Grundy County IL Archives News.....Alton Train Hit Vehicle with Five Men in It February 23, 1903
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Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com September 1, 2007, 2:01 pm

Decatur [IL] Review February 23, 1903
Killed Three Men

Bloomington, Ills., Feb 23.-The pilot of engine No. 600 on the Alton, pulling 
the Hummer, when it arrived in this city at 10 o'clock last night was 
bespattered with blood and torn bits of clothing. These were ghastly reminders 
of a tragedy at Braceville, where this engine-one of the new giants-struck a 
buggy containing five men, all miners, killing three of them instantly, and so 
badly wounding another that he die.

All the victims are Polaks with unpronounceable names. It seems they were 
driving in a buggy and attempted to cross the track right ahead of the Hummer. 
The engine struck the front end of the vehicle, snaping[sic] it loose from the 
horses, the animals being uninjured. After running three-quarters of a mile 
beyond Braceville, Engineer Davis noticed some object on the pilot ahead.

Stopping his engine, he found three men on the pilot, jammed against the 
boiler head. One was dead and another fatally injured, dying a little while 
later. The third was also badly hurt. The train was backed to the crossing, 
where two other men and the demolished vehicle were found. One of these men 
was dead, the other badly hurt. The bodies of the dead were taken to 
Braceville for burial, while the doctors who were on the train attended to the 
injured. Captain Vowell of this city was on the train and helped to carry the 
bodies to a place of safety. The train was in charge of Conductor Humphrey. So 
far as known no blame attaches to the railroad men for the accident, as the 
victims were apparently intoxicated.

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