The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1902-12-31
MANY DEAD.
TWENTY EIGHT KILLED IN COL.
LlSION ON CANADIAN RAIL-
ROAD


In Binding Snow Storm, Locomo'
tives met Head-on With Ter-
rible Crash-Many
IDjured-Other
News.
London, Ont, Dec. pa fright.
full collision occurred a short dis.
tance from the little station OF
Wanstead, Ont, on the Sarnia
branch Of the Grand Trunk Rail
way, last night. The express was
running nearly two hours late, and
was making fast time. The freight
was endeavoring to make siding
to get clear Of the express, but fail
ed by a minute or two.
There was dreadful crash, the
locomotives reared up and fell over
in q ditch, the baggage car of the
express telescoped the smoker, and
in an instant the shrieks and cries
of the wounded and dying filled the
air. The loss of life is %. The in
jured number many more, and ma
ny of these may die. Several of the
dead were horribly mutilated.
Heads were cut off, legs were
wrenched from their bodies, and
the level stretch of snow became
crimson with the blood of the vic
Tins.
The responsibility for the acci-
dent has not been deffnitely fixed /,
but it is believed to have been due
to telegraph operators error. The
operator at one of the stations
where the two trains stopped gave
an order to the freight to pass No.
5, the Pacific express, at Wanstead.
In the system of the Grand Trunk
this order should have been dupli-
Gated, copy being given to the
conductor and engineer of the ex-
press. Instead of this the conduc-
tor of the express received a clear
ancs order, telling him that he
might-run through. The freight
train In the meantime had stopped
at Wanstead to sidetrack, and was
telescoped by the express. The
binding storm which was raging
rendered objects invisible at the
distance OF a few feet.
The operator at Wanstead islnot
on duty at night, but last
evening he happened to be in the
office for a short time. He was 60
ing out Of the door when he heard
the telegraph instrument click and
Immediately call repeated the mes
sage: ''Stop No. 5, "Stop No. s."
lantern, the operator
dashed for the door, and as he clos
ed it behind him he heard the crash
Of the collision up the track.
There was not a house at hand
to which the injured could be car
RED. Fortunately, however, the
two Pullman cars on the train did
not sustain any damage. They
were warm and comfortable, and
were converted into a temporary
hospital. The injured were placed
in the berths and everything posi-.
BILE done to ease their sufferings.
According to Master of Transpor-
tation Price, Of this city, it was An
drew Carson, the agent and opera
tor at Watford, the next station
east Of Wanstead, who failed to de-
liver to the train crew of No. 5 the
orders to pass the freight train at
Wanstead. Trainmaster Price says
that in explanation Of the mistake
that brought such terrible results
the operator says he understood the
to say to kill the orders
for No. 5 to pass the freight at
Wanstead, but it is denied in the
Office here that the or
der was killed.
The Pacific express, which was
ate and endeavoring to make up
time, was made up Of two Pullman
cars, two frst-class day coaches
and two baggage cars The engin-
ser opened wide his throttle as he
pulled out of Watford at 9:58 o.
clock. A blizzard was raging, and
;he air was thick with swirling
snow. The train was crowded with
people returning from holiday trips.
The express train was running at
speed of fully 30 miles an hour
through the blizzard, when at the
Wanstead siding the headlight of
,he. freight engine loomed up
through the snow.
The impact threw the two engines
clear off the track on the right hand
'ide. The two day coaches of the
express were between the heavily
oaded baggage cars and the weigh
y Pullmans. A terrific grinding
rash and the rear baggage car was