The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-27
AN EARLIER STORY
The Names Of the Injured Are Given
Heroic Work of Passengers.


Heroic Work Of Passengers.
London, Ont, Dec. PA frightful col
lision occurred last night between a pas
senger and freight train on the Grand
Trunk railroad at Wanstead, a station on
the Sarnia branch of that road, and, &C
cording to the latest reports from
twenty five to thirty persons were killed
and thirty injured.
The passenger train was the Pacific Ex-
press, west bound. 1t was running at a
high rate of speed and the freight, which
was proceeding east under slow Roadway,
was to have taken the switch at Wan
stead to allow the passenger train to pass.
Apparently neither engineer saw the dan
ger In time to avert the accident, for the
two engines came together near the west
switch with a terrific crash and were
overturned into the ditch. The baggage
and express cars te1escoped into the smok-
er with appalling results. 49,
The wreck was 'cOmplete,- and it is
|. thought that hardly a single passenger in
the smoker escaped injury. The other
cars Of the passenger train remained on
this city and doctors We're soon on the
scene. The work of recovering the dead
and injured then proceeded. 81. .-.
The Inflated express consisted Of two
baggage. cars a smoker, two f1rst-class
coaches and two Pullmans. Tie smoker
which was telescoped by the coach behind
it had the sides knocked out of it, the
roof falling and imprisoning the passen-
gers. - : s~5s<& .-.-'
The wreck shortly after the collision
caught fire and but for the heroic efforts
OF a brigade of passengers organized and
led by an old man. who was himself pas
senger on the Inflated train, the disas-
ter might have been worse. By heroic
efforts this brigade put out the fire by
throwing snow on the flames with thei,
hats and hands. They turned their ef-
forts to getting out the wounded who ha6
their sufferings increased by a binding
snoWstOrm and the thermometer neal
zero. A Miss Cuthbertson Of Port Huron
Mich, was imprisoned under the wreck
two hours, but was mot seriously in
jured. The dead and injured are arriving
in London by special train this morn
ing and the work Of identifying the deat
and caring for the sufferers is being hur
r1ed as fast as possible. 49,
The names of the injured passenger!
are:
Alexander NJ. Stewart Wingham Ont; J. J.
Cuthbertson and wife, Port Huron, Mich; Flos.
sic Cuthbertson, Port Huron; Mrs Samuel Cum.
! mings, Portr Huron; Lottie Lynch, Port Huron
Mich flames r Ranbl1n, Toronto, ont: Hattie
N Se1 Peterboro, Ont. James R. Northey,
E. Baker, Londony Ont; w! F. Morse, wife and
three children, Sarnia; Thomas Coote, Chicago
GeorgesStacey, Wanstead. Ont; Edward Dee
vans, Prescott. Ont; Dr. Basil Harvey, Chicago
Mrs u. NJ Stewart and child, Oshkosh, Wis.
Russell Quinn, Chicago: James Banes, Wood
| stock, Ont; Beatrice Geddes, Sarnia, Ont: Johr
Bierd, Chicago; Albert Limont, Wyoming, Ont.
j. ana tot M Cole Ont
wife, Flint, Mich; B. K Mcdonald, Strathroy
Ont; Mrs. L. N. Byrnes sarnia, Ont; Annie
Sinclair, Kokomo, Ont; Mrs. Pugsley, London
Ont; : Charles Stewart, Oshkosh. Wis.
Robert jackson. Petrolia, Ont; Hobart Stew
art, Oshkosh, Wis; James Bane, Woodstock
Ont. *
An Operators Mistake.
The. accident is said to have been due
to the failure Of an operator to give orders
to the express train to meet the freigh,
at the station. One of the passengers de-
scribes the accident as follows:
! 1--WE were running about forty miles al
hour when without the slightest warning
the two trains met with terrific force. Or
|; examination it; was found that the two
engines were in the ditch.
1.-THE baggage car was thrown on top OF
the first-class coach. instantly killing 9
great many and pinning about fifty Other
|. passengers in the debris. The screams
means and prayers of the injured were
heart-rending. One. poor woman begged
| that her child be saved as she was dying
The little one was carefully taken from
the wreck and probably will recover. The
| mother was afterward released, but only
to die in a few minutes. 80
l. ABOUT thirty people were killed an(
forty badly injured, some Of whom will
| die.
/ 1.-The trainmen as well as every pas
senger did all they could to relieve tht
sufferings of the victims"
|, i..:-.,. Some .PltlfuI Scenes -- r..
| The bodies taken from the wrek wer.
f;frightfully mangled, some of them almos
Ebeyond recognition. The scenes attending
the removal Of the. dead bodies from the
wreckage were pitiful i in the extreme
Several families were on, the train and tht
air was filed with the cries of those
separated from their loved ones, not
knowing whether they were killed o,
saved. 49,
!; Miss Nellie Geddes of Sarnia was among
the killed. She was returning with he,
sister, Beatrice Geddes, from visit tt
relatives in this city. Beatrice was
slightly injured and was brought back tc
London on one of the early relief trains
Not finding her sister here she became
convinced that she had been, saved AM
| had gone on to Sarnia and this morning
| Beatrice left for Sarina confident that She
would there meet her sister Nellie.
A Telegraph Operators Mistake.
Montreal, Dec. 27.-Superintendent Nc
! Guigan OF the Grand Trunk railway says
he cannot understand how the operator
who is charged with-the mistake, made
such a blunder. He is one Of the Oldest
and most reliable operators and he wen
into the service with the Great Western
railway in 1877. 1t appears he failed tt
meet the freight at the station
L i.