Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-12-27

ltlfeNuVtu ". lnt tOutu ntHluu H. ihi
the sides knocked out OF IT, the roof
falling and imprlsoning the passengers.
II was In this car that most Of the
awful havoc and loss of life occurred.
This day coach was reduced TO spllnters
aud fragments back TO the last three
windows AS II was crowded, the re-
suits were terrible Fire that broke out
was quickly smothered but the fire was
scarcely less dangerous than the cold.
For three hours or more wounded and
manned passengers were pinned Under
meath wreckage, crying piteously for
help while they suffered from exposure
10 the elements
WRECK CATCHES FIRE.
The wreck shortly after the collision
caught fire aud but for the heroic ef-
forts of brigade VI passengers organ
lied and led by an old man, who was
himself passenger on the Inflated
train the disaster might have been
more disastrous 10 those pinned down
I'm the wreck. BY heroic efforts this
brigade put out the fire by throwing
snow ON the flames with their hats and
hands. They then turned their efforts
toward getting out the wounded who
binding snowstorm and the thermome-
ter near zero. A Miss Cuthbertson Of
Port Huron, Mich. was imprisoned un-
der the wreck two hours but was not
seriously injured.
The dead aud injured are arriving In
London by special train this morning
and the work OF Identifying the dead
and caring for the sufferers Is being
hurried ug fast ng noggihlp
The accident is said to have been due
to the failure Of an operator to give
orders TO the express train to meet the
freight at the station.
one OF the passengers describes the
accident as follows.
I'VE were running at about 40 miles
an hour when without the slightest
warning the two trains met with ter
rife force, on examination II was found
that the two engines were In the ditch.
The baggage car was thrown on top OF
the first class coach, instantly killing a
great many and pinnng about 80 other
passengers in the debris. The screams,
means and prayers Of the injured were
heart rendng. One poor woman beg
ged that her child be saved as she was
dying. The little one was carefully TAX
en- from the wreck and viii probably re-
cover. The mother was afterward re-
leased, but only 70 die In a few min
utes'
EXPOSURE FASTENED DEATH,
Exposure undoubtedly FASTENED the
death of some Of the more seriously in
jured and caused the death OF some OF
those who might have been saved II II
had been only question of extricating
them from the wreckage.
The Pullman cars stayed on the track
and were comparatively uninjured, al
though the passengers In them were Sc
verely shaken in the shock.
As soon as possible word was sent to
this city Of the wreck and a relief train
with dozen London doctors was dis
patched to the scene. The work Of re-
moving the dead and injured was at
once begun. Half dozen bodies were
recovered within q short time and q
number Of wounded remaved from the
wreck. Trains were made up 10 send
the wounded to London hospitals.
Efforts TO identify the wounded and
dead were attended with difficulty The
dead bodies taken from the wreck were
frightfully mangled some Of them al
most beyond recognition. Edward
Boise or Prescott, was taken from the
wreck alive. but he was so frightfully
Injured that he died two hours after
being placed In the hospital In this city.
j. A. Lamonte, Of Wyoming, was the
night operator at Watford, the tele-
graph station nearest 10 the siding at
Wanstead Responsibility for the wreck
has not been fixed. II ls said by some
that II came through a confusion In or
ders for which Lamonte was respon-
sible.
l.amonte was in some way injured In
the wreck.
FRIGHTFuLLY MANGLED.
The bodies taken from the wreck
were ffighifully manged, some OF them
almost beyond recognition. The scenes
attending the removal OF the dead
bodies from the wreckage were pitiful
In the extreme. Several families were
on the train, and the air was filed with
the anxious cries OF those separated
from their loved ones, not knowing
whether they were killed or saved.
Miss Nellie Geddes OF Sarnla was
among the killed She was returning
with her sister. Beatrice Geddes, from
visit TO relatives In this city Beatrice
was slightly injured and was brought
back TO London on one OF The early re-
lief trains, Not finding her sister here
she became convinced that she had
been saved. and had gone on TO Sar-
MIA. and this morning Beatrice left for
Sarnia. confident that she would there
meet her sister.
sUPT. McGuIGANs STATEMENT.
Montreal Dec. 27.-Supt. Michigan
Of the Grand Trunk railway. says his
information is that there are about %
killed and 30 injured but a reliable list
has not reached him. He cannot un-
derstand. he says. how the operator
who is charged with the mistake. made
such a blunder. He Is one OF the Oldest
and most reliable operators. the SUPER
intendent added He went into SER
vice with the Great Western railway In
1876 II appears he failed 10 give the
order 10 the passenger train TO meet the
freight at the station. Everything has
been done 70 aid the injured.