TERRIBLE RAILWAY DISASTER

Kumara Times, Issue 1367, 17 February 1881, Page 2

TERRIBLE RAILWAY DISASTER

A telegViinl to the San FranttisfccH papers dated Oniahaj fraiiuary-' '£s#!' ■ says :—-. ; _ A terrible aCeicleiit happened tills morning, between ten andelewftnio'eldckj' i ■ on the Nebraska Division of Chicago, S£. Paul ami Qniaha Halfway* resulting in the death'or six men/and the wouuding of one; of the" accident was a deep-curved Cut about 800 feet long, about one mile south, of. the Middle Creek sidetrack, TWctifcj a few days ago, was'blown fgli of snow* and had been cleaned out sufScieotly to allow trains to -go through, but; they still had some trouble, the .north-bound passenger train having got stuck there! yesterday. This morning a working train and a gang of over twenty' men, Under Conductor Cams, were sent out from Oakland to work at the cut and shovel the snow upon flat cars, to haul it out and widen the passage-way <for trains. The snow on each side is as high as the passenger coaches, .and has been cut out in the shape of a trough, each side slanting slightly and terminating close to the* fails, About halfpast ten o'clock, the south-bound, pas-. . senger train, bound from Irvington to Omaha, came along at ; the" 'rate ~of twenty miles an hour, and upon approaching the cut, got under greater headway, so as to make the fun clear through. When within about 200 feet of the south end of the cut, the engineer felt the engine strike and run over something. ' He had seen nothing, as loose snow was flying in clouds in front of and over the engine, but he immediately whistled down brakes, and came . to a stop as soon as possible about 400 feet south of the mouth of the cut* Immediately upon stopping the train a man was found caught on the forward tvQcks of the forward car next to the engine, he having been carried all the I way there. He was extricated from his position. He was found to be dead. His clothes were all torn to pieces, and. he was cut, mangled and bruised horrible manner. He was laid aße temporarily, and upon going back vmo the cut, four more dead men and t») . wounded men were found lying on tft"track and each side of it. One of the wounded men was just breathing hia last, and was taken into one of the oars, 1 ' where he died in a few minutes. He had both legs cut off, and, was literally torn to pieces. The other wounded man had one of his ankles so badly cut that he will have to have it amputated. His head was also badly bruised*

other four men presented a terrible sight. Their arms and legs were broken "and crushed, and their heads and faces bVuised, wourtckd, and bleeding. The and the mnn who died just after "being found, were brought to Oaljfltoad on the passenger train. The Survivor was taken to his boarding lioubo, ; and the body of the other man deposited in. the depot, where it was 'recognised fey bis friends." The other 'five bodies were put on a working train, Vhica %as Van down to Oakland with them. It seetos that these seven men had gone Into the cut to shovel snow, : afld probably thought there was room 'enough to stand on the side of the track "and let the train, pass, and therefore thought nothing of it, for there was no "signals at *the north end of the cut to -stop the passenger train or to indicate that there was any danger ahead. E&tfctly how they came to be caught fcias not yet been learned, as the pas* 'sengefrs and some of the train men who arrived tfcte to-night did not know that 'any «c&dent bad happened -until after the tfain had stopped. There was nothing on tile pilot of the engine to show that the had caught them. The probability is that the train, coming ronftd the curve 'snddenly, caught them 'tinawares, and then they jumped to each the engine cylinder, or were pulled Hinder by the strong suction caused*by the train moving so rapidly through ■such a narrow passage-way.