Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1901-12-05
A GREAT CALAMITY
Collision of Passenger Trains On
the Wabash Road.
Nearly so Persons are Dead as the Re-
suit Of an Accident Near Seneca,
EIich.-One ofthe Worst Wrecks
in the History of RaiIroad-
Ing In she United States

r
passenger trains on the Wabash rail
road collided head-on at full speed one
mile east of Seneca, the second sta
ton west of Adrian, Mich. The
westbound train of two cars, loaded
with immigrants, and five other
coaches were smashed and burned,
with the result of awful loss of Gfe
and fearful injuries to a majority of
its passengers.
The eastbound train, the Continen-
tai limited, suffered in scarcely less
degree. The track in the vicinity of
the wreck is strewn with dead and
dying.
No a, the Continental limited, had
engine No. 609, Engineer Strong, Con-
ductor &. j. Martin, and No. 13,
double-header, engine SS, Engineer
Work and engine Isl, Engineer Parks,
Conductor Charles Troll. No. 4, it is
believed, disobeyed orders in not
waiting at Seneca for No. -, thereby
causing the wreck.
Detroit, Mich, Nov. 29-When
night fell over the scene of Wednes-
day evenings awful calamity on the
Wabash railroad near Seneca, Mich,
those who had been Investigating the
disaster had found nothing to alter
the estimate of about so lives lost as
a result of the collision.
superintendent George NJ. Burns, of
the division on which the wreck oc-
cured, insists that the estimates are
too high Il do not consider" said
he, "that the total death list will eX-
ceed 20" However, in support of the
larger estimate it is pointed out that
there are now IA passengers known
to be dead. The bodies of eight of
these have been recovered and it is
considered that the fragments of 9th
er bodies now in the morgue at
Adrian will account for many more
than the II dead necessary to make
up Superintendent Burns estimate of
20.
In addition to the comparatively
few fragments recovered and sent to
the morgue, those who were early on
the scene say that many more pieces
were discovered which crumbled to
powder while they were being re-
moved.
Superintendent Burns said last
night that he was unable to tell the
exact number of Italian emigrants
aboard train No. 13, but thought that
there were not more than so. Pas
sengers on the train and number of
those who were early on the scene
dispute this and say the number was
nearer so. superintendent Burns
has received no report from Ticket
Collector Eames, of train 13, who
probably knows nearer than any one
al ba Af Italians n thn
cars.
Coroner Hamilton. of Adrian, i'm
panelled a jury yesterday and will
begin an inquest into the disaster to-
day. All the jurors are prominent
in the business affairs of the city of
Adrian. No steps have been taken as
yet toward the arrest of Engineer
Strong, whom Superintendent Burns
says is responsible for the collision
and holocaust.
Superintendent Burns estimates the
financial loss to the Wabash at
5000.
rhe three engines piled themselves
in a heap with the leading engine, No.
-, above the other two. The first
three coaches of the Erain were so
telescoped that they were nothing
but mass of debris. One immigrant
car was compressed into compass of
about eight feet in length on the
track. The flames started below the
immigrant cars and here the heav-
lest loss occurred.
In No. the engine was followed by
an accommodation car. This was
struck and bore the shock bravely.
The leading day coach of the train,
however, telescoped and burned.
That the officials of the Wabash
railroad are trying to minimize the
results of the catastrophe is evident
from the official lists of the dead
given to the local papers. This list
shows the names OF but ten dead and
As injured. The Detroit newspaper
men who were at the scene of the
wreck and talked with survivors say
that the official list does not bear out
the statements of the passengers, nor
evidence of the horrible loss of life
which they Witnessed at the spot
where the accident occurred.
The Free Press says that the loss of
life was in round numbers 100 and
that the statements made by the ltal-
! ian emigrants in train No. 13 bear
| out TnlS claim. IncSt IN III RAM Us
say that there were about 125 of their
nationality on the train and that
only about % of them escaped. While
there are only ten of them known to
be dead, it is asserted that the other
ninety were completely incinerated
I and that with the removal of the
wreckage the bodies crumbled to
! dust.
Peru, Ind, Nov. 29.-Twentylive
persons who were injured in the Wa
bash wreck arrived here Thursday.
Lucie Virgiles and Trubuzzi Silvestro,
although frightfully injured, were
able to talk briefly. They were well
acquainted with The people in their
party and say that 100 of the Italians
are missing and ungsconnted for
Insurscnt ActivftJ Rrvives
Manila, Nov. 2S.-The insurgents
have attacked a commissary wagon
train between Magdalena and Gaiay-
iaza, seriously wounding a sergeant
and a private of the Eighth regiment
and captured Privates Dunn and Fren-
ming. two horses, three rifles and 800