Little Falls herald., 1901-12-06
.AWFULLOS OF. 7. LIFE [,] |I.E7 {.
EIGHTY PEOPLE KILLED ANr
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY ::
J. INJURED. :

an Eastbound Passenger, on the
Wabash Road Meet at Full Speed.
Disobedience Of Orders the cauee Of
the Terrible Disaster-The Weather
Bitterly Cold and Suffering is Great.
Detroit, Nov. 2s.-Eighty persons
were killed and $50 injured, of whom
rs are serious, In the most disastrous
railroad wreck in the history Of Mich
igan railroading. Fifty of the 80 dead
were killed outright. Two heavily
loaded passenger trains on the Wabash
railroad collided head-On at full speed
one mile west Of Seneca, the second
station west Of Adrian. The west.
bound train Of two cars loaded with
immigrants and i've other. coaches
was smashed and burned. With awfui
loss of life and fearful injuries to a.
majority of its passengers. The
westbound train, the Continental lin
tied, suffered in scarcely less degree.
The track in the vicinity of the
wreck Is strewn with dead and dying.
Many physicians from Detroit have
gone to the scene. No. 4, the Cont.
mental limited, had engine No. 600, En-
gineer Strong, Conductor G. ]. Martin.
N. 1S, double-header, had engine SO,
Engineer Work, and engine ISL, Engi-
neer Parks, Conductor Charles Troll.
No. 4, it is believed, disobeyed orders
in not waiting at Seneca for No: 13,
thereby causing the wreck.
The track at the point where the
collision occurred is straight and at
first the officials could not understand
how the accident could have happened.
No. 13, which ordinarily is due to
leave Detroit at 2:30 O'clock was two
hours late, leaving at 4:2O. The two
trains met at Montpelier, according to
schedule, but No. had orders to
meet No. 13 at Seneca. The blame is
therefore placed, on the conductor or
engineer Of No. 4. Had this train been
held at Seneca the accident would not
have occurred. Train No. was due
at Seneca at: 6:43, according to the
change In the schedule, but apparent
" orders to wait were disobeyed and
the probabilities are that
The Reason Will Never Be Known,
as the train crews undoubtedly met
instant death. Advices from the
wreck state that the country for miles
around was lighted up by the burning
cars and. that the flames could not be
Quenched because of lack of proper
apparatus. Mangled bodies were
picked up along the track by the farm
ers before the special train sent from
Adrian arrived on the scene. In some
instances the bodies were mang1ed be-
yond all recognition. The bodies
which the rescuers managed to pull
from the burning ruins of the immi-
grant cars were so badly burned that
their identity will never be ascer-
tained.
Train No. 1s was a regular train
carrying two cars of immigrants going
West and was behind time. This train
was composed OF seven coashes, hauled
by two: engines. Reports differ as to-
the number of coaches carrying fmmi-
grants. One says there were but two,
and another says there were five or
six coaches carrying this class of tour
lists: The eastbound train was made
up OF an engine, baggage car, COM
b1naHon coach and sleeper. The trains
came together one mile east of Seneca
under q full head of steam. All but
the two rear coaches on the west
bound train were demolished and the
coach on the other was telescoped.
Five OF the cars of train. No. 13 caught
dre and burned. Engine No. SO of
train Ii exploded and engine 6O9 on
No. 4 turned over into q ditch. Two
fremen and one engineer on No. 13
were killed and the engineer and fire.
man on No. jumped and escaped.
Surgeons Hasten to the Scene.
As soon as the news of the disaster
reached Division Superintendent Burns
OF Detroit the wires were kept hot
ordering specials from Adrian, Peru
and Montpelier to the scene of the
wreck. A special train from Detroit
carrying 81 passengers and surgeons
started for Seneca and was given the
right of way. When it reached the
scene of the wreck the work was at
once commenced of succorinE the
wounded. a special from Adrian bear;
Ing all the doctors and physicians, in
the city had been at work. .tore an hour.
but the flames retarded the work OF
resetla.nrThez wounded were Placed ON
stfetchelg in the: coaches. ind sent. TO
Adrtep,yI The :dead were left. .behind
70 sbe c1Fried In later. When. the me-
ctal tr4tlkb bearing the Nounded sreached
>Adrtan injured fNsrs .teaeztqd In
amhufDncsgs and delivery WAe
80