Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1901-11-28
RAILWAY HORROR
More Than a Hundred Emil
grants Caught Like Rats
in a Trap.
OVERLOOKED ORDERS
Engineer of the Wabash Continental
Limited Went BY the Siding and
Havoc Ensued.
The Fastest Train on the Wabash
Dashes Head-0n Into IA Crowded
Immigrant Train.

Detroit, Mich. Nov. 2S.-Eighty per-
sons We're killed and $50 injured last
night in a passenger train wreck on
the Wabash railroad. OF the injured
25 case are serious. Two heavily
loaded passenger trains collided head
on at fun speed one mile east of SEN
eca- The westbound train CT seven
cars. two OF them filled with emf
grants. was smashed and burned.
There was awful loss of life or fearful
injuries TO a ajority of its passen-
gers. The eastbound train, the Con-
tinental Limited, suffered in scarcely
less degree.
IL is not known how many people
there We're on the emigrant train. but
the number of dead injured and
burned is about $50. The people on
that train were caught like rats in a
trap and crushed. Then the wreck
caught fire. and those who were not
instantly killed were slowly roasted
to death. and none of the few specta-
tors who hastily gathered from the
farmhouses near by were able to al
ford aid. The whole emigrant train
was soon consumed by the flames and
nearly every person on that train was
killed. Farmers residing along the
track rushed in on the blazing mass
to rescue those whom they thought
might be alive. The bodies hauled
out of the wreck were taken to near
by farmhouses, which are filled with
dead. and a large number of injured
were taken to the Wabash railway
hospital at Peru. Ind
Along the track the long lines of
burned bodies covered with blankets
presented a gruesome sight Ii NAV
be possible that the exact number of
killed or who they are will never be
known.
1t is said here that the accident was
the result of misunderstanding Of
orders II is reported that the east
bound train should have waited at
Seneca station and the emigrant train
should have taken the siding. This
was not done. Then the crash came.
The net result is that the emigrant
train is burned. the engines are com
plete wrecks on both trains, and on
the eastbound train the coach be-
tween the diner and the baggage car
is crushed into kindling wood
The Continental Limited was in
charge of Engineer Strong and Con-
ductor Martin. The emigrant train.
a double-header. was in charge of En-
gineer Work. Engineer Parks aud
Conductor Charles Troll. The limited
it is believed. disobeyed orders in not
waiting AT Seneca for the other train.
thereby causing the wreck
The track at the point where the
collision occurred was straight. and
at first the officials could not under
stand how the accident could have
happened. The westbound train,
which ordinarily leaves Detroit a.
?: So o'clock. was two hours late. leay-
ing at 40. The two trains meet at
Montpelier, Ohio. according to sched-
ule. bat the limited had orders TO
meet the westbound train at Seneca.
The blame is therefore placed on the
conductor or engineer of the limited
Had his train been held at Seneca
the accident would not have occurred.
The train was due at Seneca at 6:4S.
according to the change in schedule,
but apparently orders to await were
and the probabilities are
sAes the true story Of Why VIII never