The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1893-10-25
TWO TRAINS ON THE CHICAGO
AND GRAND TRUNK RAIL-
ROAD COLLIDE.
Scores OF Those Who Escaped Death
Manned and Mutilated. Horrible
Details of One of the Most
Disastrous Wrecks of
Recent Years.

u
beings with gashed bodies and broken
limbs. Add to this an engineer in Jail and
a conductor under bond to appear 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 recent years.
The dead are:
Frank b. Smith, Fort Plain, N. "
i. 7. Mogoon, Providence, r. l.
w. W. Henry. Woonsocket, X. I.
Mrs. Charles Van Dusen, Sprout Brook,
NY.
Nine men, eight omen, one boy and
one body. together with three human trunks
with limbs and heads missing, were burned
beyond identification.
One of the female bodies is believed to be
that Of Mrs. w. w. Henry, OF Woonsockett,
| X. l. One of the male victims is believed
to be William Lewis Wilson, of Evanston,
| ILL.,, and another 10 supposed 20 be J. w.
3eardsley of Watkins, n. Y.
The injured are: Ezekiah Davidson, Fair.
port, \. y; Miss Belle Williams Lockport,
| \. y; Mrs. Henry Bushnell, Brockport, n.
| y; William Thompson, Woodstock, Ont;
| Frank Rogers. Woodstock Ont, Frederick
| Wurlz, Rochester, y. Y; Evelyn Wurtz,
I daughter o. above; Harvey Smith, Fort
| Plain, n. y; Nellie Z. smith. Fort PLAIN,
| \. y; Albert Bradley Ont. Frank Turner,
| Middle Smithvile Pa, John G, Stewart,
| Dalton, H.; Jennie, daughter OF above; Mrs,
| Vance. Smcoe, Can, George Vance, Sim
| cne, Can, son OF above; Joseph 5. Archbel,
| Evanston, ILL.,, George Shakleton, Auburn,
| y. Y; Thomas J. Monroe Auburn, y. Y;
Mrs. Beardslee Springfield, iii; ii. S,
| Williams Toronto, Can. Maggie o. Brady,
| Oswego, II. y; {. i. Adams, Buffalo, NY.
! rAILnD TO OBEY ORDERS
] Direct disobcdi ence of orders on the part
| of "A Chicago and Grand Trunk engineer
| and conductor, both of whom have seen
| long service with the company and were
| regarded as model employees. was the cause
| Of the tragedy A Raymond and Whit
| comb special train Of eight palace cars filed
with Eastern folk, who had been taking in
the sights of the Worlds Fair, left the Six.
| iieth Street station uf the road at Chicago
| at s Is p. m. as the first section of the night
| express, known as No. O. The train was IN
charge of Conductor Burt n. Scott and En-
| gineer Harry Wooliey.
| All went well until Battle Creek den Il
was reached THIS was at 1897 a. M. From
here to the railroad yards, distance of n
| mile and half there is double track.
| When the Witcomb special came to a full
stop in the depot, the night operator hand.
| ed to Conductor scott two copiee of an order
L
| east of Main street, about a-half mile dis
| tant, and there await the passing of the
| westbound Pacific ex PRESS known as No. -.
| This train which was nearly three hours
late, was composed OF IL day coaches and
| two baggage cars. Most OF the day coaches
| had seen many years service and were in
| poor condition to withstand collision.
| Everyone of the fated number 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 was in charge Of Con
ductor John Bi d and Engineer Gilberl
| Cranshaw, both Of whom had received or
ders at Lansing 10 lookout for the eastbound
train on the double track and were accord.
| ingly on the alert
Alter receiving orders at the Battle Creek
station, Engineer Woolley proceeded up the
double track, but iDstead OF stopping in ac-
cordance vi h his instructions until the
wes,bound express had passed he continued
on and entered again on the single track, He
| when the headlight of he Pacific express
was st en- coming around the slight curve
behind the telegraph Office Of the railroad
yards. II vas speeding westward at the rate
Of 40 miles hour
There was no time to apply air brakes or
| reverse levers. The engineers and hreme n
Of both trains jumped for their lives. and a
second later The giant locomotives came
together with crash that could be heard a
half mile away,
| With fearful force the engine Of the special
plowed, nearly half way into that Of the ex-
press, driving IL backward into the baggage
:ar, and the latter in turn into the day
coaches behind. The shock was so terrific
that the tirst four of these were completely
'eiescoped, the first coach cutting through
he second and the second into the third
like /" flash Of lightning, the roof of each
passing over the heads Of the sleeping pas
sengers and sweeping them in mass 10 the
north end of the cars
10 add to the horror the wreck took FIRE
from ihe.stoves or lamps, and as the flames
mounted up, the groans and shrieks of the
MANNED and injured were succeeded BY
heartrending, agonizing cries and al peali
for help from the scores imprisoned by the
heavy timbers, or held down by the seat
and iron frame work.
The travellers on the special nearly all oi
whom had been shaken out Of their berth'
by the shock, poured out OF the cars, bu
before the fury OF the fam they were al
most powerless to render any assistance,
except to the injured in he fourth car
The City fireman promptly responded TO
the alarm and after extinguishing the
flames commenced the gruesome work ol
recovering what remained Of the victims,
the police taking care of the valuables and
keeping the crowd at distance.
After thorough search of the debris was
made and 1t was certain that no more bodies
remained, the freight car containging the
charred remains was backed down 10 the
city depot and its contents transferred to ali
undertaken, u wfecking crew set to work,
the debris again sorted and burned and LETT
nothing but heap OF ashes 10 tell the
story of one OF the most awful holocaus,s
in the history Of rairoading.
| BLAME IT ON EACH orHrR
Engineer Woolley and Conductor Scott
OF the special train, were arrested at Battle
Creek. Mich, on warrants sworn out by
Prosecuting Attorney Clark. charging man
slaughter. Scott was released on ", OOO bail;
Woollev could not secure bondsmen and
was locked up.
Scott says he gave the engineer. dnpi,,
cate Of the order he received and supposed
he understood II; that he Afterwards wen
into the baggage car and did not know that
the engineer had gone over the siding an I
taken the single track until the COLLISION
occurred.
| .wollsy claims that whom Scott hsn,e .
him his orders be said No, has gone