The Lewiston teller. (Lewiston, Idaho) 1900-1905, 1901-12-05
FATAL WRECK N MICHIGAN
PASSENGER TRAINS COLLIDE
The Number Of PersOns Killed Is Re
ported as RsinE Over One Hundred
Trains Burned Up mm~diately After
Col'ision-Engiuser strong DisObeyed
Orders.

Detroit Mich, Nov. 29--When night
fell over the scene Of the recent calam-
ity on the Wabash railroad near Sen
eca, Mich, those who had been in
vestigating the disaster had found
nothing to alter the estimate of about !
so lives lost as a result of the COLI
sion. Superintendent G. M. Burns of
the division on which the wreck &C. i
Cured insists that the estimates are |
too high. 81 do not consider" he said. |
that the total death list will exceed
90 He further said that he was un- /
able to tell the exact number Of Ital-
ian emigrants aboard train No. 10, but
thought that there were not more than
so. Passengers on the train and a
number of those who were early on
the scene dispute this, and say the
number was nearer so. Superintend-
ent Burns has received no report from
Ticket Collector Eames Of train No. 10,
who probably knows nearer than any
one else the number of Italians in the
cars.
No step has been taken as yet to-
ward the arrest of Engineer Strong,
who Superintendent Burns says is re-
sponsible for the collision
| The official list Of the dead given
/ to the local papers shows the names
OF but 10 dead and 48 injured, but De-
trOit new spaper men, who were at
the scene Of the wreck and talked with
survivors of both trains, says that the
official list does not bear out the state
ments Of the passengers nor the evil
dence Of the horrible loss of life which
they witnessed at the spot where the
accident occurred. The Free Press
says that the loss of life was, in round
numbers, 100, and that the statements
made by the Italian immigrants on
train No. 10 bear out this claim. These
immigrants say that there were about
1875 Of their nationality on the train
and that only about rs of them es-
capped. While only 10 OF them are
known to be dead, it is asserted that
the other 80 were completely inciner-
ated, and that with the removal of the
wreckage the bodies crumbled to dust
which was scattered by the wind. II
the names of these dead are ever
known it will be when friends make
inquiry for them, and in many in
stances this seems highly improbable.
Strong Says He's Not to Blame.
|
east-bound limited saw the light Of
the approaching train while five miles
away. and down straight track. he
did not check his speed, because. he
> said, he supposed No. 10 was waiting
J on a siding at Sand Creek. After
} reaching Detroit today Strong said:
II read my orders that ! was to
stop at Sand Creek, and evidently the
other crew read theirs to stop at
Seneca. l know that there were four
Of us that read the orders the same
the fireman, conductor. brakeman and
myself. lost my orders in the con-
fusion of the wreck, but the records
will show what they were and what
the other crews orders were.
when first saw the headlight OF
the other train was far enough away
SO presume. to have stopped. but you
understand how it is with these cleo
= trio headlights-you can not tell any
thing about how far away they are
1t was on straightaway track. and
e I thought they were waiting for me
e at Sand Creek. They doubtless thought
\ we were stopped at Seneca, and sc
e both of us came on at full speed.
!. I'VE must have been cunning 81
miles an hour. When we saw they
were Ou lOP vi u0 1 saw lu6t J0uA y
: There was a bridge right ahead ant
e I did not want to fall In that. SO
!. waited until we were past and fell
r There was only q slight embankmen
l. and the crash came right after l lie
4 go. l rolled fully three rods. Whel
. I came to there was my engine OF
= one side of men and the trucks Of tn
= second car, which was telescoped, OF
- the other"
Y Superintendent Burns today sal
. that Engineer Strong Of No. was re
; sponsible.
"Iis ORDERS" he said, clearly OF
dered him to pass No. Is at Senecs
He evidently forgot them. for he di
4 not stop there and the collision r.
!. suited"
! Superintendent Burns estimated tn
y financial loss to the Wabash at $50, 00t
le The three engines piled themselve
1t in an indiscriminate heap. with tn
Or leading engine Of No. Is above tn
d other two. The first three coaches {
n the train were so telescoped that the
"A were nothing but q mass Of debri
= One emigrant car was compressed int
" compass Of about eight feet in lengt
e on the track. The flames started b.
low the immigrant cars, and here th
heaviest loss OF ire OCCuTT0u, ~ Oolu
estimated that about 50 persons. mel
10 women and children, were move
&. down by the holocaust. The loss
"a the rest Of the train was not heav
\. the shock being borne by the forwar
!. cars.
=: = In No. 4 the engine was followed /
!. m accommodation car. This WI
n stout and bore the same shock brav
II ". The leading day coach Of Il
train. however. telescoped and burne
tIM R14Sa ~oen akOsNf E0 y.Aamn00 oF