Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-10-26
THE WRECKS PILE UP.
The Host Horrible Of the Year
Occurs at Battle Creek, Mich.
Two Trains Loaded with Going and
Coming Worlds Fair Visitors
Collide on the Chicago
and Grand Trunk.
As the Result OF Disobedience of Orders
Thirty Lives Lost and u Score OF the
Victims Cremated-Many
Others Injured.

but now were men, women and chill
dren in the enjoyment of life, health
and happiness, rest upon the floor In
an improvised morgue in the basement
of a furniture store in this city. A
mile away in the city hospital are a
score or more of human beings with
gashed bodies and broken limbs Add
to this an engineer In Jail and con-
ductor fugitive from the law, and the
story is told, in brief, of the latest OF
railroad horrors, and one of the most
appalling in its character of this or re.
cent years. -
Direct disobedience of orders on the
part of a Chicago & Grand Trunk en-
gineer and conductor, both of whom
had seen long service with the com
pany and were regarded as model en-
ployes, was the cause of the tragedy.
A Raymond and Whitcomb special
train of eight palace cars, filed with
eastern folk who had been taking in
the sights of the Worlds fair, left the
Sixtieth-Street depot of the road at
Chicago at S:15, as the first section OF
the night express, known as No. 6.
The train was in charge of Engineer
Henry Wooley and Conductor Burt N.
Scott, both residents of this place.
All went we'll until the Battle Creek
depot was reached. This was at 3:37.
From here to the railroad yards, a dis
lance of mile and half, there is a
double track.
When the Whitcomb special came to
full stop in the depot, the night oper-
ator handed to Conductor Scott two
- Il e.. I, -
coed to the double track east of the
station half mile distant, and there
await the passage of the west-bound
Pacific express, known as No. 9. This
train, which was nearly three hours
late, was composed of nine day coaches
and two baggage cars. Most of the
coaches had seen many years service
and were in poor condition to stand a
collision. Every car. was packed with
eastern people the majority of whom,
taking advantage of the low rates
were on their way to take in the last
week of the exposition.
The Pacific express was in charge of
Engineer Gil Cranshaw and Conductor
John Bird, both of whom had received
orders at Lansing to look out for the
east-bound train on the double track,
and were accordingly on the alert.
After receiving his orders at the Bat
tie Creek station, Engineer Wooley
proceeded up the double track, but in
stead of stopping, as were his instruc-
lions, until the west-bound express had
passed, he continued on and entered
the main single track. He had hardly
gone more than an eighth of mile
when the headlight of the Pacific ex-
press was seen coming around the
slight curve behind the telegraph Of
fee of the railroad yards. It was
speeding westward at rate of fully
forty miles an hour.
There was no time to apply air
brakes or reverse levers. The engi-
neers and firemen OF. both trains jumped
for their lives, and a second later the
giant locomotives came together with
a crash that could be heard half mile
away. With fearful force the engine
of the special plowed nearly half way
into that of the express, driving it
backwards into the baggage cars, and
the latter in turn into the day coaches
behind. The shock was so terrific that
the first four of these were completely
telescoped, the first coach cutting
through the second. and the second
into the third like a fash of lightning.
the roof of each passing over the heads
Of the sleeping passengers, and sweep
ing them in mass to the north enc of
the cars.
To add to the horror the wreck took
fire from the stoves, or clamps, and as
the flames mounted up. the groans and
shrieks of the MANNED and injured
were succeeded by heartrending,
agonizing cries and appeals for help
from the score Of victims imprisoned
by the heavy timbets or held down by
the seats and frame work. The trav-
elers on the special, nearly all of whom
had been shaken out of their berths by
the shock, poured ont of the cars, but
before the fury Of The flames they were
almost powerless to render any assist
ance except to the injured in the
fourth car.
Garfield. one of the night clerks in the
Grand Trunk Office, a short distance
away, pulled the fre-alarm box and
also telephoned to the engine house
for aid. AS ill-fortune would have it,
however. the key to the tower was
mislaid, and several minutes were lost
before the alarm bell was sounded to
awaken the citizens. The fire depart
ment was prompt in responding, but
the nearest hydrant was nearly 1000
feet away, and when a line of hose was
laid the pressure was not sufficient to
throw n stream. Finally a stream was
secured from another hydrant, the fire.
men meanwhile attacking the blazing
wreck with axes, hatchets, and lengths
of rails found in the yard; but by the
time that a supply of water was availa-
BILE the telescoped coaches had been re-
duced to fragments of charred timber,
little more than the trucks remaining.
The fremen then commenced the
grewsome work of recovering what
remained of the victims, the police
taking charge of the valuables and
keeping the crowd at distance.
In response to the alarm from the
fire station pretty nearly the entire
town had turned out. and the leading
residents, assisted by their wives, de-
voted themselves to the relief of those
injured in the fourth car. These were
placed in buggies and cars and taken
to the Nichols house. where corps of
physicians and nurses were in waiting
to minister to their sufferings.
The first body was fcah1 about z
o'clock, and few minutes later q
dozen were discovered in a heap around
the stove in the second car. The task
continued until twenty bodies or por-
tions of human beings had been brought
out of the debris.
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