The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-12-28
In BIlNDIEG SNOW STORM %
PERSONS SENT 10 ETERNITY
Continued from First Paael

AXE that brought such terrible results
The operator says he understood the dis
spatcher to kill the orders for No. to
pass the freight at Wanstead but it is
denied at the dispateher's office here that
the order was Killed.
The Pacific Express, which was late
and endeavoring to make up time, was
made up of two Pullman cars. two first
class day coaches and two baggage cars
The engineer opened wide his throttle as
he pulled out of Watford al 9:5S o'clock.
blizzard was raging and the air was thick
with swirling snow. The trainiwas crowd
ed with holiday people, and the train
was running fifty miles an hour when the
headlight of the freight doomed up
through the snow. Tt was impossible to
see 100 feet ahead on account OF the
snow. and the trains crashed together al
most before the engine crews realized that
a collision was imminent The compact
threw the engines clear of the track on
the right hand side. The two day coaches
of the express were between the heav-
lily loaded baggage cars and weighty
Pullmans. With a terrific crash the rear
baggage car was driven into the coaches
In the rear for it's entire length, and in
twinxling the scores of occupants were
dead and two score more pinned down IN
the wreclSage crushed and mangled The
horror of fire was mercifully spared the
suffering persons buried in the wreck A
little flame broke out but the uninjured
passengers extinguished it with snow be-
fore it gained any Roadway. The occu-
pants Of the two Pullman cars and The
second day coach swarmed out of their
cars to the rescue. A perfect badlam of
noises greeted them. The hiss of esca ping
steam from the wrecked engines mingled
with the piteous cries of the unfortunates
pinned in the ruins. The bitter cold wind
Cd 70 laaft rffap- NFn1t1
teer rescue parties Immediately formed
and did heroic work.
Relief Train Sent.
brakeman had rushed through the
storm to the telegraph office and notified
both London and Sarnia officials of the
wreck Relief trains with surgeons and
wreckng cars were on their way tc the
scene from both ends of the division in
the shortest possible time. While they
were steaming at greatest speed the work
of recuse was carried on by the uninjured
passengers. They delved into the heap
of debris and, guided by the means and
cries. found the sufferers, pried and
chopped them out and carried them to the
two Pullman cars which We're transform
ed into temporary hospitals.
Tenderly the wounded forms were car
ried to the hospital cars and given what
attention was possible before the sur
geons arrived. Several of the passengers
held liquor TASKS and the most severely
injured were given stimulants There
was scarcely any water to be had and the
volunteer nurses melted quantities of
snow with which they satisfied the fever
ish thirst of the sufferers. The surgeons
on board the wrecl1ing train from Sarnia
We're the first to reach the scene They
fastened around the wreck through a
snow-eovered field to the temporary hos
pitfalls and began making emergency
dressings of the most serious wounds
The men of the wrecking crew took UP
the work of rescue. While they were at
work, the wrecking train arrived from
London with more surgeons. AS soon as
1t was positively known that all the in
jured had been found, an engine was
coupled to the hospital Pullmans and the
pitiful journey to London, forty miles
away, was begun.
Opiates Administered to Wounded.
Opiates were administered to lessen the
agonies of the wounded, aggravated as
they were by the unavoidable Earring and
Jerking of the cars As soon as news os
the wreck was received in London the
Grand Trunk officials began arrange
ments for caring for the victims in the
Victoria hospital on South street. The
tracks of the Detroit and Lake Erie rail-
road are within block and half of the
upSpildi anu the cars were transferred to
them and run as close possible to the
hospital. Twenty extemporized am
balances were in waiting Strong arms
carried the wounded out of the cars and
they were hurried to the hospital. 1t
was $3.50 o'clock when they arrived and in
an hour all had been put to bed temper
arily awaiting examination and surgical
treatment
Ed de Beaus of Prescott Ont, and
Lottie Lynch of Port Huron. Mich. died
soon after they were received at the
hospital Several of the lesser injured
persons left the hospital this afternoon.
Tonight all those still there are expected
to recover, although internal injuries may
result fatally in enc or two cases
When the second Pullman arrived In
the city at 10 o'clock it was met by I'M
dertakers' wagons instead of ambulances.
Twenty-Five bodies were in the berths.
The broken forms were placed in coffins
in the freight sheds and then removed
to the morgue, where the work of identi-
flying them began. One unclaimed body
remains at Ferguson's norguo.
Tonight at Walford, Dr. A. e. Harvey,
county coroner, impaneled a jury to in
vestigate the wreck and decide If pos
sible on it's cause After electing a fore
man the jury adjourned until Monday.
Up to a late hour tonight the operator at
Walford whose mistake Trainmaster
Price SAYS caused the wreck, had not
been placed under arrest. =
Conductor McAuliffe of the express
said today that the freight train crew
had opened the Wanstead switch and the
train had started to move onto it, when
the collision occurred. A minute or two
more and the freight train would have
been safely sidetraclzed.
Train master Price says that $4,000 will
cover the loss rolling stock, and equip
ment. The line vas cleared soon after
noon and tonight the shell of the bag
gage car lies on one side of the track
surrounded by the wreckage of the
telescoped express car The two engines
are piled in heap.
One of the peculiar features of the dis
aster was that not an amputation was
necessary among the jnjri cd Almost all
of them suffered injuries about the head
and upper part of their bodies This is
probably accounted for by the following
description of one of the unnjured pas
sengers of the day coach He says the
floor of the luggage car raised up level
with the sill of the passenger car. The
window sills being about even with the
backs of the seats. this accounts for
the great number of shoulder and head
Injuries.