The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1901-12-05
APPALLING HORROR!
Trains Carrying Heavy Load Of
Human Fright Go Together.
FEARFUL LOSS OF LIFE RESULTS
First Reports Placed Number OF Fatal
tiles at From 80 to 100-Fire
Broke Out and Many Bodies
Are Cremated.

From 80 to 100 persons were killed
or injured Wednesday night In the
most disastrous railroad wreck in the
history Of Michigan railroads. TWO
heavily loaded passenger trains on the
Wabash railroad collided head-on at
full speed one mile east Of Seneca, the
second station west Of Adrian. The
west-bound train of two cars loaded
with immigrants and fiye other coaches
were smashed ana burned with the re-
suit Of awful loss Of life and fearful In
juries to a majority Of it's passengers.
The east-bound train, the Continental
Limited, suffered in scarcely less de-
gree.
The track in the vicinity OF the
wreck was strewn with uead and dy-
Ing. Many physicians from Detroit
hurried to the scene.
No. 4, the Continental Limited, 1t Is
believed, disobeyed orders in not wait
ing at Seneca for No. 13, thereby caus.
ing the wreck.
Conductor Is Blamed.
The track at the point where the col
lision occurred was straight, and at
first the officials could not understand
how the accident could have happened.
No. 13, which ordinarily is due to
leave Detroit at 2:3v o'clock, was two
hours late, leaving at 4:2o. The two
trains meet at Montpelier. Ohio. &C.
cording to schedule, but No. 4 had or
ders to wait for No. 13 at Seneca. The
blame is therefore placed on the con-
ductor or engineer of No. 4. Had this
train been held at Seneca the accident
would not have occurred. Train No. 4
was due at Seneca at 6:43, according
to the change in schedule, but appa'
rently orders to wait were disobeyed.
Adyices from the wreck at midnight
Wednesday night stated that the coun-
try for miles around was lighted up by
the burning cars, and that the flames
could not be quenched because OF lack
of proper apparatus. Mangled bodies
were picked up along the track by the
farmers before the special trains sent
from Adrian arrived on the scene. In
some instances the bodies were man
gled beyond all recognition. The bodies
which the rescuers managed to pull
from the burning ruins Of The immi-
grant cars were so badly burned that
their identity will probably never be
ascertained.
AS soon as the news Of the disaster
reached Division Superintendent Burns
of Detroit the wires were kept hot or
dering specials from Adrian, Peru and
Montpelier to the scene Of the wreck.
A special train from Detroit carrying
thirty-two physicians and surgeons
started for Seneca and was given the
right Of way. When it reached the
scene Of the wreck the work was at
once commenced succoring the wound
ed.
Later advices state that Superintend-
ent George M. Burns, OF the division
on which the wreck occurred, insists
that the estimates of fatalities are too
high.
II do not consider" said he, "that
the total death list will exceed twenty.
However, in support Of the larger
estimates, it is pointed out that there
are now fourteen passengers known to
be dead. The bodies Of eight Of these
have been recovered, and it is consid-
cred that the fragments Of other bodies
now in the morgue at Adrian will &C.
count for many more than the twelve
dead necessary to make up Superin-
tendent Burns 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 were being removed.