Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1900-08-16
RAILROAD HORROR.
Erightfui Collision of Two Passenger
Trains on the q. X. A I. at Pier
son "Wednesday Morning.

son "Wednesday Morning.
One OF those fearful railroad acci
dents which nearly paralize eyeryon'
with horror occurred at little befor,
five o'clock yesterday "Wednesday
morning on the Grand Rapids & Indi
ana railroad about one half mile nortl
of Pierson station, and about five miles
south OF Howard City, also about TWEEN
ty-five miles northwest from Belding
The Northland express bound NORTH
crashed into the south bound express
with an impact that was simply terri
fic and reduced the two massive loco
motives TO scrap iron and cars TO kin
ding wood Seven persons are knowr
to be killed and twelve injured with 1
possibility of others under the wreck
age. The dead include the engineers
and iremen on both engines, the con
ductor OF the northbound train, the
twelve year old son OF the baggagemar
and one passenger.
Mr. H. M. Drummond OF the Bcld
ing-llall Co., this city was passenger
upon the south bound train, being
asleep in berth in the sleeper near
the rear OF the train. He was OF
course awakened by the crash but was
not injured. The northbound train
seemed To suffer great deal worse
than the southbound, most of the killed
and several injured being upon it. The
passengers upon the latter were saved
very much by the fact there were
three freight cars Immediately in the
rear of the engine, and these suffered
the brunt of it, being so badly used W
that Mr.. Drummond said you could not
He described it as fearful scene to
look upon. One of the boilers explod.
ed, and the baggage, mail sacks, de-
bris, ETC., was scattered over several
acres of ground some being thrown q
distance of 40 rods.
The railroad officials place the re-
sponsibility for the wreck on the shoul'
ders of Operator Wells, at Mill Creek
station five miles north OF Grand
Rapids. The trains were ordered tC
pass at Woodlake, four miles north o.
Plerson. Both engineers received this
order. Later on Mill Creek was called
up and asked il the Northland express
had passed his station. Wells answered
mo" He was then instructed to give
the engineer OF No. 5 orders to meet
No. , at Sand Lake as usual. The en-
gineer of the Northland never got hi:
message, for the express had passed
Mill Creek before the message went
there. 1t is believed the Mill Greek
operator was asleep at his post and die
not hear the express pass. Each engi
neer having clear orders bad no reason
to suspicion anything wrong and was
running at high rate OF speed.
Had it not been for the fact that i
was very foggy that morning so tha
objects could not be distinguished more
than 100 yards away it would nevel
have occurred as it took place upon 1
perfectly straight stretch of track OF ;
number OF miles and had the day beer
clear they would have seen eacl
other in time to have stopped.
1t is the worst railroad disaster tina
has occurred in Michigan since the ont
at Battle Creek during the World
fair in '93 and the worst that has eve
occurred on the G.. II. a. l. road. AL
passenger trains were sent from How
ard City to Grand Rapids via the Per,
Marquette passing through Belding