Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1893-10-26
IhE WRECKS PILE UP.
Most Horrible OF tho Year
occurs at Battle Creek. Mich.
Trains Losf>d with ooisx .nr
Somlnx Werld'. Fair vt.tter.
SoAifs On the chieswo
sad oraad Truna.
k~-sis sf D~t.sA.ai~n~~ 81 ors~-
y aiv~- Lost and . se.r- sf IN.
Victims Cresst-a May
Others InIar-a

bArrrE cRExx. Mich. or, .t-
i"rnty-siX heaps - charred bl,ek.
eneh hcsh. all that remains ~ "a,
u"t now were men. women and chil.
uren IA the enjoyment e lifa. h.ai,h
@"d happiness. rest upon the no-,r in
an i~inproviSed morgue in the hn<.u.u,
" 'nFniturr store in this city. A
mse away In the city hospital are a
ssure err more Of human beings With
gaShed bodies and broken limbs Aad
TOMS an engineer in jail and a CON-
anetor n fugitive from the law. and IN.
story i told, in brief. - the Ia,->. ~
raiirood horrors aud one 81 the most
appalling in It's character % this or re-
cent vear<.
direct dtSnhedieuce ~ or,isr~ ON III.
part 81 Chicago & Grand Trunk en-
gineer ard conductor. both q whom
had seem long service with the com
psny n were regarded a. model en-
pioy-s. was the cau~e of the tragedy
a Raymond and Whi,comb special
tram Of eight palace ears. aIIed with
eastern folk who had been taking in
\ sights Of the Worlds fair. left the
>tVtieth->treet depot ~ the road NJ
chicago AZ SIS, a. the first section of
the night express, known "a No &
The train was in charge % Engineer
Henry WOoley and CONDUCTOR Burt y.
Scott, both residents Of this pl.~e
Al went well until the Battle Creek
depot was reached. This was at 3.s..
Prom here to the railroad yards a dis
lance Of a mile and a half. there Is a
double track.
When h Nhiteomb special came TO
a full stop in the depot. the night oper-
ator handed In Conductor scott two
copies Of an order for the train 10 pro
ceet to the double track eas, Of the
station half a mile distant. and there
await the passage of the w~eSt-bound
Pacific express, known as No o. This
train which \ nearly three hours
late. was composed ~ nine DAY coaches
and two baggage ears Most Of the
coaches had seen many years service
and were in poor condition To stand a
collision Every n was packed with
eastern people the majority 81 whom.
taking advantage ot the low rates
were on their way 20 take in the last
week Of the exposition.
The Pacific express was in charge of
Engineer Gil Cranshaw aud 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 mp the double track, but in
stead 81 stopping. as were his instruc-
tionSuntil the we>t-bouud express had
passed. he continued on and entered
the main single track. lie had hardly
gone more than an eighth of a mile
press was seen coming around the
slight curve behind the telegraph of.
flee Of the railroad yards IL was
speeding westward at n rate of fully
forty miles an hour.
There was no time TO apply air
EdhfH VI AGNFANE 0NFA& "a tAk
neers and firemen of. both trains jumped
for their lives. and a second later the
giant locomotives came together with
a crash hat could be heard a 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 int the day coaches
behind. The shock was 50 terrific that
the first four of these were completely
t~elescopcd. the first coach cutting
through the second. and the second
into the third like a flash of lightning
the roof of each passing over the heads
Of the sleeping passengers. and sweep
ing them in a mass to the north enc OF
the cars
To add to the horror the wreck took
fire from the stoves or lamps, and rs
the flames mounted uP. the groans and
shrieks Of the MANNED and injured
were succeeded by h~eartrending.
agonizing cries and appeals for helE
from the score Of victims imprisoned
by the heavy timbers 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 out Of the cars. but
before the fury of the flames they wers
almost powerless To render any assist
apce except to the injured in the
fourth ear
At the moment of the crash Henry
Garfield. one u the night clerks in the
Grand Trunk Office. n short distances
away. pulled the fire-alarm box and
also telephoned to the engine house
for aid. A ~iII-fortune would have it,
however. the key To the tower wa
misIaid. and several minutes were lost
before the alarm bell was sounded Il
awaken the citizens The IRE depart
men. was prompt in responding. but
the nearest hydraDt was nearly 1905
feet away. and when a line of hose was
laid the pressure was not sufficient q
throw a stream Finally \ stream wa
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 svaila
bic the t~eleseoped coaches had been re
dueed to fragments of charred timber,
little more than the trucks remaining
The fremen then commenced the
rrewsome work of recovering whai
remained of the victims, the police
taking charge of the valuables snc
keeping the crowd at a distance
In response to the alarm from tbs
sre station pretty nearly the entirs
Town had turned out. and the leading
residents, assisted by their wives, de
xo,-d themselves TO the relief of thoss
injured in the fourth car. These wer'
plaeed in buggies and cars and taker
20 the Nichols house. where . corps o.