The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-10-14
WORST WRECK THIS YEAR
Twelve Worlds Fair Excursionlsts
Killed and Two Score Man.
gled and Crushed.
Another Terrible Accident Duo to
the Praotics OF Running In
Sections.


While Standing at the Station In Jackson,
Mieh., = Michigan Central Train II
Teiessopcd.
JACKSON, Mich. Oct. 13.-The most awful
railroad disaster Of the present year is the
most that can be said Of tho terrible wreck
which occurred this morning right In front
Of the depot Of tho Michigan Central Rail-
road company In this city. dozen lives
we're wiped ont and nearly two score people
nanRlsd and crushed. All tho people. who
were happy and joyful. wore on tho way to
Chicago. presumably 10 visit the Worlds
fair. II is the first wreck of any oonss.
quence on the Michigan Central railroad
since 1879 and the result was appalling.
The train In which the casualties 90
CURED was an excursion train shat left
" atertown. N. ". .yeste day for Chicago,
In two sections. ks.viiy loaded. Ths first
section reached a1ykson at $50 this morn.
ing and stoppsd,"at tho do! OF 70 change
engines. Many passengers alighsec to
get . bite Of breakfast during tho wait.
This in itself. was a most fortunate
occurrence, az had IL not been for this the
list Of killed and injured would have been
much greater. While the frat section was
standing In the station. the second section
came int the yard At the rata Of twenty
miles an hour. The engineer saw the SEM
aphoss set and tried to stop. but 70, some
unacoountable reason the air brake on his
pN.fu hAnA -
crashed with terrific force into the cars
standing still. The two rear coaches of the
frst section wore teleseopsd, and il was in
these that most of the easualties occurred.
Evsry passenger In these oars was either
killed or terribly injured. The third coach
from The rear Of the hrst ssston was thrown
to one side and four passengers In il killed
and others injured. With the exception of
the engine and baggage car the rear section
escaped serious harm. The engine was
badly wrecked and steam and hot water
escaping from the sides Of the puaosuzsd
beilsr added greatly TO the suffering Of tho
unfortunate victims.
Within q very short time after the acci
dent occurred the people Of the city Qnth-
cred At the sosne BY hundreds and aided
the Tailr oad mcn in everv possible way in
suosorinR the unfortnnates. Preside mt
Ledyard and otheE high oflicisls Of the
oad oame I, en- Detroit on special trnin
as sson - they wers advised of the awful
e6aiY, and directed the efforts of ths res.
! ousrg
The killrd are: Mrs. D. z. Gibbs. Wheel
inc. N. Y; Mrs. Lloyd Woodbury.. Bath. N.
Y; James Woodbury.. Bath. N. Y; Mrs.
Maggie NsMaster. Penn Yam. n. T.; Har-
rist Breece. Pine City. N. Y; Mrs. Charles
Louisville. N. Y: Mrs. j. W. Bsat dsley,
Canton, Pa; Baby HARRINGTON, six months
old child of Mrs. Anson Harrington. Ell
Hun. Pa.
Injured: Kate Healy, Morris Run. Pa.
fractured thigh; Joanna Healy. Morris hup,
| Pa. serious internal injuries and actu,o Q
Of both legs; J. N: Anderson. Morris Run.
Pa. thigh cut, Drained: Mrs. 1 limothy Dom
bruises; Miss Maud Benedict. Canton. Pa.
serious internal injuries; Mrs. Anson Har-
rington, Elmirs. N. Y. log broken; Miss
Blanche Beardsley. Canton, Pa. fatal frae-
ture OF the skull; Mrs. G. W. Fay, Elmirs.
N. Y. painful cuts and bruises; Mrs. Laura
Fay. Elmi1a. n: y. bruised and cut; ": r:
b uised; Mrs. Alfred bearles. Elmira. N. Y.
internal injuries; Miss E. Dslnetch. Ell
mira. N. Y. internal injuries; Mrs. Mary
Wakefield. Elmira. N. Y. cut and b; uised;
Miss Sarah l.. Keller, Hammondspot. N.
Morris Run. Pa. log broken. internal
injuries; L. B. A'nsvorth. NORWICH.
N. Y. serious internal injuries;
Miss Allie Harris, Canton. Pa. internal in
juries: Miss Mary G. Krise, Cnnton. Pa.
serious cuts and bruises; Mrs. G. II. Cur
ner. Horse Heads, N: Y, cot and bruised;
Maud Gardner, nged eight. bruised and cut;
MI. ]. A. Bu lingame, East Spt ptinRfeld. N.
Y, head cut; F. Lewis, Columbia Cross
koads. Pa, cut md b, uised.
| When the collision occurred the shrieks
that rent tho air could be heard tor blocks.
before tho crash and escaped uninjured.
| Engineer Wu. Whalen remained at his
post to the last and was badly hurt. but
may not recover.
As the nangled forms wers gradually re-
moved from the coaches. the mass of on
looke's aroaned in sympathy and the in
| jured cri,d out in agony.
The Lord have mercy on my soul. "
shrieked one poor fellow, whose life wna
ebbinQ awav. Cool Jesus care for
Tommy" cried a woman. who was dying
with child at her breast. A woman whose
track suffc ing untold mental and physical
agony. She Was tho mother of n child two
yrars old and implored tho bystanders to
save her child. ''Onlv lot me SEQ my babe
before die" said she. You who know q
mothers love; get my child. besesch you"
Hex child was dead.
The work Of removing the dead and in
iured was carried on With all possible dis
patch. Mayor Bennett and Sheriff Peck
took charge OF the work Of the townspeo-
pie and TO them aud the citizens generally
is duo great credit for tho attention be.
slowed upon the sufersrs. Though a
thousand splinters wore scattsrsd about
this morning but few remain on the e. ound
tonight. They have been carried away bv
the curious 40 menentoss OF tho awful
wreck.
The cause of tho wreck IL a mystery.
Some of the railroad officials say the only
responsible agent IL Engineer Whalen, but
mono OF them say he can be fairly held
res onsibls Tor II. The air brakes would
nos work aud nobody feels c0npctent to
explain why they would mot. The two
trains were delivered to the Michigan Cen
trail at Bu6slo. one from the New York Gen.
tral and the other from ths Delaware.
Laskawanaa 4 Western. Both were excur-
sions. the passengsrs having been picked
upat local POINTS in New York aad Penn
sylvania.
Engineer Whalsn vas able 10. niahs TO
talk to representative Of the Associated
press. He said the engine was answ one,
and In oil particulars had worked bsau'i-
fully On ths run from Detroit. He stopped
At tive points and slowed down At one
Junction and On these three occasions
the air worked peEfestly. Just east OF
Jaokssn function, . mile cast of where the
diaasesr occurred, he touched ths air and
foand II all right. Az The tain crossed