Birmingham state herald., 1897-07-01
SPECIAL TRAINS COLLIDE Christian Endeavor Specials Met
 With Disaster. FIVE DELEGATES KILLED And Many Others More or Less Seriously
 Injured. THE WRECK LESS FATAL AT VANDALlA The First Was Caused by the Failure the Air Brakes to Work-The Sec ond Crew Misunderstood
 Their Orders.
THE WRECK LESS FATAL AT vANDALlA

Chicago, June 30.-Three persons were ' killed outright and about twenty or thirty injured in a rear end collision on <, the Chicago & Northwestern road at 12:45 |. th.s morning at West Chicago thirty mics out of Chicago, on the Galena division 1,,t The dead are:
 Il Mrs. R. Shipman, Appleton, Wis. l@ John Gooding, Appleton, Wis. ''4 Unknown tramp, who was riding on the front end of the baggage car.
 , Injured:
 ,,sl William liam, n'ehe'ste'ter' segfpar Wis., Mrs William Mchelstetter Seymour, Wis, body bruised.
 Miss Sarah Shipman, Appleton, Wis, left foot spraned and right side of body bruised
 Miss c. F. Bumish Shipman, lip cut and other parts of body bruised. Charles Courtney engineer, Belvidere, Ill., two ribs fractured, right leg badly lacerated; will recover. ' 'e L. A. Williams, Fond Du Lac, Wis, chest badly bruised and right ankle sprained pr. E. A. Miller. Clintonville, Wis, right ankle sprained. VI w. H. Finney, Clintonville, Wis, left arm sprained and forehead badly bruised 3 Mrs. M. D. Mcintosh, Fon Du Lac W.s., right side bruised. Miss A. D. McAlister Oconto. Wis scontusions of forehead and nose. Mary Baird, Neenah, Wis, badly bruised on left side of face.
 Mrs. s. A. Russell, Appleton, Wis, back seriously hurt.
 9 Amelia Mckay, Apple ton, Wis, left arm fractured and lacerated.
 Mrs. w. D. Gibson, Appleton, Wis, right side of chest hurt and one hip sprained.
 
 broken and otherwise injured.
 W. D. Gibson, Appleton, Wis, slight scalp wound.
 Mrs. A. E. Pfeiffer Neenah, Wis, slight bruises.
 c. E. Ripley, Fon Du Lac Wis, face and hands slightly cut. Mrs. c. E. Ripley, Fon Du Lac, Wis, left arm sprained.
 Mrs. Algimon Gapin, Appleton, Wis, slight bruises.
 Miss Daisy Blackwood Deep Eye, Wis, eyc injured. sH. The victims of the collision were th the Christian Endeavor train that left Chi cago last night en route for the conven- ton at San Francisco. Excursion trains four and five of a Christian Endeavor special, which was sent out in nine sec tions beginning at 10:30 D. m., section No. ran into section No. 5. which left Chicago fifteen minutes ahead of it. Ssc- tion Mo- carried the Wisconsin delega- lion, nearly 300 strong. In the rear sleeper were people from Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Appleton and other Wiscon- sin cities. Section No. had come to a stop just outside of Chicago, where the Freeport line diverges from the main fine. Section No. came up at a great speed, and the shock of the collision was terrific The passengers in the two rear sleepers of section No. were all in their :oerths. They received no warning, and those not killed outright awoke to find themselves jammed in the wreckage,
 Passengers on both trains hastened to the spot and began the work of rescue, One of the first injured was Engineer Charles Courtney, of section No. 5. He had stuck to his post like hero and is so seriously injured that he cannot live. An immediate call was made on each railroad point in all direction. Chicago was notified and asked to send physicians at once, and medical assistance was re- o's.sted from Geneva, Wheaton and Genoa. Section No struck section No with a terrible force. The engine was wrecked. Strange to say the rear car of section No. was not the one to suffer most. It was driven with terrible force upon the second sleeper and such was it's impetus that it crushed through it as if it had been card board box and re- duced it to mass of wreckage The passengers in that sleeper were, there fore, the ones to suffer most. and it was in that sleeper the injured mostly were. Two of the killed were in that sleeper Women could be seen struggling to ex- tricate themselves from the debrs. Others kept down by crushing weights were heard crying for assistance. Limt could be seen protruding from the de- bris. pathetic scene was the rescuing of the two daughters of Mrs. Shipman, of Appleton. The rescuers were attracted to them by their cries. They were unable to extricate themselves, and although un- able to help themselves, refused assist ance, begging that their mother be aided first. The force of the collision crushed tl.ox, ...&tk berth and she had no possible chance of escape. Robert Lee, of Fond du Lac was found under pile of debris and although he was unable to extricate himself and it seemed though he must be seriously hurt, he escaped with a broken arm and injurned wrist. The officials of the Chi cago and Northwestern did all they could to help the sufferers. The two hotels in West Chicago were turned into hospitals and physicians were on hand to help the victims.
 Sections 6, z. and g. carrying 2,500 people were delayed upwards of three hours, Finally the northbound rack was cleared and they were ena bled to proceed As soon as ths wreck was reported to the officials of the Chicago and Northwestern Superintendent Stewart. Of the Galena division. orderedia special train and wen1 to the wreck. Other officials of the com pany dispa tened messengers for the com pany's doctors, and Superintendent Gard iner and conpslof physicians left short ly after for Chicago. Owing to the crush of business on account of the Christian Endeavor business a1 iuies were abandoned and t'ains as fast as loaded Nine seftions VI &sent out over the Chicago and Northwesa4f-n, beginning at 10:30, every fifteen minutes. to say nothing of those sent out eafi!eY in the evening. Sections 1, and got by West Chicago safely. ssec,ion was made up of a baggage car, two day coaches and two sleepers, containing about 400 passen- gers.
 Assistant General Superintendent Will liam A. GardineEls said this morning that