The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-10-27

Tho Most Horrible OF the Year
Occurs at Baltic Creek. Mich.
Two Trains Loaded with Doing and
Coming World's Fair Visitors
Collide on the Chicago
and 0rand Trunk.
A. the Result Of Olsobedtence OF Orders-
Thirty Lives Lost aud y Score Of the
Victims Crcmated Many
Others Injured.

BATTLE GREEN, Mich. Oct. Ell
Twenty-six heaps Of charred. black
cned flesh. all that remains of what
but now were men, women and chill
dren ia the enjoyment Of life. health
and happiness, rest upon the floor in
an improvised morgue in the basement
of 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 disobedicncc of orders on the
part of a Chicago a. Grand Trunk en-
gincer ard 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, filled 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:l5. as the first section of
the night express. known as No. q.
The train was in charge OF Engineer
Henry Wooley and Conductor Burt n.
Scott. both residents of this place.
All went well until the Battle Creek
depot was reached. This was at 3:31.
4, q IL a
lance of mile and half, there is a
double track.
When the Whitcomb special came TO
q full stop in the depot. the night oper-
ator handed to Conductor scott two
copies of an order for the train to pro-
coed to the double track east Of the
station half mile distant, and there
await thci passage of the west-bound
Pacific express. known as No. o. 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 n
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 wes 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 Woolcy
proceeded up the double track, but in
stead of stopping, as were his instruc-
tions, until the west-bound express had
passed, he continued on and entered
the main single track. lie had hardly
gone more than an eighth Of a 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. 1t was
speeding westward at a rate of fully
forty miles an. hour.
There was no time To apply air
brakes or reverse levers. The engi-
necrs and firemcn of.both trains jumped
for their lives. and & second later the
giant locomotives came together with
a crash that could be heard n 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 ears and
the latter in turn into the day coaches
behind. The shock was so terrific that
the first four of these were completely
telcscoped. the first coach cutting
through the second. and the second
into the third like 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 ears.
To add to the horror the wreck took
fire from the stoves or lamps. and as
the flames mounted up. the groans and
shrieks of the manned and injured
were succeeded by hcartrending.
agonizing cries ard appeals for help
from the score of victims imprisoned
by the heavy timbers or held down 10y
the seats and frame work. The ,rav-
elers on the special nearly all of whom
had been shaken out of their bcrths by
the shock. poured out Of the ears. but
before the fury IF the flames they were
almost powerless to render any assist
ancc except to the injured in the
fourth car.
At the moment Of the crash Henry
Garfield. one of the night clerks in the
Grand Trunk Office. IA short distance
away, pulled the fire-alarm box aud
also telephoncd To the engine house
for aid. As ill-fortunc would have il.
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
mcnt was prompt in responding, but
the nearest hydrant was nearly 1000
feet away. and when line Of hose was
laid the pressure was not sufficient to
throw Il 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 telescopcd coaches had been re-
duccd 10 fragments Of charrcd timber,
little more than the trucks remaining.
The frcmen then commenced the
grewsome work Of recovering what
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