The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-10-25

<f,-es Consume the Mass of Wreck
are and Destroy Almost All Means
of identifying the Dead-Mrs. VAN
dusen's Awful Fate-The Arrest of
the Guilty Engineer and Conductor
Train officials Talk of the Disaster
the Most Appalling of the Year
Wreck of Bnrnum a BniIy's Circus
Train-Those wounded i'm the Illi-
4 nofs Central Smash-Up.
BATTLE CREEK, Mich, Oct. 2o.-The
error Of one human being-of man
who crouches affrighted like a hunted
animal in a prison cell tonight-led to
4he greatest railroad holocaust in the
history of Michigan today. and twenty
six human lives have paid the penalty
of the moments negligence.
Two trains, both laden with passen-
gers. met in a direct head-on collision
on the Grand Trunk railroad at $40 this
morning in the suburbs of this city, and
that the number of dead and injured
was not four-fold greater is due to the
fortunate fact that the collision oc-
CURED il the suburbs of city, instead
of the open country. where both trains
would have been running at full speed
AS il is. twenty-six charred, disfig-
ured and unacceptable bodies lie in
She morgue tonight and twenty-seven
,narred and bleeding victims are groan-
ing in agony in the Charity hospital.
How many of these wounded may be
in the death list tomorrow no one can
tell. for the injuries in many cases are
internal and quite unfathomable to the
only superficial medical examination that
4, possible now All that surgical science
can do is being done and the officials of
the Chicago & Grand Trunk railroad are
doing all that is possible to alleviate the
condition of the suffering and care for
the needs of the victims of the dreadful
disaster.
Failed to obey Orders.
The two trains which met face to
face while going at a rapid rate of
speed this morning were both regular
trains. although each was considerably
behind time. One was a Raymond &
whitcomb special train. returning from
the worlds fair, and bound for New
York and Boston. and the other was the
regular Pacific express west-bound The
Raymond & Whtcomb was running as
an extra section of a regular train anC
was therefore a regular" in the phrase
L.. % tka rafIroad man The engineer
of the latter train had positive order.
TO side-track for the express at a sid
ing a mile east Of this city. lie ig
nored these orders and 600 feet beyond
this siding he met the east-bound full
on. Both trains were wrecked and hal
the train Of the Pacific express was de
inolished and burned. The Raymond &
Whitcomb train being composed slmos
entirely Of heavy sleepers, escaped seri
Gus injury and none of the excursionist
lost their lives.
Twenty-Slx Dead.
The engineers and firemen Of bot
trains jumped in time to save thei
lives. but twenty-six passengers of tn
Pacific express met almost instant death
The day coaches in the front part Of tn
train were telescOped and burned, an
OF the twenty-six human remains at tn
morgue tonight, conjectures can onl
be made as TO the identity Of six. TWEEN
" remain entirely unidentified. Thos
identified by letters or articles I'm thei
clothing or by other means are as 70
lows:
c. C. vANDUsEN of sproutbrook.
Y; died at the hospital.
Mrs. c. c. vANDUSEN of Sprour
brook, n. Y; burned to death in til
wreck before she could be extricated-
w. w. HENRY OF woonsocket, r.
burned TO a crisp.
Mrs. F. r. MCKENZIE of Middletowl
Conn: burned to a crikp.
T. A. MCCARTNEY of Toronto; maj
gled and burned to death.
]. w. BEARDsLEY Of Watkins, I
Y; burned and mangled.
The Bodies I'm the MorEue.
The coroner has numbered each
the twenty-five bodies now in Il
morgue, consecutively. and noted the a
tfcles that have been found on each boo
that might lead 20 Identification. Rel
lives or friends telegraphIng from a di
tance as to the identity OF the remaii
should mention the number OF the boo
in order that the proper record may
made by the coroner and mistak
avoided in forwarding the remains. IT
coroner's official list OF the remains no
at the morgue is follows:
No. MALE, hunting spectacles. "
blank books. bottle OF pills, railros
ticket pocket-book containing $64
money and paper marked Il. j. Mega
Providence, r.. L.; silver open-fac
watch, pocket knife.
NJ. 2-Female, buried to crisp
clothing.
No. 3-Boy, red hair, pocket-boo
chatelain watch. handkerchief, with r
border, short pants and long stockine
No. Nv. W. Henry Of Woonsock'
r. l.. OF the firm Of Sheldon & Henf
lumber dealers: railroad tickets. busine
cards. etc.
No. 5-Male, dark handkerchief mark
~ biAAk su1t stAtemart on pap