Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-12-07

Train.
A whole car load of italian immigrants
eaten up by fire as completely and al
most as rapidly as straws in furnace
another car full of Italians squeezed to-
gether till it occupied a space less than
eight feet long on the tracks, half its oc-
cupants killed and the car and the bodies
then burned to ashes; these are the two
central horrors in a fearful railroad
wreck ON the Wabash road near Seneca,
Mich.
Though only fifteen persons are posi-
lively known to be dead, and very few
bodies have been recovered, the full death
list, it is thought, will prove to be very
close to eighty. In addition seventysix
men, women and children were injured,
some of them seriously. The dead and
injured together will foot up about half
of the 300 passengers who were carried
into collision on the Inflated trains.
Italians BounI for Colorado.
The Italians, of whom there were about
seventy-fve, were all on their way to
work in the coal mines at Trinita, Colo.
They were riding in two light, and In
comparison with vestibuled cars, fimsy,
secOnd-class coaches. OF the thirty-five
In the front car none is accounted for.
From the second car about half were res
cued. The bodies of the dead were burn
ed so completely that the fragments are
not only impossible to identify, but they
cannot even be separated from one anoth-
or as different human bodies.
The blame for the collision is placed on
Conductor George NJ. Martin and Engi-
neer A. e. Strong of the east-bound train,
No. +, known as the Continental limited.
They had been ordered to stop for the
west-bound train, No. Is, with which
they collided, at Seneca, and to stop at
Sand Greek, four and half miles far
Their east, for another train. Consequent
Iy the train for the west was obeying
orders and they were not.
Engineer Strong has been taken to De-
troit, badly injured. He asserts positive
~ that he was ordered to stop at Sand
Greek and not at Seneca. That he either
forgot his orders or misread them are the
only two alternatives which Superinten-
dent Burns sees.
The disaster had it's marvellous escapes,
as we'll as it's fearful deaths. On the west
bound train the Italians became a vica-
rious sacrifice for the passengers in the
six cars behind them. Their two frail
coaches broke the force of the crash for
the rear cars, and before the latter burn
ed the occupants, little injured, got safely
away.
AS for the other train, the east-bound
one, only one of its cars suffered severe
ly. 1t was a day coach, between the
smoker and the dining car. There is left
besides the iron work just the roof of the
car and some splinters. It's body has
been utterly destroyed. In it were fif-
teen to eighteen passengers.
Some miraculous Escapes.
Six were taken out dead, five were Sc
verely injured, and the others escaped al
most miraculously, with slight bruises.
The engineers of the two trains knew
what was coming when they were still
three miles apart. The track between
Adrian and Sand Creek is straight and
clear. Each engineer saw the others
headlight and thought it waiting at the
coming station for him. The east-bound
train slowed from sixty-ive to fifty miles
an hour. The west-bound train was run
ming at thirty miles.
The few miles of separation when the
engineers realized the situation were cut
down so quickly that they had barely
time to reverse their engines and jump.
THE little margin Of time saved the en-
gineers, but not the fremen, The two
fremen on the engines of the rear train
both jumped too late, and were crushed
to death.
The crash of the collision shook houses
800 yards away. The big mogul engine
No. 600, east bound, fairly ate up the
little engine, No. SO, at the head of the
other train. After this destruction of one
engine and half of another, the big mogul
reared backward, turned half somer-
sault, plowed a hole several feet deep in
the ditch on the right side of the track
and lay with her cupola toward the sta
ton from which she had just come, and
her machinery shrieking and belching
steam.
Fire Spread Rapidly.
The front cars of each train piled them
selves upon the engines. The flames,
whether started by the stoves, the light
ing plant or the engine fire, had full pos
session almost on the instant. The IN
hurt passengers swarmed out, and rushed
to the rescue Of those imprisoned under
car seats and broken beams in the burn
Ing cars. But those outside were as help
less to save as those inside were to es-
cape. Five minutes and the fire was so
hot that no one could approach within
500 or 400 feet.
Meantime rescuing parties, with ambu-
lance trains, if they can be so styled
were hurrying toward the scene from
Adrian, from Montpelier, Ohio, and from
Peru, Ind. Two unhurt Pullman cars had
been made into hospitals and were hauled
back to Adrian. A score of injured were
taken to Peru and many others to De
troit.
The loss to the railroad is placed by
Superintendent Burns at $4,000.
The list of dead and injured given out
by the railroad company is much smaller
than the one above. 1t shows but ten
dead and forty-eight injured