The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-11-29
50 Of 80 Witnesses.

were brOEtu- ne QlEQ almost as soon
as ] got him out Of tie car. Then I
went 10 the burning cars and what I
saw made me wish Z had never gone
10 Ung wreck"
The old man covered his face with
his hands II don't believe more than
fifteen of the Italians got out of the
wrecked cars. for I saw but very few.
Those who did get out rushed around
like crazy men. calling to heaven for
protection and weeping and wailing in
sheir horror. Those poor italians.
Nothing could be done TO save them.
ord we we're simply compelled 70 let
them burn"
Fixing the Responsibility.
Considerable light was shed on the
cause for the disaster by the orders
which the conductor of No. IS showed
as his authority for proceeding past
sand Greek The order, which was de-
Avered TO the train at Holloway, read
as follows.
"ordeT No. 28-Trains Nos. y and s.
no. &, engine sos win meet No. Is at
Seneca and No. 3. engine 623. at Sand
Creek. Engines Nos. SIS and 151 viii
double head no 49,"
II is understood that the engineer
and conductor of No. ( received a
similar order at Montpelier O., but if
So these orders were disregarded.
If ct develops that the orders issued
10 both trains were to che same end.
So is considered that the responsibility
f0r the disaster rests wholly with the
engineer and conductor Of the east
bound continental limited.
The scene of the holocaust presented
bleak and deserted appearance this
morning. StreWn along both sides of
the track for 500 feet were car wheels.
brake beams and such ether parts of
the wrecked trains as would not burn.
Ingtnes 80 and COG We're lying in the
dtch - the right haad side of the
raad. ready for the scrap heap. Broken
car seats, many Of them ddJbed with
blood of their lest occupants, were
scattered about and being used as
cushions by th0se huddIed around the
open fires.
Visitors to the Scene.
Farmers from miles around drove to
the scene Of the collision this morning.
q majority Of them bringing their wives
ana families.
AZ vas past midnight before q search
og~the ruins Of the burned cars could
900 begun. AS soon as the heat had
EuGsided sufficiently, scores of men be-
gan delving IN the mass. It was slow
iy turned over and small crisp pieces
Of those who had persisted in the flames
were occasionally found The largest
portion Of any body found was a ter
riDly burned trunk
The heat had been so intense that
she cars and their human freight had
been reduced to a biackened powder
thst was blown about by the breeze.
Inside Of two hours the iron works OF
the cars had ali been hauled into the
ditch at either side of the road.
The first relief party on the scene
arrived from Adrian ffty-fiva minutes
after the accident. and they immedi-
atsly began work ora the second coach
Of train 80 T. which had been tele-
scored by tho collision and reduced to
spli1ters. The wreck of the coach was
5ammed into a space hardly fourteen
feet square From the ruins OF the cars
tho bodies of four men and one woman
were pulled out
Die Out Human Bodies.
AT O'Clock the bodies of the dead
with the human fragments thCC had
been dug out from the burning cars.
were loaded board a car aud ,aken 10
tho mOrsue at Adrian.
The body of Fireman Calvin Bladder
was discc~-ered. iamWed into the
wrecked cab Of his engine. M. 151. He
had heeu iu the act of feeding he fur
nare when the two trains came to-
rotseu
AZ o'clock the vreckers removed
the last piece Of Wreckage from the
trucks Tt was engine Isl. Although
considerably warped and bent. lis
wheels were still true enough so chat
the- kept the track after the engine
had been pulled back on the rails. and
it was towed 10 the Seneca sidetrack-
Although Engineer Strong of the
c3srbOund limited saw the lshJ of the
approaching train while five miles
away and down Straight track. he did
MT check his speed, because, as be
said he supposed SO. Is was waitin ?
or q siding at Sand Creek. Af,s-'
reaching Detroit today Strong said:
'T read my orders that I was to stop
81 sand Greek. and evidently the other
crew read theirs TO stop at Seneca. I
know that there were four of us that
read my orders the same-the fireman.
The conductor brakeman and myself
7 lost my orders in the confusion Of
The wreck. but the records will show
what they were ana what the other
crews orders were.
Saw tne Other Train.
s.When I first saw the headlight OF
She other train ] was far anough away,
50 j presume. I could have stopped. but
understand now how it is with these
electric headlights-yOu cannot tell
aasthing about how for away they
irel Tt was on a straightaway track,
snd thought they were waiting for
iaa an Sand Creek. They doubtless
thought NE were stopped at Seneca.
and so both of us came on at fun
speed.
1--WE must have been running fifty
miles an hour. When we saw they were
on top Of us 7 saw I must jump. There
was bridge right ahead. and I aid
not want 10 fan in that so I waited
until we were past and fell. There was
only a slight embapkment, and the
crash came right after I let go. 7
rolled fully thcee rods. Waen I came
So thera was my engine on one side Of
me and the trucks Of the second car
which was telescoped. on the other.
Superintendent Burns today said that
fE gineec Sirens of No 4 was response
BIZ His orders said he. clearly ia
4 stTuoted him ~ nass No. l3 at Seneca
He evidently forgot 'them. FOR be did
rot STOP th~-e and the collision re-
suited
Superintendent Burns estimated the
financial loss To the Wabash at SS.00e
The three engines piled themselves in
q lnd-scriminate heap with the lead
- engine Of No. 10 above the other
The first three coaches Of the
we're SD telescoped that they
Am but mass of debris. One
sz.srswas compressed into a