Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-12-04

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 space less than
eight feet lorg on the tracks. half its oe-
cupants killed and the car and the bodies
then burned 10 ashes: these are the two
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. viii prove to be very
close to eighty. In addition seyenty-six
men, women and children were injured.
some of them seriously. The dead and
injured together will foot up about half
of the ZOO passengers who were carried
into collision on the Inflated trains.
Italians Bount for Colorado.
The Italians. of whom there were about
seventy-fve, were all on their way to
They were riding in two light, and in
comparison with yestibuled ears, fiimsy,
second-class coaches. OF the thirty-tive
in the front car none is accounted for.
From the second ear about half We're res
cued. The bodies of the dead We're burn
ed so completely that the fragments are
not only impossible to identify, but they
cannot even be separated from one anoth-
er as different human bodies.
The blame for the collision is placed on
Conductor George NJ. Martin and Engi-
neer A. +. Strong of the east-bound train,
No. 4, 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
ly 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
ly 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.
q
as we'll as its 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 frai'
| coaches broke the force Of the crash fol
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
| ~ 1t was 4 day coach, between the
smoker and the dining car There is left
besides the iron work just the roof of the
car and some spinters. Its body has
been utterly destroyed. In il were if
teen to eighteen passengers.
Some Miraculous Esearea.
Six were taken ont dead, FIVE were Sc
yerely injured aud 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 other
| headlight and thought it waiting mt the
| coming station for him. The east-bound
train slowed from sixty five 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 firemen. The tive
| firemen on the engines Of the rear train
both Jumped TOO late, and were crushed
| to death.
| The crash of the collision shook houses
! 300 yards away. The big mogul engine
No. 900, east bound fairly ate up the
| little engine. No. ~. a, the head of the
| other train. After this d, struction of one
engine and half Of another, the big mogu
reared backward. turned a 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
tion from which she had just come. and
her machinery shriehing and belehing
. steam.
| Fire Spread Rapidly.
| The front cars of each train piled them
! selves upon the engines. The flames