The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-07-10
EXCURSION TRAINS COLLIDE
They Crash Into Each Other With
Horrible Result.
a Night Of Tragic Horrors Spent
Amid the Cries of the Wounded
and the Means of the Dying.
a List of the Killed
and Wounded
BY Southern Associate Proso.

occuTrcu HI accident on the Grand
Trunk road at the station that has sell
dom been e1celled in horror by any
similar event in Canadian railway an g.
mails. A special excursion passenger
train, rushing ulong in the darkness of
the early morning. crashed into another
train of the same kind preceding it. and
kiiled-lust how many is not clearly
kuown-but some twenty people arc
believed to be dead, and tho wounded
are numbered in the vicinity OF two
score.
At this writing exact figures are i'm.
possible to obtain. The trains that
came in collision were special excursion
trains filled with pilgrims en- route
from Shor br o olie, Richmond aud Wind
sor Mills to Lewis, were they were to
cross over to Quebec aud proceed to
the Shrine at st. Aune De Baupre. nn d
were following one another at an III
tervnl OF some twenty minutes between
them.
The forward train was making good
time, having left Richmond at 10
o'clock the night before. On the rear
OF this train was n Pullman in which
were the priests aud others in charge
of the party, and it was in this car that
most OF the loss OF life occurred. The
first train reached this station, which
is fourteen miles west of Lewis, about 3
O'Clock aud stopped at the tank to take
water,
Due precautions were taken and the
semaphore thrown ..to luuger against
the following train. Only the trainmen
were out and about attending to their
duties. The Pullman in the rear was
wrapped in silence and the sleepers
were unaware OF tho terrible fate that
was rushing upon them.
Suddenly thero was great crash,
the second train coming ut full speed
had dashed into the renr Pullman of
the first section. SO great was the i'm
petus OF the colliding train that the
engine EMBEDDED itself in the palace car
and the latter plunged forward md
partially telescoped the first clnss car
Immediately in front.
Every berth in the Pullman was
wrecked aud come of the occurapts
who were killed never knew what hap
pened to them. They died sleeping,
Others awoke to their horrible sur
roundlnSs and position, mnime;,
bleeding and bruised, conscious of
little else bnt the agony that racked
them. 1t was an awful scene,
no ciIeS VI tHe wounded aud the
moans OF the dying and the outpouriug
ol passengers from the cars that were
not badly damaged and the hurryinp
forms OF the unlnjured trainmen with
their iilckering lanterns all combined
to make sight seldom seen in its
tragic horrors.
Tho work OF rescue was begun as
soon as possible. When the binding
u nf af hnR j Il
men. priests and others got together.
and the dead and wounded were taken
from the ruins OF the engine, the Pull
man and the first class car and removal
to temporary quarters, where the
women of the party minlstered as hes,
they could to the wants of the maimed
pIlgrims.
They tore Off their underclotb1pp
and made bandages for gaping wounds
and tried in the absence of enough
medical aid, to go round to staunch the
flow OF blood and to properly cleanse
the wounds. Word was sent to Mon.
treal and an order from there was sent
to Lewis TO send ont a force OF doctors
from Quebec to attend to the wounded
and forca OF men to clear the track.
The special train from there rcacbed
here at an early hour. and all the
wounded that could be moved were
placed on board and sent to Lewis
where they could be cared for in hos
pitals.
1T is hard TO say where the blame for
the accident rests. 1t has been snp.
gested that Engineer Mcleod might
have dozed of to sleep and thus have
missed seeing the warning semaphore,
and was unconscious OF his whore.
abouts.
Indeed this would seem 20 he the
only theory that can be advanced, but
strict investigation will be held at
once to determine where the respons,.
blity rests. The following are tho
names OF the killed that can be had at
this writing:
Rev. Father Mercer, Richmond
Charles Bedard, mail clerk. aud
daughter, Richmond; Miss Vain. st
Joseph De Lewis; Miss Phanuef. ST.
Joseph De Lewis; Richard Perkins,
fireman. Richmond: Mrs. G. Caycr,
Danville; Hector Mcleod, engineer
Richmond; two ladies from Eli county
Sheltord, names unknown; two ladies'
unidentified.
Father Dignon. Windsor Mills, is
thonght to be fatally injured. Rev.
Father Des Rosters has O log and an
arm broken and is otherwise badly in
jured.
The colored porter Q the Pullman