Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1901-11-28
TERRIBLE RAILROAD DISASTER.

Wabash passenger trains Nos. and
I3 collided head on q mile east of SenecF, +,
Mich, at 7 o'clock lsst night. No. a.,
it Is believed, disobeysd orders 10 not
waiting at Seneca tor No. 13, thereby
causing the wreck. 1t Is believed there
are between seveDty-fve and one han.
ired persons killed 10 the collision.
Scores OF others were Injured.
An immigrant traiu, No. l3. with two
engines, west bound. going at the rate
OF iorIy-fve miles an hour, crashed in
20 sn esstbound train, No. 4, Several
coaches on the emigrsnt train we're
crushed and nearly all the passengers
KILLED. O1e coach on the passenger
train was teleecoped. -Four dead have
bsen taken from the ruins. The immi-
grants had 10 chance to escape, and
those who were not crushed to death
were roasted alive. The wreck caught
fire immediately after the collision.
section men and farmers rushed to
the blsz ng macs to render what assist
ance they could. Bodies we're hauled
out 90 rapidly as possible and those not
dead were taken 10 the railroad hospi-
tal at,Peru, IOd.
Bodies were strewn along both sides
of the track for quarter OF a mile,
and as there was nothing available to
cover the coYpses they presented grue-
some appearance.
No. 4, it is said, received orders to
wait at Seneca, but flew by that station,
meeting No. 13 while both trains were
going at full speed.
The noise of the collision was heard
at least a mile from where it occurred.
The east bound train was the Continent
al Limited that left Chicago st 3 O'Clock
Yesterday evening. The west bound
train left Detroit at o'clock, nearly
three hours late, and carried three hun
drtd immigrants.
Ou No. there were about thirty
Chicago aod St. Louis passengers, bound
through 10 New York and other eastern
points.
Train No. 13 consisted of baggage
car aud two day coaches filed with i'm
migrants, bound from New York to
western points and two P0llmane, with
twenty first class passengers from
Detroit. The immigrants were trans
tered to No. 13 yesterday afternoon In
Detroit and were packed into the day
coaches like sardines.
Wabash officials 10 Detroit estimate
that the greatest loss OF life occurred In
these coaches, which were light.
Meagrs adVces state that the bsg'
gage car and coach next TO 1t were
smashed into splinters, aud afterwArd
caught fire. The third coach was tel
tssoped, as well as part of the next car,
which WAS a Pullman. The twenty
Detroit passengers occupied seats IN
the Pullman cars, and it is not thought
that the list of killed and wounded will
include many OF them.
No. 4 consisted of baggage car. q
com bination coach and sleeper. Most
of the passengers were 10 the Pullman
II being a vssiibuled train, the officials
do not believe that the loss OF lits or
No. 4 will be very heavy. Thirty.twt
doctors from Detroit city have gone u
the wreck. The country for mileI
around was lighted by the burning
oars, and the flames could not bI
Quenched because OF lack of proper ap
paratus.
Mangled bodies were picked uI
along the track by the farmers before
the special train sent from Adrian ar
rived on the scene. Ia some instsncee
the bodies we're msngled beyond al
recognition. '---------..