The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1901-12-05
ENGINEER MAKES AN AWFUL ERROR
EIGHTY KILLED AND 125 OTHERS
INJURED IS THE AWFUL
RECORD.
VICTIMS MANGlED AND ROASTED
FIRE BREAKS OUT AND ADDS TO
THE HORROR OF THE TERRI
BILE SCENE.

Detroit, NOV 80. Two passenger
trains on the Wabash railroad. one 60
inc west and the other east, met In
frightful collision while going at al
most full speed one mile east OF Sem
aca Mich. village eleven miles west
of Adrian, shortly after o'clock
Wednesday night. Both trains were
wrecked in the dreadful impact, en-
,,iling a tremendous loss of life, esti-
mated from so to 100 The list of in
mred probably will reach 125. OF the
latter IL Is said that IS will die.
The west bound train was known as
M. 10 and was a regular which, be-
sides it's regular coaches, had several
coaches filled with Italian emigrants
going west from New York. The cas-
bound train was known as No. 4, the
Continental Limited" 1t was yes
tituIed train consisting of baggage
ca, combination coach and sleepers
EuSineer's Awful Blunder
The cause of the wreck was a mis-
reading of orders by Engineer Strong
of the Continental Limited" The or
der, il is claimed. read: Pass az Sen
eca,' but Strong understood it to read
sand Creek" The conductor of the
train did not know that the engineer
had misunderstood the order and sup
posed that his train was going on
siding Finding that the train was run
ming rapidly, the conductor put on the
air brakes himself. but it was too late.
The two trains crashed together ana
the cars on the bound train were
crumpied up in a heap of ruins. En-
gineer Strong stated in positive terms
that his order directed him to pass
trains Nos. 10 and 1.-THE latter closely
followed No. Is from Detroit at Sand
Creek. Said Strong:
II saw the headlight of No. IL four
| or five miles before
The Collision Occurred,
4 but I supposed the train was side
tracked at Sand Creek waiting for us
to pass. The glare of the powerful
electric headlight made it impossible TO
see the exact location of the other
train. My fireman and both jumped
from the right gangway.'
Strong and the fireman were both
hurled 300 feet but, although scratched
CUT and terribly Jared. they were moi
seriously injured. The Immigrants ahd
ether passengers on train No. Is Were
crushed between the splintered cars
/; any escaped without injury 1t Wi
be a miracle. To add to the horror tn
wreckage caught fire in mediately, ane
in short time the bodies of the deae
end those of the injured who Were
pinned down were being burned. TIL
scene which followed was heart-reni
ing. The spot where the wreck DC
Cured was in the open country, WIFI
but one farmhouse nearby, and faciii
ties for aiding the injured were TX
tremely inadequate.
scene Was Terrible.
Soon as the news of the disaster wa
received by Supt. Burns here a relic
train was dispatched TO the scene Wit
score or more surgeons on boarc
Farmers from nearby and those WI
escaped from the wreck alive made ne
roic efforts to rescue the less fortunate
The scene In the neighborhood OF IN
wreck was terrible. In the semi-dark
ness, illuminated only by the giai
from the nre OF the WIeChdSc' III
stumbled about over corpses which re
from the ruins. and which after IN
flames had died out, We're hauled 1roi
the debris. There they lay In cor
fused heaps along the track. Farmer
from the surrounding country and Pee
pie from the neighboring villages oil
what they could TO aid the injured an
care for the dead, but this seemed III
tie in proportion to the enormity OF tn
calamity. Shortly after the coilisio
six OF the cars Of the west-bound trali
occupied by the immigrants, burst I'M
fames. The
UnfOrtunatcs Fought Madly
in their attempts to crawl out of I'll
doors and windows, thus hinderia
each other SO that most of them wei
unable to escape. The Immigrant tral
as made up OF nine cars behind ["
engines. Six of these cars were Jamme
together. Very soon the wreckage b.
gan burning fiercely and those in ii
cars were slowly roasted to deaf
There were no means at hand to figi
Inc lire and the agoniZed shrieks or III
u Door unfortunates was appalling.
Coroner Hamilton of Adrian has IN
ranelled jury and will begin an Il
g quest into the disaster to-day. All u
ID Jurors are prominent In the busine
sanairs of the city Of Adrian. No ste
Il cave been taken as yet toward the a
90 rest OF Engineer Strong. whom SUI
burns says is responsible for the &C
uoion and holocaust.