The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-10-21
PASSENGER TRAINS COLLIDE,
Four Cars Teieseoped aud Burned
With the Helpless Inmates.
None OF the Serpses Recognizable. All
Being Bisekened and Partially De-
strsyed - Heartrending Death OF .
Woman-kngineer Disobeyed oraers.

/ the greatest railroad holocaust in the his
/ tory Of Michigan today, and twenty-six x
human lives paid the penalty OF mo-
/ ment's negligence. Two trains, both la-
den with passengers. met in a direct head
| on collision on the Grand Trunk railroad
| a. S;i5 this morning in the suburbs Of this
/ city, anu that the number of dead and IN.
/ lured IS not f0urioid greater is due 10 the
circumstance that the collision occurred
| In the suburbs OF the city. where the trains
| had slaekened speed.
As it Is, twenty-six charred. disfigured
/ and unreeogniza5le bodies lie in the
| norgne tonight. And twenty-seyen marred
and bleeding victims are groaning in az
ony In the charity hospital. How many
/ of these wounded may be in the death list
tomorrow none can tell. for the injuries in
many cases are . uite unfathomable 10 the
| medical examination that is possible now.
/ All that surgical science can do is being
/ done. and the officials of the railroad are
| doing all that is possible TO alleviate the
sufferings of the victims of the dreadful
! disaster.
| Two trains met face TO face. both regular
! trains, although each was considerably be-
| hind time. One was Raymond 4 Whit
/ comb special train returning from the
/ Worlds fair and the other a regular Pacific
| express wesi-hound. The engineer of tke
/ Raymond & Whitcomb train had positive
/ orders to side-track for the express at a
| siding a mile east of this city. lie ignored
/ the orders, and go feet beyond the siding
| he met the east-bouud train full on. Both
| trains were wrecked and half the Pacific
/ express demolished and burned. The Ray
/ mond & Whitcomb train, being composed
| almost entirely of heavy sleepers. escaped
/ serious injury, and none of the excursion
| lists lost their lives. The engineers and
| iremen of both trains jumped in time,
/ but twenty-six passengers OF the Pacific
| express me; almost instant death. The
| day coaches in the front part of this train
were telescoped and burned. and of
| twenty-six human remains at the morgue
| tonight identification can only be made of
/ seven. nineteen remaining entirely un-
| identified. The identified are as follows:
G. c. VAN DusKS, Sprout Brook, N. ",
/ died In the hospital.
Mrs. q. G. VAN DusKs, Sprout Brook,
| y. y. burned To death after the wreck and
| before she could he extricated,
w w. HENRY. Noonsoekct, r. l., burned
TO crisp.
Mas. r. r. McKKxziE, Middletown.
| Conn, burned to crisp.
| l.. A. McGARvY, Ontario, Canada, man
| gled and burned To death.
| j. w. HEAspLy, Watkins, y. Y, burned
| and mang.ed.
Mas. ALBERT BRAntEY. sarnia Ont.
The coroner numbered each body now
| in the morgue consecutively and noted the
articles found on each body that might
| lead to Identification. On one body a
| paper marked f. a.. Mogon, Providence,
/ X. l., was found. ON another was a state
ment from John Monroe, banker of New
/ York. TO Charles 4. Verde: also a note
| in German from Charles +. Wen
seIe to DIR. Howard +. Vance. An un-
/ known baby was burned to q crisp
| The following articles were found in
the debris. but il is impossible TO
| connect them with the bodies: A book of
! the League of American Wheelmen. with
! the name inside of William Louis Wilson,
/ North-Western university, Evanston, ILL.,,
/ s32 Sheridan road; cards and enveiop
/ marked Miss l.. b. Hayes" the cards
| having been bought from George Muir.
! Evanston. H.. and a box of pills marked
/ bradley, Evanston, ILL.," There are in
| the morgue eighteen bodies, eight males
/ seven females and three corpses burned
| beyond means of Identification or ascer-
/ tanning the sex.
| Immedi ately after the accident the
/ mafmed and injured were conveyed 10 the
/ Nichols memorial hospital in this city
| Following is a complete lis, Of the injured
as reported TO Assistant Superintendent
/ Glassford. at Detroit;
/ II. W. Williams, Toronto: w. A. BY
/ ersee. Port Dover, Ont William Henry
/ Bushnell, Brockport. y. Y; ;. III. Smith,
( j. III. Smith, Israel Smith, Berry Smith
/ Mrs. smith, all of Port Plain, y. y: Miss
I Belle Williams. Brockpori. \. Y; Freder-
( lex Wertz Miss Wertz and Mrs. Wertz
I Rochester, \, y: frank TuFnveigel
/ Biissheld. Pa; Jennie Stewart and j. y
/ Stewart, Dalton Station. Iii. W. Thomson
| and Frank Rogers. Woodstock. ont.; Mrs
/ Vance and George Vance. Slmcoe, Ont. !:
| Albert Bradley, Toronto, Ont. George
| Shackleton, Evanston, lii; Thomas ] .
! Monroe, Auburn, y. Y; 4. Z. Davidson,
Fairport, y. Y: G. :. Adams. Buffalo. y.
( y; Clinton ii. Ward, Morton; Mrs
I Henry Bushnell, Brock port, n. Y: = T..
/ smith. expected 10 die; j. r. Archbold.
/ Evanston. H. Charles Beardsiey. spring-
( field, Mass. :. :. Baldwin. Milford, Conn !;
| J. II. smith. ingersoi. Ont.
The Raymond 4 Whitcomb train vas in
/ charge OF Conductor Scott, Of this city.
/ Engineer Henry Wooiey was pulling IT,.
I and there appears 10 be no doubt that
! Engineer Wooiey's negligence was The
I cause OF the accident The conductor aud
engineer received orders here - meet the
/ Pacific express al Nichols. Engineer
| WooIey got orders at Bstile Creek. and,
/ getting beyond the stretch Of double track
/ kept right ahead at a rafting pace. He
/ met the Paelfe express half mile or less
f below the meeting point made for him.
/ The Pacific express was coming 81 n speed
I of thirty miles an hour. From Nichols a
/ curve begins, so 10 vas impossibie for
! either engineer - see the ether until the
/ headlights appeared. They had scarcely
I time to reverse, apply the air brakes and
/ save themselves a. best they could.
Head on The engines came together.
+ The Raymond & Whise0mb train stood
I the shock without more than shudder.
+ excepting the baggage car At the head end.
/ which had its font stove ~. None Of the
passengers on the train we're injured be-
+ vond q severe shaking up. On the other
+ train al the horror was experienced.
Z The ffaa dag coaches behind tie
+ baggage car vent 10 splinters. TIE
+ train vas made Up OF thirteen coaches and
Z the firsg four Of them gere te!escoped, the
I passengers caught ia their seats aud the
+ general mass of ruias. and 50 add 10 their
/ misery the burning lamps exploded and in
l 0 moment the four cars we're = sheet ol