New-York tribune., 1901-11-29
ABOUT EIGHTY LIVES LOST
RESULT OF THE WABASH wRECK-RAIL
ROAD MEN DECLARE FIGURES ARE
SMALLER-sCENES OF HORROR.

the Wabash Railroad Seneca, Mich, liloSe
who had been investigating the disaster hao
found nothing to alter the estimate OF ABOUT
eighty lives lost as a result Of the collision
George NJ Burns superintendent of the division
which the wreck occurred, insists that the
estimates are zoo high. Il do not consider
said he that the total death list Will exceeu
twenty"
However in support of the larger estimate, IT
is pointed out that there now fourteen pas
sengers known 10 be dead. The bodies OF eight
Of these have been recovered. and ii is con-
sidered that the fragments of other bodies now
in the morgue at Adrian will account for many
more than the twelve dead necessary to make
up Superintendent Burns's estimate of twenty.
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 being removed.
Superintendent Burns said TO The Associated
Press tonight that he unable to tell the
exact number OF Italian immigrants aboard
Train 13 but thought that there were not more
than fifty. Passengers on the train and num-
Der of those who were early the scene dis
pute this and say the number was nearer eighty
Superintendent Burns has received no report as
yet from Eames, the ticket collector of Train
13, who probably knows nearer than any one
else the number Of Italians in the
coroner t16mliton OF ADRIAN TINS afternoon
inpanelled jury and will begin an inquest into
the disaster tomorrow morning
THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT.
Considerable light was thrown on the cause
for the disaster by the orders which the con-
ductor of No. Is showed to his authority for
proceeding past Sand Greek. The order which
zNas delivered to the train at Holloway. read as
follows:
Order No. So trains Nos IL and 8
No. 4, engine No 6ti9 will meet No Is at
Seneca. and No s. engine No. 623 Sand Creek.
Engines Nos. IS and 151 will double head No. Is.
It is understood that the engineer and con-
ductor Of No. received a similar order at
Montpelier. Ohio. but if so these orders
disregarded. II il develops that the orders issued
TO both trains were TO the same end it islconsid-
cred that the responsibility for the disaster rests
wholly with the engineer and conductor of the
eastbound Continental Limited.
Although Engineer Strong of the eastbound
limited, the light of the approaching train
while Yet some five miles away and down
straight track he did not check his speed, be
cause he said, he supposed No. Is was wait
ing a siding at Sand Creek After reaching
Detroit to-day, Strong said:
/ read my orders that I to stop at Sand
Greek, and evidently the other read theirs
to stop at Seneca. I know that there were four
of that read my orders the same-the fire
man, the conductor, the brakeman and myself
] lost my orders in the confusion of the wreck
but the records will show what they and
what the other crews orders were
When 1 first saw the headlight of the other
train it far enough away. SO l presume |
could have stopped. but you know how it is with
these electric headlights-you can't tell anything
ABOUT now laI aWaS they are II was on
straightaway track. and I thought they We're
waiting for me at Sand Creek They doubtless
thought we were stopped at Seneca, and so both
of came on at full speed.
-o,.S hav haa ri,,p ,,oi1ac
hour. When We saw that they were top Of
US saw must jump There was bridge
right ahead and did not want TO fall in that,
I waited until past it. and fell
There was only a slight ernbankment, and the
crash came right after ] let 60 l rolled fully
three rods When I came 10 there my
engine side of me and the trucks of the
second car, which was telescoped, on the other.
Superintendent Burns to-day said that Engi-
neer Strong, Of train No. 4. responsible.
"TTis orders" said he. clearly directed him TO
pass train No. 13 at Seneca He evidently for
got them. for he did not stop there, ana the
collision resulted.
Engineer Parks. of the rear engine on No. 13,
has his left leg broken and face cut. He de-
scribes the collision follows:
We had orders TO meet train No. at Seneca
and were running about thirty miles an hour.
The track is straight for several miles and l
could the headlight of No 4 coming when
were about three miles west of Sand Creek.
I put on the arbrakes. and the shock be-
piled up together. [ was thrown through the
roof or window of the cab don't know which.
The engine train No fell to the south
and our two piled up together. L picked my
self up on the bank, and then another
crawled up to It Engineer Work. Both
our hremen must have been killed.
SAD SCENE IN THE MORNING
The scene of the holocaust presented a bleak
hnd desolate appearance this morning. Strewn
along both sides of the track for 800 feet were
ear wheels, brake beams and such other parts
of the wrecked coaches would not burn. En-
gines Nos. IS and 900 lying in the ditch
on the right hand Of the road, veritable scrap
heaps Broken cars, many of them daubed with
the blood of their last occupants. were scattered
about and being used cushions by those hud-
died around the open fires about the scene.
Farmers for miles around drove TO the collision
this morning in a majority of cases bringing
their wives and families with them. After see
ing the debris scattered along the track they
would walk through the fields to the house
where Giovanni Folonaro. Of the emigrants
who escaped from the burning cars, was toss
ing bed and muttering in his native tongue.
When the first relief train arrived on the scene
last night from Adrian, six of the cars in train
No. 13 were burning fiercely that the relief
party could not get within several hundred feet
Of them They were the baggage car, the emi-
grant cars, two coaches and a chair car. There
was nothing to do but stand back and wait
til the fire burned itself out
1t was past midnight before a search of the
ruins of the burned cars could be begun. AS
soon as the heat had subsded sufficiently, scores
Of men began delving in the mass. AS it was
slowly turned over, small crisp pieces of those
vino had perished in the flames were occasion
ally found. The largest portion of any body
ter ll1-b brrpe r,,ul he beat had