Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-12-29
DEAD NUMBERS %.
Sad Result Of a Railroad
Operators Mistake.
Two Trains Crash Together About
% Dead and "a Injured.
The Stop Order Received Too Late
Some Terrible Scenes.

London. Ont. Dec 2S.-London learn
ed with the deepest horror. Friday
night. that an appalling catastrophe
had occurred on the Grand Trunk Rail
way at Wanstead Nearly 80 people
were killed and as many more terribly
injured many of them fatally. Through
the mistake of station agent, the
Pacific Express, a through train OF
seven cars from Niagara Falls to chi
caSo. running TO make up lost time,
swept at 80 miles an hour upon an
eastbOund freight. which was about TO
take the siding at Wanstead.
Freight ears and passenger coaches
piled over one another in confusion
The icy atmosphere and the blizzard
added to the tortures of the wounded
Many of those imprisoned under the
wreckage died as much from fright
and exposure as from their wounds.
AT one time fire broke out in the
wreck. Only the heroism of the unin-
jured passengers saved the train from
additional horrors. With snow carried
from The side of the tracks they COW
cred the danes and smothered them.
At Wanstead. a small station, no
night operator is kept. and this fact
materially delayed the aiding of the
injured, 1t was nearly six hours after
the accident before a train bearing the
wounded reached this city. The two
Pullman cars on the express were un-
injured. Their passengers vacated
their luxurious seats and the coaches
We're made into a travelling hospital.
The train made a quick trip to Lon
don. where it was switched from the
Grand Trunk tracks to those of the
Lake Erie 4 Detroit River Railway,
and run to within block of Victoria
Hospital. Ambulances and other We
hicles We're in waiting. and % of the
wounded were taken to the hospital.
where their injuries We're attended by
physicians. One man died shortly af
ter reaching the hospital and a little
girl died early in the afternoon. The
death list stands at q, all except two
Of whom have< been identified.
The responsibility of the accident has
not been definitely fixed. but it is be-
iieNed to have been due to an oper-
ators error. The operator at one OF
the stations where the two trains
stopped gave an order to the freight
to pass No. ;. the Pacific Express. at
Wanstead. In the system of the Grand
Trunk this order should have been du-
piCated, Il copy being given to the
conductor and engineer of the express.
Instead of this the conductor of the
express received clearance order, tell
ing him to run right through The
freight train had meantime stopped at
Wanstead TO sidetrack. and was tele-
scoped by the express The binding
storm which was raging rendered OBJ
Jects invisible ut the distance Of q few
feet.
The operator at Wans.ead is not usu-
all- on duty at night. but Friday
evening. ne happened to be in the Of
flee for a short time. He was just
going out at the door when he heard
the telegraph instrument click and i'm
mediately call repeatedly the message:
stop No. s. 'Stop No So Selling
a lantern, the Wanstead man dashed
for the door and as he closed il be-
mind him he heard the crash of the
collision half mile up the track.
The darkness of night and the rag
ing of Il blizzard added horros to the
wreck. Fortunately. fire was averted.
the day coach. but it was smothered
with snow and coats. which We're
thrown on it before it gained any
headway
The Pacific Express Is 4 fast train.
Friday night il was delayed two hours
by the heavy travel. and ut Wanstead
il was speeding to make up time The
freight was working slowly east. un-
der orders TO take the switch at Wan
stead and allow the express to pass.
In the binding snowstorm neither en-
ginecr saw the other train approa ch-
ing. apparently. and the freight had
just begun to pull in on the siding
when the passenger train came up.
The 4 aims came together squarely
head-on. In Il second the baggage and
express cars of the passenger train
telesco9ed into the, day coach. The
lay coach WAS reduced to spIinters
and fragments back to the last three
windows. AS IL was crowded. the re-
suits were terrible. Fire that broke
out was quickly smothered, but the
CONTINUED on page 81