The Washington times., 1902-12-28
TWENTY-SIX DEAD IN
GRAND TRUNK WRECK
Many in Hospital With Fa-
tai Injuries.
COLD ADDS TO SUFFERING
Accident Said to Have Been Caused by
Negligence Of Station
Agent
COLD ADDS TO SUFFERING

a h~AA'r
TORONTO. Ontario. Dec 27.-The most
appalling railway accident that has oc-
CURED in Ontario since the disaster near
Hamilton, in the spring Of 1859. and the
worst the Grand Trunk Railway ever
had took place at the little hamlet Of
Wanstead, near Petrolea. last night.
when the Grand Trunk Chicago express
collided with a freight that was NOV
ing out Of its way into a siding.
The announcement az II o'clock this
morning that there were twenty-six
dead does not tell the whole story. for a
number OF the mere seriously injured
are likely to die
The scene of the accident was within
p mile OF Wanstead. a way station some
torty miles west Of London. The ex-
press train was running nearly two
hours late. and was making fast time.
@he freight was endeavoring 20 make a
siding TO get clear OF the express. It
failed By minute or two.
No Warning Of the Crash.
Passengers aboard the Inflated train
co not attempt to picture what they saw
and experienced. They say that there
was no warning OF the terrible crash
The train was speeding at a great rate.
judged by the swaying Of the coaches.
Most OF the passengers we're asleep or
dosing
Suddenly there was a sound like the
smashing Of mighty timbers. the grind
ing OF iron against iron. One passenger
says the sound was like that heard in a
big -four mill.
Then as suddenly rs the crash had
come came an awful hush The hush
was momentary. bur it was so terrible
that it impressed itself vividly upon the
minds OF all After the stiffness came
a bedlam Of noises The sound Of escap-
ing steam from the engines and the
broken steam pipes in the coaches
seemed like the kissing Of thousand
demons. drowning the cries and shrieks
OF the manned and dying.
The list Of killed totals twenty-six, and
that OF the injured thirty-one. making
a casualty list OF ffty-seven.
There was a blizzard raging az the
time Of the accident. and this doubtless
prevented the engineers seeing the dan
ger ahead OF them in time TO avoid the
disaster.
Zero Weather.
It was q bitterly cold night. with the
mercury at zero. and this made the suf-
ferings OF the injured passengers harder
10 bear. since. owing to the lack OF IA
cilities at Wanstead. there was neces-
sarily a long wait for relief
Conductor J. McAuliffe was in charge
OF the express, and Conductor J. A. Gra-
ham Of the freight train. Engineer J..
GILES, Of Sarnia. on the eastbound
freight. and Fireman J. Ricketts,. Of the
westbound express. are among the kill
ed. The express was well filled.
The freight should have remained at
Wyoming. but came on 90 Wanstead.
which IT reached a minute OF two too
late to get on the main line. The ex-
press was travelling at a high rate Of
speed. faster probably than the engi-
neer OF the freight imagined. as he fail
ed TO get his train on the switch in
time.
The freight was proceeding much more
slowly. but the two engines came TO-
gether with a frightful crash. near the
opening OF the switch. The engines
crashed into each other. stood momen-
tarily on end. and then fell over into
the ditch
The passenger engine carried three
cars with It. two Of them filled with
passengers. and the other with baggage
and mail matter. The balance OF the
train remained on the track. The freight
cars piled up into confused mass be-
hind the engine.
The velocity OF the passenger train
caused havoc among the occupants
OF the coaches. The cars crumbIed up
like egg shells. and suddenly crushed out
the lives OF many persons.
The Identified Dead
The list OF the def i is as follows:
ALEXANDER STEWART, Petrolea
Mrs ALEXANDER STEW ART Petrolea-
A. RICKETTS,. sarnia Tunnel. fireman.
p. NiA4liEaot oaIAla Aluitit ENGINEER
Mr TROTTEH. Petrcloa.
u. p. LAWRENCE. Watforl.
r. s. FREEMAN. Oil springs. OF HCnsall. on
tario.
Nj JEFFREY. L0ndoa
GLEN RODLET. Port Huron, Mich.
GUY DEPENCfER. Lacrosse. Wis
DR.. PENWAhDEN, Petrolea.
Woman supposed t0 be wife Of DR.. PenWardn
J. H. BROCK. Brucedad
o. b. BJRWEB. Port Huron.
WILSON MOKrON. Chicago (died in hospitsN.
Ed BOYCE. Prescott
Mis- GEDDES Sauia
Miss BEATRICE GEDDEs. sarnia (dicd in
hospitaD.
GEORGE STACY. Wsnstead
Ms. J. 5. BARNES, Woodstock (died in hos
pitaD.
About half a dozen others not yet
Identified we're killed or died after
removal from the wreck.
The Injured.
Among those who we're the most in
jured. number OF whom are likely 10
die. are the following: William Moss
sarnis: Frank Baker. London. Thomas
Coote. Chicago; L. Stewart. ten years
old. Oshkosh. Wis. Hobart stewart. si1
years old. Oshkosh. Wis: Jonathan J.
Cuthbertson. Pert Huron: John Baird