New-York tribune., 1902-12-28
MANY KILLED In WRECK.
Grand TRUNK HORROR
Express Crosoded With Passenger
Crashes Into Freight Tram.
JBr TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE

TELEGRAPH TO The Ehibs>AI
roudon Ont Dec. 27-London learned WIN
The deepest horror last night that an appaihhs
catastrophe had occurred on the Grand IruhS
Ros,uav at Wanstead. Nearly thirty peopie
wore killed and as many more terribly injured
,,anv of them fatally. Through the mistake oi
"a station agent the Pacific Express, through
train of seven cars from Niagara Falls to CHI
cago running to make up lost time swept d
efty miles an hour upon an eastbouno freish''
which uas about TO take the siding al wan
stead.
Freight cars and passenger coaches piieo over
one another in confusion. The icy atmosphere
and the blizzard added TO the tortures OF the
wounded .Meny of those imprisoned unoer 'he
wreckage died much from fright ano e~
nosure as from their wounds. At one time hre
broke out in the wreck Only the heroism OF
the unfnjured passengers saved the train rom
55,,;oasl horrors With snow carried from the
side of me tracks they covered the flames ana
snaofhered them.
Al wanstead small station no night oper-
arcr is kept and this fact materially delayed
the aiding of the injured 1t was nearly siA
hours after the accident before tram Oeafiiis
the wounded reached this CITY, The TWO Fuh-
man cars on the express were uninJureo- lheii
Messengers vacated their luxurious seats anu
-he coaches were made into a travelling nus
nj+al The train mace quick trip to Lonool'
whore # was switched from the Grand Trunk
tracks to those Of the Lake Erie ana De,roit
River Railway. and run to within block OF
Victoria Hospital Ambulances and other We
bicles were in waiting and twenty-five OF the
-ro,,n5ad were taken 10 the hospital where their
,ns,,ries were attended by the physicians One
,rsn died shortly after reaching the hospitai
and q little girl died early in the afternoon.
The death list stands at twenty seven, all ex-
csrt two Of whom have been identihed,
The responsibility for the accident has not
heen definitely fixed, but IT is believed to nave
r,een due TO an operators error. The operator
OF ono of the stations where the two trains
s.onnad gave an order to the freight TO pass No
Z the Pacific Express, at Wansteao In lhe
system Of the Grand Trunk this order snouio
have been duplicated. copy being given 10 the
conductor and engineer Of the express. In
stead Of this the conductor Of the express re-
oeived q clearance order, telling him to run
right through. The freight train had mean
time stopped at Wanstead to sidetrack and was
-alescoped by the express. The binding storm
which was raging rendered objects invisible at
the distance of a few feet
The operator at wanstead is not usually on
duty at night but last evening he happened 10
he in the office for short time. He was just
going ont at the door when he heard the tele-
graph instrument click and immediately can re-
peatedly the message. Stop No. o. stop NO.
a." Selling lantern the Wanstead man dasheo
for the door, and as he closed 1t behind MIN ne
heard the crash OF the collision half mile up
the track
According to Transportation Master frice'
of this city it was the agent and operator at
7Natford the next station east of Wanstead,
who failed TO deliver 10 the train crew OF No
Z their orders TO pass the freight train at Wan
stead. Mr.. Price says that in explanation OF
the mistake that brought such terrible results
the operator says he understood the dispatcher
10 kin the orders for No. . to pass the frelsh'
at wanstead. but it is denied in the dispatch
er's Office here that the order was killed