The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-07-14
DISASTER.
Two Passenger Trains Come
Together in Iowa.
LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE KILLED

One OF the Trains Was Loaded with Ex-
cursionists-The Accident Caused by the
Crew Of Passenger Train Pulling Out
without Orders-The Floor of the Bag
gage Car Crashes into the smoker,
Where the Greatest Loss of Life Occurs.
LOGAN, la, July IA railway disaster
In which thirty-three lives were crushed
Dut and many others were terribly in
iured occurred on the Northwestern road
near this village saturday evening. Only
meagre details of the disaster could be
sent TO the outside world until long after
the wreck had been cleared and the dead
and injured taken from the scene OF de
struction An excursion train bearing
large party from Omaha crashed head-on
into heavily loaded freight soon after
having pulled out of Logan on the return
trip. The engineer Of the excursion train
misunderstood his orders having been in
structed TO remain on the siding until the
freight had passed.
William Shaffer, the agent Of the North
western at Logan, saw the excursion train
pulling up He was Mortified TO note that
instead of Stacking up at the switch the
train was rapidly taking on more speed
He rushed down the platform and asked
| an employe if the special had pulled out,
and received an affirmative reply.
| Pulled out without Orders.
"Then God help them" said Shaffer,
| ''they have pulled out without orders and
| No 3s is due in "A minute.
But it was too late to avert the catas-
| trophe, or to even attempt IL. The excur-
sionists were not yet out of sight when
| the crash came Freight train No 3S
with full head Of steam, one minute be-
hind time, dashed around the curve at a
| forty mile an hour gait and no human
power could avert the disaster. Two cars
| of the excursion train were telescoped.. ne
floor of the baggage car was wedged SO
tightly into the coach that all efforts 10
remove il were futile, although thou-
sand willing hands were Joined I'm the at
tempt to lift the cover that was conceanng
the dead and imprisoning the injured In
living tomb Finally an AK was pro-
cured and section of the car fioor cut
away The sight revealed was beyond
the power of words to portray. Ii appear
ed that the space in the ear between the
floor of the coach and the floor of the bag
|
humanity. Groans and agonizing appeals
for help came fro" the injured and spurred
the rescuers to their greatest efforts.
Passing Up the Bodies.
As soon as n little space within was
cleared the workers climbed inside the
coach and the work of passing up the bod
les of the dead and injured progressed
more rapidly. Twenty five dead bodies
were taken out and laid in IA row on the
grass along the railroad track and the In
jured were at once taken in carriages tc
Logan In very short time the appea
for help had been answered by all the
physicians from Logan and Missouri Val
lev and then some system was introduced
into the manner of carrying on the res
cue work Wagons and carriages were
sent from Logan and the injured were
brought here for treatment. The Lusk
House the New Moon building, the opera
house. and the Odd Fellows hall were
turned into emergency hospitals and the
injured cared for as well as permissible
Then the dead were removed to the town
undertaking establishment and laid out
for Identification. Twenty-Five bodies
were taken to that place. 1t was after
midnight when the work was finally com
, pleted Before daylight came tho dead
and injured were taken to another trair
and sent to Omaha.
The Death List.
Following is the list of dead so fal
known; b + Bradley and child, Oma
A., ha; Willy Cosgrove Omaha; James Cos
grove. Omaha; John Cosgrove, Omaha
Margaret Cosgrove, Omaha; Mrs. Il. j
Carroll. Omaha, Miss Clark, Omaha; B
Clarey, Omaha; NJ Clarey, Omaha
owen Cavanaugh, Omaha; Phillip Car
roll, Omaha. w l.. Dodson, Omaha; A
B. Girard, Council Bluffs; Mrs
: Hart and boy, Omaha; Waite
a Jennings, body unclaimed, Missouri
I Valley; Mrs. John l.. Kaler and baby
Council Bluffs; John killker, violinist
Omaha; John Kingsley Omaha; John NJ
a Larson, Omaha; George Lowrin, Omaha
= Charles McDermott, Omaha; L. MACK
Omaha; William Nelson, Omaha; Mrs +
Nelson, Omaha; John Perkins, Omaha
! Lawrence Peters, Council Bluffs; Patrtcl
\ Scully, Omaha; Mrs. Taylor and child
i Omahn: Ollie Wilson, Council Blufis.