Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-06-28

De Pere, Wis, June pat point !
on the Chicago & Northwestern rail-
road, one-third of mile south of its |
station at DePere, occurred yesterday
morning a most disastrous train
wreck. 1t came in the form of a head
end collision between a dOuble-header
Green Bay freight train and a Fond
du Lac excursion train Of nine coaches,
loaded for the Green Bay saengerfest.
Six persons were killed, two outright
and four died from their injuries be-
fore they could be taken to the hospi-
tai About forty persons were injured
many Of them seriously, several suf-
fering broken legs or broken arms. Of
the injured about thirty are in a seri-
Gus condition, and several may not re-
cover. The list of dead and injured
is printed below. The excursion train
was made up at Fond du Lac and was
packed with people from that city,
Oshkosh and Neenah. The train
carried no Appleton people The first
two coaches were a combination bag
gage and passenger and smoker, and
du Lac people. The freight, an es-
pecially long one, made up at Green
Bay, was ordered to be sidetracked at
the De Pere station. Enough of the
train to fill the passing track had been
cut off and the remainder had just
started to back up on the side track,
at the rear of the station. A curve in
the main track cut off the view to the
on-cOming passenger. A fagman
stood in front of the train to stop the
approaching passenger train. Sud-
denly it came into view, running at
nearly full speed. 1t was tagged and
many of the trainmen say that the air
brakes did not work 0perly.
The two trains crashed together.
The first two coaches of the passenger
train were telescOped and demolished,
few of the passengers escaping injury.
Some were killed outright, others were
terribly mangled. Legs and arms of
some were broken. Others were badly
crushed and maimed-alI hemmed in
amid the debris of the wrecked cars.
The other cars were not dislodged
from the track, and none of the other
coaches was damaged. None of the
train crew was injured.
The scene was appalling and the
cries of the injured heartrending.
Passengers poured out of the rear
coaches and it was but a moment be-
fore hundreds of willing workers were
busy eXtricating the unfortunate peo-
pie who had been caught in the tele-
scoped cars. The news of the disas-
ter spread rapidly and soon people
from the city gathered by hundreds.
At least two of the injured were only
Just alive when they were taken out,
and they died before they could be re-
moved. One of these was George
Lloyd, who lived in Fond du Lac.
The cause of the accident was due
to the freight crew failing to give the
passenger the right of way. The pas
senger train had on board about 500
Fond du Lac people who were bound
for Green Bay to attend the Saenger-
fest Orders had been issued to clear
the yards of freight cars so that pas
senger coaches could be run in. A
freight train of fifty-three cars was
made up and started for the south.
orders had been issued to run to De-
Pere and make the siding by 1910
O'Clock. The freight arrived at De-
Pere at 10 O'Clock and made for the
siding. Finding that the train was too
long and would not go on one siding.
the freight crew cut the train in two
and ran ahead on the main track.
At the point where the switching is
done there is sharp curve The pas
senger supposing it had the right of
way and that the freight was on it's
siding came along at a good clip. The
next minute the two engines had col
lided with full force.
Division Supt. 7. A Lawson, who
at once came to Green Bay from Chi
cago, said: While have not had time
10 make thorough inquiry, from what
nave heard the freight crew is re-
sponslble. The passenger train had
the right of way, and had the men
strictly followed orders it could not
have happened. AS it was, the freight
crew thought it had time to clear the
main track before the passenger ar
rived, but before it could back on to
the siding, the passenger train came
around the curve and crashed into the
freight. 1t is one of those accidents
that the best roads in the country can't
prevent. Just as long as men are, hui
man mistakes Will be made. This one
was costly, indeed"
Tragic List.
The killed-KOske, Edward, Fond dn
Lac. druggist, aged 81; Plank. Law
renee, Fond du Lac, aged %; Mierswa,
Charles, Oshkosh; Korscher. Max. Osh-
kesh; Lloyd, George, Fond du Lac:
Weber, Adam, Fond du Lac; Kechar
Max. Ashland.
me mJured-From Fond du Lac
Bechaud, August, leg badly bruised:
Cooper, w. j., left leg broken; Ecke, |
Laura Mrs, hip slightly injured;
Ecke, Ida, Miss, head slightly injured:
Fitzsimmons, Michael, left leg broken.
Froehling, John, shoulder dislocated: |
Flick, Ditlef, back slightly bruised; |
Frazier E., both legs injured:
Hankwitz. Otto, arm broken
nose and mouth cut; Hansen, Louis,
head slightly cut; Heiden, Ella Miss.
hips slightly injured; Ives, Burt, Fond
du Lac, well-known billiard player.
badly injured; Heider, F., head slight
ly injured; Kaufman, William. legs
broken; Kraemer, Oscar, both legs in
Jured. kObeS Albert both lor. |