Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-10-14
He saw THE wREcK.
A Grand Rapids Man Was One or
the Rcscuc,x

JACKSON. Mich, Oct l2-fSpeciall- -
Samuel j. Robinson of Grand Rapids.
baggageman on the Michigan Central
running between this city and Grand
Rapids. was one Of the first to arrive on
on the spot after the accident hap
pened. lie worked nearly all day in
assisting 10 remove the dead and
wounded. To correspondent for
The HERALD he told the fol
lowing story: when the crash came l
was sitting in my boarding house look
ing out OF the window at the engine OF
the first section. The remainder Of tbs
train was obscured by tho depot was
not moro 100 yards away. heard the
second section pulling into the depot.
and an instant later heard a terrific
crash. knew In an instant that there
was wreck. and started on a run for
the depot. was one Of the first train
men there. The sight was fearful one
--one that cannot be described. The
passengers on the platform were seem
ingIy paralyzed by the awful spectacle.
The engine of the second section had
plowed its way into the rear Of the sec
ond, and two coaches were completely
telescoped. IL was as il two pasteboard
boxes had been crushed into each other.
In the midst OF the wreckage could be
seen dead aud mangled bodies plnned
firmly ia the debris by seats and tim
bers.
Here and there an arm or leg betok.
ened that under the mass Of twisted
iron and broken timbers was tho body of
a victim. There was no screaming: no
agonized shrieks only an occasional
groan to indicate that a spark Of life
still remained in some ot the unfortu.
nate excursionists who were imprisoned
in the wreck. We went 90 work in
stantly 10 remove the dead and wounded.
l do not believe there was a minutes
delay. Some of the killed we're In plain
sight and easily removed. Others
we had to dig from under the
mass q debris Holes were chopped
into the sides II the cars. and number
of persons rescued Ia that way. /
helped take eight women out. whom wc
expected to lind dead, but none of whom
were seriously injured. All u them
we're penned in. but the seats seemed %
have protected them. The women were
remarkably calm and self possessed
There was no ehrieking and DO aid
screaming from them. They waited o.
he rtscued and acted as cg-ol ss n being
imprisoned in a wreck vas an every day
occurrence with them. One stout
fioehy German woman handed out her
handbag and then sturdily refused 90
he rescued until We had takrn her vsliss
out through the window. The women
we're Thousand times more self
possessed than the men.
sAs fast ae the dead were taken cut
they we're seut 10 undertaking establish
ments and the wounded we're removed
o. hotels | saw twelve dead bosiies
carried away Most 81 the victims we're
women. a. the men were nearly ail cut
of the cars az the fime. One very for
tunafe thing IN conneciiou uith the &C
cidsrf vas that none - The steam PIPES
in the engine broke and nothing eas set
on TIRE Had either happened the avn
hes - aead naust certainly have hren
doubled. Il i improbable that any
thing - that character eouid - dupIt
catel Ia q honfted simslaf ereeks
Vet having enta q the 1rst arrfioa ~ u
railel into the irfsf. ! ess't ssy hos
fasf Il eas fHnnirn. bet I kagp fslkef
9Th seseral yaTd anen whe $50 the tthsn
AFTER u iest fhe iuncfon aud thty Ill
aaree that tbe sFeed eeaI1 sof have
been nsore thar - af seven uiies 81
hour. Bot - the trsaa wAs heavily