Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-06-30
ENDEAVORERS KILLED
trightful Collision Near Chicago This
Morning.
SEVERAL KILLED and MANY INJURED
Another Serious Accident on the
Vandalia Line.
seen AT THE RECK

OutTlRnt anu ABOUT twenty or thirty
persons injured in a rear-end collision on
the Chicago and Northwestern road at
12:45 this morning. at West Chicago, thirty
miles out of Chicago, on the Galena
division.
The dead are Mrs. John Gooding, Apple
ton, Wis: Mrs. r. Shipman, Appleton,
Wis: unidentified man. riding between en-
gine and baggage car, supposed to be
tramp.
The injured are Mrs. NJ. NJ. Baird. Neen-
ah. Wis; Mrs. Daisy Blackwood. Depere,
Wis: Miss A. E. Fifer. Green Bay. Wis.
injured about the head: W. H. Finney,
Oconto, Wis; Mrs. Algernon Galpin APP
pleton, Wis: w. d. Gibson, Appleton.
Wis: Raymond Gibson. five years old.
son of the foregoing; Miss Irene MacAllis-
ter. Oconto. Wis, hurt about head; Miss
Amelia Mckay. fracture of left arm: Mrs.
s. B. Mersh. Appleton. Wis: Mrs Mckay;
W. NJ. Mickelstetter. Seymour. Wis: Mrs.
W. NJ. Mickelstetter. Seymour, Wis: DIR.
E. A. Miller, Clintonville Wis; s. A. Rus
sell. Appleton. Wis: Mrs. s. A Russell.
Appleton. Wis; Mr.. Ripley, Fon du Lac.
Wis, seriously: Mrs. Ripley. Fond du Lac,
Wis: Miss c. E. Shipman. Appleton, Wis;
Michael St. Letter, ankle broken and in
ternaIly injured: Mrs. ST. Letter. back
sprained and internally injured: Prof. Will
lfams. Fond du Lac. Wis. arm and wrist
gineer of section s. fatally injured.
Loaded With Endenvorers.
The victims Of the collision were Chris
tian EndeAvor delegates, who left Chicago
last night en- route for the great convention
In San Francisco. The colliding trains
were sections Nos. 4 and Of a Christian
Endeavor special sent out IN nine sections.
beginning at 1870 p. M Section No. 8
ran into section No. 4. which left Chicago
fifteen minutes ahead of it. Section No.
4 carried the Wisconsin delegates, nearly 800
strong, and In the rear sleeper were peo-
pie from Fon du Lac Green Bay, Appleton.
and other Wisconsin cities. Section No.
had come to stop just out of West Chi
cago. where the Freeport line diverges from
the main line. Section No. came UP be-
hind at great speed and the shock of the
collision was terrific.
OF section No. were all in their berths.
They received warning and those not
killed outright awoke to find themselves
jammed in the wreckage.
Engineer Courtney's bravery.
Passengers on both trains hastened to
the spot and began the work of rescue. One
of the first of the injured was Engineer
Chas.. Courtney of section No 5. He had
stuck t. his post like hero and is so
seriously injured that he cannot live.
An immediate call was made for help on
y
cago was notified and asked to send phy-
sicians at once, and medical help was re-
quested from Geneva. Wheaton and Au-
rora-
The engine of section No 5 struck the
rear sleeper Of section No. with terrific
force. The engine was totally wrecked.
Strange to say. the rear sleeper of section
No. 4 was not the to suffer most 1t
was driven with terrific force upon the
second sleeper and such was its impetus
that it crushed through II as though 1t
had been cardboard box and reduced 1t to
a mass of wreckage. The passengers in the
second sleeper were therefore the ones TO
suffer most. ard it was in it that most of
the victims were hurt. Mrs ShiDman and
Mrs. John Gooding were both-n this sleep
er.
Scene at the Wreck.
Men and women could be seen struggling
TO extricate themselves from the wreckage
Others pinned down by some crushing
weight were crying for help. Here and
there was an arm or leg protruding from
the debris.
pathetic scene was the rescue of the
two daughters OF Mrs. Shipman of Apple
ton. The rescuers were attracted to them
by their cries. They were unable to ex-
tricate themselves. and though hurt refused
assistance. begging that their mother be
first helped. Mrs. Shipman was found
crushed under a part of the roof and life
was extinct when she was taken out 1t
with comparatively slight injuries, while
the mother close by met instant death.
Mrs John GoOding OF Appleton was prob
ably instantly killed. The force of the
collision crushed together the partitions
Of her berth and she had no possible chance
of escape.
Prof. Leo A Williams of Fen du Lac was
found buried under pile OF debris, and
though he was unable to extrcate himself
and it seemed as If he must be seriously
injured he escaped with a broken arm and
q cut wrist.
Care of the SUFFERING
The Chicago and Northwestern officials
did everything In their power TO relieve
the sufferers. The two hotels in West Chi
oago were turned into hospitals and able
physicians were promptly In attendance
The sections following those which met
disaster-6. I, snd 9-carrying $500 peo-
pie. were delayed upward of three hours
Finally tho north track was cleared and
they were enabled to proceed.
As soon the wreck was reported to the
local officers of the Chicago and North
western, Superintendent Stuart of the Ga
lera division ordered a special train ard
went to the wreck. Other officials dis
patched messengers for the company's
doctors, and Assistant General Superin-
tendent Gardner and corps OF surgeons
left Immediately for West Chicago
Owing to the crush caused by the rush or
Christian Endeayor business all schedules
were abandoned. and trains were sent out
as fast as filed. Nine sections left the
Northwestern depot at intervals of fifteen
minutes. beginning at 1880, to say nothing
OF trains sent out early in the evening
Sections Nos. 1, and 3 got through West
Chicago safely. Section 4 was made up OF
a baggage car. day coach and seven s!eep-
ers, containing about 400 passengers
Accident Not Explained.
Assistant General Superintendent VIM. A.
Gardner said this morning that he could
give no tangible reason as yet as to the
cause of the accident.
The road is run on a semaphore block
system all the way TO West Chicago" said
Mr.. Gardner. This blocks a train every
1000 feet. end in addition. we were using
last night what we call the positive block
system This consisted In the operators at
Waywood. Wheaton and West Chicago
running the trains by wire and keeping n
close tab with the dispatcher as to the
tine each passed a station.
Then the dispatcher regulated the speed
ard distance between trains. or course he
Was compelled to rely entirely on the ac-
curacy of the time checking done by the