The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1893-10-28

- i. Il ~
wreck on the Grand Trunk This morn
ing is by far the worst of the year.
Already 1t is known that twenty-six
are dead, most OF whom were roasted
alive after the wreck took fire. The
list of injured printed below does not
include twenty more who were less
seriously injured. The citizens of
Battle Creek are doing nobly for the
injured many, of whom are being cared
for in private dwellings.
BATTLE CREEK, Mich, Oct. el.-A
railroad wreck more terrible in its re-
suits than any other of the many hor-
rors which have been recorded since
Z the heavy Worlds Fair passenger
traffic began occurred on the Grand
! Trunk road at Nichols, about one
mile east of this city, at | o'clock this
! morning.
Two passenger trains collided.
! several coaches were demolished and
shortly after caught fire. At $ o'clock
twenty dead bodies had been extri-
Gated from the wrecl,age and-it is be-
lieved there are many more that have
not yet been discovered. The mum Der
of injured is estimated at between
twenty-five and thirty, though it may
be much larger.
The trains which collided were a
Raymond and Whltcomb special, be-
ing run as the first section of No. g.
known as the Atlantic express. and
No. ., the Pacific express. The Grand
Trunk yards lie between Battle Creek
and Nichols, which is one mile east of
Battle Creek. and the train crew on
the outgoing train, No. Q, had an
order to meet the Raymond special on
the double track at Nichols. 1t is
supposed that the wreck was due to
the dlsregarding of this order. Be
yond Nichols the yard tracks verge
into a single track and No. ., instead
of side-tracking, ran right out onto the
single track. The trains struck each
other within quarter Of mile from
Nichols
Both were going at high speed and
were well loaded with sleeping pas
sengers. The engines were badly
smashed and the baggage car on the
Raymond train was wrecked but none
of tho passengers on this train was
hurt, The outgoing train Jared
worse and the baggage car and three
coaches were demolished. To add to
the horror the wrecked coaches imme-
diately caught fire and were burned
to ashes. 1t is thought that the ma
iority of the killed were burned to
death or Suffocated bv smoke. None
of the train crew was injured.
The scene of the wreck Immediately
after the collision was most appal-
ling. The groans OF the injured and
dying rent the cold morning mir,
through which a drilling rain fell,
and dense darkness prevailed. The
frantic crics,of those who escaped were
almost as terrible to hear as the groans
,f bn H'oVt,,,r u, l.
occurred the country is only thinly
populated by farmers and those who
were around FASTENED to the spot
and did whatever they could TO as
siSt in recovering the dead and
wounded from the burning mass OF
wreckage and to alleviate the suffer
ing OF the injured As soon as the
news reached Battle creek u corps OF
surgeons was dispatched to Nichols,
where they did heroic service
Henry Garfield. one Of the night
clerks AT the Chicago \ Grand trunk
Offices, heard the crash and immedi-
atcly called the fire company, and
then te!cphoned 10 the engine house
for help to eXtinguish the flames. The
t!rcmen responded promptly, but as
they were mile from the scene. and
because Of the distance of the hydrant
from the ears, and the difficulty OF the
fire engines getting between the
trains, the flames had gained con-
sidera BILE Roadway when line of
hose was finally laid, and it was some
time before the fire could be eXtin-
guished. = ~
C.. II. Ward and Il. S. Ward, broth
evs, of Moretown, VT, were in the ILL
fatcd coaches and were among the
number who escaped uniniured. After
the crash c. II. Ward jumped out of
tho left side through a window Ia
front of him sat lady with a baby.
lie pulled her through the window
when She cried out to save her baby,
but the little one was fastened be-
meath the seat and persisted while the
craZcd mother had to bc taken away
by force Ward says that in front Of
the woman was young lady and Just
behind her Young man. Back of
him were two young men. None es-
capped
H. 5. Ward came ont of the roof in
some manner, he knows not how lie
jumped Off the roof and helped out
Harvey j. Smith of Fort rlains, \. y,
Mrs. Smith and their son. Frank, and
daughter Nellie. This family are all
injured but escaped, while those
around them perishcd.
BY o'clock tho news reached the
city, the people began to come in
crowds, and it was all that the police
and railro al men could do to keep the
curious people back. 1t can be said to
the CT, dit OF the city that no acts OF
vandalism were perpctrated, and the
people were all orderly. The Battle
Creek department did noble work, and
did all of the labor connected with the
taking out of the bodies.
Kansas Fair Building.