr, No. SOU Hastings street, right foot out off. It. Huffman, No. 30 Nutt street, loft leg broken below the knee. E. Kuhn, No. 39 Fisk street, right arm and three ribs on the right, side broken. Robert Hoffman, No. 290 Lullln street, right arm broken at tiie wrist. Frank Buhlint, right hand mashed and s.iulp wounds. Prte it K a human, right foot mashod. Hknuv Hirnnman, No. 438 Ogden avenue, severe cut on the nock and scalp wounds. The accident occurred at 7:20 o’clock and was caused by tho Downer’s Grove express on tho Chicago. Burlington & Quincy road, crashing into tho roar of an Illinois Central picnic train standing at tho crossing only a few foot from the Douglas Park station. ,-tt that hour the Illinois Central train bearing several hundred merry children who wore returning from a plcnlo given bv tho Garmau Evangelical Lutheran Orphan asylum at Addison Park, twonty-cight miles from tbe city, became stalled at tho Kedzie avoniio crossing, botwoen Nineteenth and Twentieth stroots, owing to a train crossing tho track at Western avoniio a sow blocks further oast. Tho picnic train was divided in throe sections, the roar section con-, taining eight passeugor coaches. They lmd boon warned by tho semaphore of danger and had couia to a complete stand-still, whon the C. B. & Q. Downer’s Grove ox press came bowling along at tho rate of thirty miles an hour and. In full view of dozens of horrified spectators, crashed with terrific forco into the rear car of tho lust suction of the traiu. An almost indescribable scene of hor ror and misery Immediately followed. The crash of the collision was heard blocks away, wliie above tho dm could plainly be heard tho shrieks of agony from tho dying uud Injured, and the cries of the uninjured who, goaded to desperation by tholr impending fate, fought madly with oacli other to escape the awful wreck.

Station Agont Eagan was standing on the depot platform when the crash came, talking to an acquaintance, and together with isovoral residents of tho neighborhood ran to the scono only a few yards awuy. It was an awful sight. Tho throe rear coaches of tho picnic train were telescoped and pllod up in groat confusion. Beneath the debris of crushed timber and broken glass tho groans of tho dying and injured could bo heard, and the rescuing party Immediately began tho task of extricating them from their perilous position. A telephone call brought a patrol wagon with a squad of men. Tho members of truck company No. 12, with their axes and saws wore also summoned. With those reinforcements the work of rescuing tho unfortunates was speedily accomplished. Thedoadand most of too injured wore in the second and third coaches of the train. Axes and saws were brought into play and In a few minutes the dead body of Lilly Dlener was taken from the wreck. The poor girl’s body waa fearfully mangled and was carried into theylepot and laid on the floor. Then two unknown men whose faces were crushed beyond recognition were taken out and carried to tho depot. Tho Injured were iJpeedily taken out and carried to neighboring houses. Physicians who had been summoned, alleviated the sufferings of the injured and they were then taken to the-couuty and Presbyterian hospitals.- A few of the injured lived within a few blocks of the scene of the accident and these were taken to their homos. There seems to be a division of opinion as to the real cause of the accident. Tho engineer of the Burlington train, Robert Dixon, claims that the plcnio train displayed no danger signals on the ijpar car. while his fireman, Frank Marsh, admits that he saw one from Iris side of the engine, but it was burning so low as to be ajmost indiscernable and could not he seen five car lengths away. L. Voss, who lives at No. 954 Spaulding avenue, was in his back yard talking witli a neighbor, John Fellows, and says that two bright, rod lights were displayed from either side of the rear platform of the last car. However that may be, tho Illinois Central train is in part or wholly to blame from the fact that the rear bralcetnan disregarded the rules of the company and failed to go back with danger signals to warn approaching trains after his train had come to a stop.