The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-07-02

| Passengers Prom Chicago TO the Chris.
tian Endeavor Meeting in San Francisco.
What the OnciaIs Say.
Chicago. June 30.-Three persons
were killed outright and about twenty
or thirty persons injured in a rear End
| collision on the Chicago and North
western road at 12:45 O'Clock this
morning. at West Chicago. thirty miles
| out of Chicago. on the Gelena division.
| The dead are: Mrs. r. ShiDman. APP
| pleton, Wis: John Goodjng. Appleton.
Wis; an unknown tramp. who was
! riding on the front end of the baggage
| car.
The victims Of the collision were
| Christian Endcavor delegates who left
| Chicago last night en- route for the
| great convention in San Francisco. The
collidins ain We're sections Nos. 4
| and ) of a Christian Endeavor special
train in min sections, beginning at
1920 o'clock p. m. Section No. > 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 sleep
er were people from Fon du Lac.
| G~reenbay, Appleton and other Wiscon-
sin cities. Section No. 4 had come ~ a
stop just out of West Chicago. where
the FreepOrt line DIVORCES from the
main line. Section No. ) came up be
hind at great speed and the shock Of
the colisiopf as terrific.
I The ma SSpTbprS in tha tua "a " -1cc,o
ers of section No. 4 were all in their
berths. They received no warning
| and those not killed outright aWoke to
find themselves damned in the wreck
| age.
| Passengers on both trains FASTENED
to the spot and began the work of res
cue. One of the first of the injured
was Engineer Charles Courtney, of
section No. ). He had stuck to his post
like a hero n is so seriously injured
that he cannot live.
An immediate call was made for help
on every point within reaching dis
lance. Chicago was notified and aSk-d
to send physicians at once. and medi-
cal help was requested from Geneva,
Wheaton and Aurora.
The engine of section No. ) struck
the rear sleeper of section No. 4 with
terrific force. The engine was totally
Nltcheu strange 10 say, the rear
sleeper of section No. + was not the
one to suffer most. 1t was driven with
terrific force upon the second sleeper
and such was its impetus that it
crushed through it as though it had
been q card board box and reduced it
TO a of ~Wreckage. The passengers
in the second sleeper We're the ones TO
suffer most and it was in it that most
of the victims were hurt.
Men and women cn11lI ha aa1 ctr7,or
Cling to eXtricate themselves from the
Wreckage. Others pinned down by
some crushing weight We're crying for
helD. Here and. there was an arm or
a leg ~protruding from the debris.
A pathetic scene was the rescue of
the two daughters of Mrs. Shipman. of
Appleton. The rescuers were attracted
to them by their cries. They We're I'M
able to extricate themselves and though
hurt, refused assistance. begging that
their mother be first helped.
Mrs. John GOoding. of Appleton. was
probably instantly killed. The force Of
the collision crushed together the par
titiOns of her berth and she had no
possible chanc of escape.
Professor Leo \. Williams. of Du
Lac, was found buried under a pile of
debris and though he was unable to
eXtric2te himself, and it seemed as if
he must be seriously injured. he es-
capped with q broken arm and a cut
wrist.
The Chicago and Northwestern Off
Gals did everything in their mower u
relieve the sufferers. The two hotels
in West Chicago were turned inro hos
pitfalls and able physicians We're prompt
ly in attendance.
The sections following those which
met disaster-6, Z. 8 and 9-~carrying
$500 people, were delayed upward of
three hours. Finally the north track
was cleared and they were enabled to
proceed.
Owing to the crush caused by the
rush of Christian Endeavor business,
all schedules were abandoned, and
trains We're sent out as fast as filled.
Nine sections left the Northwestern
depot at intervals of Is minutes, be-
ginning at 1890, to say nothing of
trains sent out early in the evening.
Sections Nos. 1, 2 and 8 got through
West Chicago safely. Section + was
made up of a baggage car. day coach
and seven sleepers, containing about
400 passengers.
Assistant General Superintendent
William A. Gardner said this morning
that he could give no tangible reason
as yet as to the cause of the accident.
The o is run on a s~emaphOre block
system all the way to West Chicago
Sdlu Mr.. gardner. 'IhlS blocks a train |
every 1,600 feet. and in addition We
We're using last night what We called
the positive block system. This con- |
sisted in the operators at haywood. |
Wheaton and West Chicago running |
the rains by wire and keeping a close |
tab with the dispatcher as to the time ;
each passed a station. Then the dis !
patcher regulated the speed and dis |
tance between trains. OF course he |
was compelled to rely entirely on the |
accuracy of the time checking done by /
the operators at the stations named |
and. unless one Of these made a mis-
take and transmitted the wrong check |
time. either 10 the next station or to !
the dispatcher. I cannot imagine what |
have caused the wreck. We had !
taken every possible ~precaution to :
guard against delay and accident and. |
as | said, worked the positive block as
we'll as our regular semaphore system. |
The responsibility for the wreck has
yet been fixed, but the investiga-
ton indicates that it was caused by
glneSr Cha rlaS Courtney nr SAo-io, |