DIAMOND Special Run Into by Freight and Wrecked.

Two Killed in Collision Near Litchfield.

Litchfield, Ills., Feb. 17. – A wreck occurred on the Illinois Central five miles north of this city at 6:35 Sunday morning, in which Fireman BURNS and Brakeman McINTYRE were instantly killed and others were injured, as follows:

Conductor C. W. Castles, left hip and two ribs injured, also hurt about chest.
E. Eaton, colored porter, of 1217 Chestnut street, St. Louis, severely cut about the head and injured internally.
Jack Dean, 11 years, severe cut on left leg.
Michael Connelly, 510 Prairie avenue, Chicago, upper lip and nose badly cut and otherwise bruised about the head.
A. M. Dearborn, 1235 Wabash avenue, Chicago, injured by severe bruise on foot.

DUE TO CRIPPLED ENGINE.
The cause of the accident was that the engine of the Diamond Special, Chicago to St. Louis, was injured, so they were losing time and were only running about ten miles an hour when they were run into from the rear by a fast freight. The engine of the freight was completely buried in the rear of the Pullman. Fireman BURNS and Brakeman McINTYRE of the freight, who were killed, were thrown from the train or jumped, and were found under a carload of baled hay. About nine cars, loaded with baled hay and provisions, were ditched and thrown for a great distance on both sides of the track. The wires were broken, so train orders were interrupted and later orders were received by way of the Wabash line. A special was secured about 8:30 o’clock from this city bearing the road’s surgeon, Dr. J. D. Cobb who was hurried to the scene, and the wounded were taken care of, and about 11 a. m. the fast train left for St. Louis.

RAN IN TIME.
There was a miraculous escape, that of Eaton, the porter, and the brakeman and Jack Dean, the boy that was injured. They were standing in the rear part of the last car, talking, when the boy noticed the headlight of the freight and remarked, “What a bright light!” The porter looked and ordered them to run, which they did and were about the middle of the car when it struck and the engine was left in the car where they were standing, and the boy was within five feet of the front of the engine when he was rescued.

A wrecking crew was ordered from this city, and by 2 p.m. the track was cleared so that trains could pass, although it will be two or three days before the wreckage can be cleared away. The reason given by the engineer of the freight for the accident was that there was a heavy fog and he could not see a hundred yards ahead of him.

One Pullman car was a complete wreck and another one badly shattered, and glass was broken from several other cars. The loss will run up into the thousands.

The Daily Review, Decatur, IL 17 Feb 1902
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Transcribed by Jenni Lanham. Thank you, Jenni!