Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-10-25
rWENTY-SIX DEAD.
Crowded Coaches TeIeSCOped and the 0CCu-
pants Killed as They Slept.

tY-SlX persons are reported killed,
many of whom were burned to
death in the wreck, which took fire
soon after the collision. The wreck
took place in the Battle Creek Yards
between 2 and o'clock in the morn
ing. TWenty-four bodies have already
been removed and many are to follow.
Forty persons were injured. The dead
are all terribly burned and unrecOg-
nizable. The accident occurred be-
cause the engineer of No. 6, going east,
disobeyed orders by not stopping at
Nichols to let No. 8 pass. The passen-
gers killed were all on the west-bound
train. AS far as known the victims
were all Eastern people,
4 Raymond u Whitcomb special train
of passengers from New York and Bos-
ton were returning from Chicago. The
train was in charge of Conductor Scott,
of this city, and Engineer Woolley, who
took orders at this station to meet at
Nichols No. 9, the Pacific express going
west, due at this station at 1:35; but
which was nearly three hours late. The
conductor or engineer or both of the
Raymond special disobeyed orders and
passed Nichols station and cOllided with
the Pacific express coming west at the
rate Of about thirty miles an hour.
other and are total wreck. The one
on the express was No. 15S, a new Cook
engine, in use only two weeks. The
engineers and tiremen when they saw
that q collision was inevitable, shut off
steam, reversed engines, put on brakes
and all jumped and escaped without
serious injury. The engineer of the
Pacific express was named Gil. Gran
shaw and the conductor was named
Burke. The conductor was badly hurt
by being caught in the cars.
When the collision took place the
second and third day coaches on No. 9,
the train going west, were completely
! telescoped. The horrible sacrifice took
place when the second coach cut
through the third coach like knife and
the roof passed over the heads Of the
sleeping Inflated passengers. The en-
CINE and baggage car of the special
were badly wrecked, but the cars being
sleeperS and the train moving slowly,
they escaped serious injury, and
no one on this train was in
iured. The Pacific express was
made up of thirteen day coaches
and four of them telescoped and burned
up, catching fire from the lamps in the
car. The passengers IN all the four
coaches were more or less injured and
in one of them, No. Is, called the I'M
lucky coach, which had been in several
accidents before, there were twenty
five dead bodies taken from the wreck
this morning by the fremen. They
were pinched under seats and jammed
up against the end Of the coach by the
next coach, which had telescoped it and
then burned them like rats in trap.
The accident was mile from the fire
station and before water could be
turned on the cars were all destroyed
and the bodies burned so as to be I'M
recognizable. Nearly all had their
heads, arms or legs burned off, and can
not be identified yet AS the second
coach crashed through it swept the
the stove where most of the
bodies were afterward found. The
car Immediately took fire and in an
instant was all ablaze. The night yard
men and neighbOrs in the vicinity
rushed to the rescue as soon as possible.
One passenger escaped from the door
way. Those who saved themselves
smashed out the windows and climbed
through. Three only got out of the left
side and about six from the right
side of the coach. All others
persisted. The most horrible sight was
that of Mrs. Charles Van Duzen, Of
Fort Plains, n. Y. She succeeded in
getting half way out of the windows, but
her legs were so fastened that those who
ran to her assistance could not rescue
her. She was burned to death before
the eyes of the spectators one half of
her body hanging out Of the window.
Before she persisted she gave her name.
The grueSOme work of removing the
dead continued until about 10 o'clock
when the last body was taken out. For
want of q sufficient number of stretch
ers, boards were nailed together upon
which the charred bodies were carried
out as fast as they could be ex-
treated. A temporary morgue was
arranged in freight car where the re-
mains were all taken and placed in
charge Of Ranger & Farley, undertakers.
The bodies were all burned beyond a
possibility of recognition. AS fast as
charred satchels, vaJises, pocketbooks
and watches were recovered they
were turned over to Policeman Halli-
day. Several gold watches were found
and one wallet containing $47. All of
the physicians in the city were sum-
moned to the scene. The wounded
were taken to the Target House, to the
railroad Offices, to Dowling's boarding
house and to residences in the vicinity.
Fifteen injured are now at the Nichols
Hospital.
Words are wholly inadequate to de-
pict the horror of the situation. Iwen-
ty-fve human bodies, or fragments of
bodies are lying in one ghastly
charredl heap in a building next to
the offices of the Daily Moon. Not
one of them can be identified. All
are burned and mutilated beyond
the possibility of recognition. Two
other bodies lie dead from their
wounds at the hospital; twenty
two more or less badly injured are also
lying at the hospital. AS the charred
remains were dragged from the wreck
they were piled in unrecognizable
heaps in box cars. Every few moments
the CHASTITY store was increased. IN
some instances it was only an armful Of
bones; in others charred flesh in shape
less masses.
HELD UP THE WRONG TRAIN.
iOht al Tn ST. he