The San Francisco call., 1897-07-01
TWO CHRISTIAN
WORKERS KILLED
Fatal Accident on the
Northwestern Road at
West Chicago.
One Section of the Endeavor-
ers' Special Run Down by.
a Section Following.
A'Second Fatal Wreck Occurs on a
Vandal!a Train, but None'of the
Delegates Are Injured. 60

CHICAGO, ILL. june 30.-Section of
the Christian Endeav0r special on the
Northwestern Railroad was run into by
West Chicago thirty miles from here.
Three persons were killed anG more than
twenty injured. The killed were: Mrs: r.
Shipman of Fond dd Lac. Wis; Mrs. job n
Gooding of Fond du Lac; an unknown
tramp.
The train was filed with excursionists
going to the Christian Endeavor Conven.
tion. Nine sections left the North western
depot here at intervals cf fifteen minutes,
beginning at 10 80. Section left at 11:13
and stopped at West Chicago to take water.
While the train was standing at the tank.
section struck the rear end of section 4
at full speed. Section 5. running under
close block orders, in some way got wrong
instructions. Its locomotive plunged into
the Pullman coach Garrisus, which in
turn telescoped the Pullman sleeper Cold
Springs. The passengers in the car, few
of whom had gone to sleep, were crushed
in the wreckage.
In the two coaches were eighty persons.
Mrs Shipman and Mrs. Gooding, the two
passengers who were killed, were in the
second sleeper. Mrs. Shipman's daugh-.
ters were found fast in the debris, but re
fused to be taken out until their mother
was rescued. The daughters were not
seriously hurt Mrs. Gooding was crushed
to death between the partitions OF her
ber:h. Charles Courtney, engineer OF
section s. was so seriously injured that he
cannot live.
Professor Leo Williams of Fond du Lac
was found buried under a pile of debris,
and though unable to extricate himself he
escaped with broken arm and cut
wrist.
Two hotels in West Chicago were turned
into hospitals and physicians were
promptly in attendance.
The sections following those which met
the disasters, 7, and 9-carrying 2500
people. were delayed three hours. Finally
the north track was cleared and they were
enabled to proceed.
Assistant General Superintendent Will.
liam Gardner said this morning that he
could give no tangible reason for the cause
of the accident.
"The road is run on the semaphore
UioSn cJ S'oih o'l tiC way 10 WcSt Oui-
cago," said Gardner. This blocks train
every 1900 feet, and in addition We were
using last night what we call the positive
block system.
This consisted in the operators at May.
wood, Wheaton and West Chicago run.
ming trains by wire and keeping close
tab With the dispatches as to the time
each passed the station. Then the dis
patcher regulated the speed and distance
between trains.''
The road between Chicago and Turner
Junction is protected by the Hall block
system, and Immediately after my arrival
last night / tested the signals and found
them in perfect order" said General Su-
perintendent ]. c. Stuart to-day.
Courtney must have been insane 10
pass without seeing the two danger sig
mails, which indicated train ahead.
These signals are placed 1000 feet apart
and when at night cars pass over the
place where they are situated, red ligh,
shows, and any train following the one
which released the switch is supposed to
stop until the white lights show
Engineer Courtney declares the signal
displayed denoted clear track, He else
says he was running carefully, and that
there was ample time to stnp the train
after he had sighted the train in front