The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1901-11-30

I
Detroit Mich, Nov. 29.--when night
fell over the scene Of the recent caIam-
tty on the Wabash railroad near Sen
eca, Mich, those who had been in
lTestigating the disaster had found
nothing to alter the estimate OF about
so lives lost as a result OF the COLI
sion. Superintendent G. NJ. Burns OF
the division on which the wreck oc-
Cured insists that the estimates are
too high. Il do not consider" he said,
that the total death list will exceed
90" He further said that he was UNI
able to tell the exact number Of Ital-
ian emigrants aboard train No. IL. but
thought that there were not more than
80. Passengers on the train and n
number Of those who were early on
the scene dispute this, and say the
number was nearer so. Superintend-
ent Burns has received no report from
| Ticket Collector Eames Of train No. 10.
who probably knows nearer than any
one else the number Of Italians in the
cars.
No step has been taken as yet to
ward the arrest Of Engineer Strong.
who Superintendent Burns says is re
sponsible for the collision.
The Official list Of the dead given
TO the local papers shows the names
Of but 10 dead and IS injured, but De-
troit newspaper men. who were at
the scene Of the wreck and talked with
survivors Of both trains, says that the
official list does not bear out the state
ments Of the passengers nor the evil
dence Of the horrible loss of life which
they witnessed at the spot where the
accident occurred. The Free Press
saws that the loss Of life was. In round
numbers. 100, and that the statements
made by the Italian immigrants on
train No. Is bear out this claim These
immigrants say that there were about
| s25 of their nationality on the train
and that only about IS of them es-
capped. While only 10 Of them are
known TO be dead, IT is asserted that
the other so were completely inciner-
ated, and that with the removal Of the
wreckage the bodies crumbled to dust.
which was scattered by the wind. n
the names of these dead are ever
Known ii win be when friends make
inquiry for them, and in many In
stances this seems highly improbable.
Strong Says He's Not to Blame.
Although Engineer Strong Of the
east-bound limited saw the light Of
the approaching train while Eve miles
away. and down a straight track. he
did not check his speed. because. he
said. he supposed No. Is was waiting
on a siding at Sand Greek. After
veaching Detroit today Strong said:
Il read my orders that was to
stop at Sand Creek. and evidently the
other crew read theirs to stop at
Seneca I know that there were four
Of us that read the orders the same
the fireman. conductor. brakeman and
myself. lost my orders in the con-
fusion Of the wreck. but the records
will show what they were and what
the other crews orders were.
When | first saw the headlight OF
the other train was far enough away,
SO presume, to have stopped. but you
understand how it is with these cleo
trio headhghts-you can not tell any
thing about how far away they are.
Il was on a straightaway track, and
| thought they were waiting for me
at Sand Creek. They doubtless thought
We were stopped at Seneca. and so
both of us came on at full speed.
I'VE must have been running 80
were on top Of us saw must jump.
There was a bridge right ahead and
| did not want to fall in that. so
waited until we were past and fell.
There was only a slight embankment
and the crash came right after I let
90. rolled fully three rods. When
came to there was my engine on
one side of men and the trucks OF the
second car. which was telescoped. on
the other"
Superintendent Burns today said
that Engineer Strong Of No. 4 was re-
sponsible.
His orders" he said. clearly or
dered him TO pass No. IS at Seneca.
He evidently forgot them. for he did
rot stop there and the collision re-
suited"
Superintendent Burns estimated the
financial loss TO the Wabash at $50. 900.
The three engines piled themselves
in an indiscriminate heap, with the
leading engine OF No. Is above the
other two. The first three coaches OF
the train were so telescoped that they
were nothing but a mass Of debris.
One emigrant car was compressed into
a compass OF about eight feet in length
on the track. The flames started be-
low the immigrant cars. and here the
heaviest loss OF life occurred. Il being
estimated that about so persons. men.
women and children. were moved
down by the. holocaust. The loss In
the rest OF the train was not heavy.
the shock being borne by the forward
cars.
In No. 4 the engine was followed by
an accommodation car. This was
stout and bore the same shock brave
ly. The leading day coach Of the
train. however. telescoped and burned.
In this were about 80 passengers.
The brunt OF the early rescue work
was done here and probably half OF
these passengers were rescued or
escaped.
Train No. Is. carrying rs immigrants
from Italy bound for the coal mines at
Trinidad. Col. Not more than half OF
these escaped.
The train was a doubieheader.
drawn by engine No. So. Engineer Sam
]. Work. Fireman Dowd. both Of De
troit. The second engine was No. ISL.
Engineer Robert Parks. Fireman Caleb
Raldorf. both Of Ashley. Both engi.
peers escaped alive. but their flremen
met death.