Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-11-28
FIFTY ARE ITALIANS
Many of the Bodies Were Re
duced to Ashes.
AWFUL SCENE ENACTED LAST NIGHT

Engineer Misunderstands Orders and
Runs into Train Freghted With
Humanity While Going at High
Rate of Speed.
Detroit, Nov. 2S.-The latest esti-
mate of the dead in the Wabash
wreck near Adrian, Mich, is between
eighty and a hundred dead, and 125
injured. Twenty-Five of the latter will
equal to the Ashtabula horror. OF the
dead fifty are Italian immigrants, west
bound on train No, 13.
The Dead.
The dead are:
WILLIAM d. DoWD. Detroit, fire
man of number Is.
CALBALDORFF ASHLEY, fireman
number 49,
JAMES BROWN, porter, Detroit.
GEORAGE N. YOUNGMANS, Kan
sas City
JOB MITCHELL. Detroit.
VIDA DECAS, Tupperville, Ont.
The Injured.
The injured are:
H. B. Whitney, Grand Rapids.
F. B. Richardson, Detroit.
Mary Dalman. Detroit
Sam J. Work, engineer of No. Is.
NIa,. iahn 1oSt
county, n l=s
Antonio Ferne
Giocomo Bellino.
Silvestro Tritusi.
Pietro Sacramento.
Domeso Morganti.
Pasquale Zumpfara.
Carlo Strampelli.
Virguitto Luces.
Domenco Posteraro. s
Johanne Lobitz.
F. w. Pierce
Frank Bielder, all of Baltimore, Md.
Salta Book, Burnside, Ill.
Louis Shoemaker, Adrian.
Victor Gohn, st. Paul. u
Jessie Williams Detroit
George +. White, New York.
Thomas Crehan, Buffalo.
Winifred Crehan, Batavia.
d. Baneford, Logansport.
Mrs. M. S. Stringe, Belleville, Mich.
G. E. Smith, Detroit
Moultre Gregg, Joplin. Mo.
M. e. Chilean, Fairburn. N. H.
H. G. Whelney, Grand Rapids.
G. w. Sweeney. Detroit
S. F. Carroll, Tonawanda, N. Y.
Alemila Coleon, Colorado
Mrs. Joseph Jaksa, Globeville, Col.
Katharine Plut, Denver, Col.
Anna Krasov, Denver.
Filled With italians.
The west-bound train was known as
No. IS, which, besides it's regular
coaches, had several coaches filled
with Italian immigrants going west
from New York The east-bound train
was known as No. a, the Continental
Limited. 1t was a vestibuled train
consisting of baggage car, combina.
ton coach and sleeper.
Cause Of Wreck.
The cause of the wreck was the mis-
reading of orders by Engineer Strong
of the Continental Limited. The or
der, it is claimed, read, Pass at Sen
aca," but Strong understood it to read
train did not know the engineer had
misunderstood the order, and suppos
ed his train was going on siding
Finding the train running rapidly, the
conductor put on the air brakes, him
self. but it was too late. The two
trains crashed together and the cars
on the west-bound train We're crumplet
up in heap of ruins.
Engineers Story.
Engineer Strong stated in positive
terms to the Associated Press that his
order directed him to pass train No
13, from Detroit, "at Sand Creek.
Said Strong: Il saw the headlight o
No. 13 four or five miles before the
collision occurred, but | supposed the
train was side tracked at Sand Greek
waiting for us to pass The glare O.
the powerful electric headlight made i
impossible to see the exact location o
the other train. My fireman and ] botl
jumped from the right-hand gangway.'
Miraculous Escape.
Engineer Strong and the fireman
were both hurled 800 feet, but although
scratched, cut and terribly Jared, the,
are not seriously injured. The immi
grants and other passengers on traiI
No. 13 were crushed between the splin
tered cars. Ii any escaped without in
jury it will be considered a miracle.
Fire Adds, Horror.
To add to the horror, the wreckag,
caught fire instantly, and in a shor
time the bodies of the dead and thos
of the injured who We're pinned dow
were being burned. Farmers from
nearby and those who escaped from