Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1903-01-02
TERRIBLE CATASTROPHE
Fearful Wreck on The Grand Trunk
Railway.
q BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN KILLED.
The Snow Made Crimson With the Blood OF
the Unfortunates Who Were Without Warn
Ing Crushed, Mangled and Mutllated In the
Terrible Collision Between the Fast Express
and the Freight.

London, Ont. (Special) The most
friphtful railroad accident in the annals
of the past decade has just happened a
short distance from the little station OF
Wanstead on the Sarnia branch OF the
Grand Trunk Railway. The trains in
collision were the Pacific Express ana
a freight. The express was running
nearly two hours late and was making
fast time. The freight was endeavoring
to make a siding to get clear OF the eX-
press. but failed by minute or two.
There was dreadful crasln-the loco
motives reared up and fell over IN
ditch. the baggage car Of the express
telescopcd the smoker. and in an instant
the shrieks and cries OF the wounded
and the diving filled the air. The loss OF
life is2s, The injured will number con-
e;derably more, and many OF these may
die. .., ,.;
MANY of the dead were terribly mutt
lated Heads were cut OFT. legs wrench
ed from the bodies, and the Level stre'cl,
of snow became crimson with the oioou
The responsibility for the accident has
NOT been definitely fixed, but 1t IS pc
Eeved to have been due to telegraph
onerators error. The operator at one o,
the stations where the two trains stoppeo
gave an order to the freight to pass NO
. the Pacific express, at Wanstead:
D In the system of the Grand Trunk this
order should have been duplicated,
conv being given to the conductor ano
engineer OF the express. Instead OF this
the conductor OF the express received
clearance order telling him to run righ
through. The freight train meantime
had stopped at Wanstead, to sidetrack
and was telescoped by the express. III
binding storm which was raging rem
dered objects invisible at the distance
Of few feet.
The operator at Wanstead is not us
ually on duty at night, but he happen
ed to be in the office for short time
He was going out at the door when n
heard the telegraph instrument click
! and Immediately the message:
! "Stop No. 50 Stop No. :"
|. SEEING lantern the operator dashe
for the door, and as he closed 1t De
, hind him he h ard the crash OF the col
lision up the track. -
There was not house at hand to w1lc
the injured could be carried. Fortu
! natelv. however. the two Pullman car
on the train did not sustain any dam
] ace They were warm and comfort
3 able, and were converted into ten
porary hospital -,
> The injured were placed in the berth
!, and everything possible done to cas-
, their suffering.
5 According to Master Of Transport
: ton Price. of this city, it was tn
: agent at Watford, the next station ca:
! OF Wanstead, who failed to denver
t the train of No. 5 their orders to pa
. the freight train at Wanstead. Iran
e master Price says that in explanatlo
/. OF the mistake that brought such teri
+ Bile results. the operator says ne III
q derstood the dispatcher to kill the o
= ders for No. 5 to pass the freight
Wanstead, but it is denied in the di
patcher's office here that the order wi
killed. :,
J., The Pacific Express, which was la
9 and endeavoring to make up time, vi
|, made I'D of two Pullman cars, two q;
|. coaches and two baggage cars. IL
u engineer opened wide his throttle
& he pulled out OF Watford at g.,
. o'clock. A blizzard was raging and II Z
-. air was thick with swirling snow Il
train was crowded with people retur
% ing from holiday trips. o,
e No. was running fully so miles
e hour through the blizzard when at t
n Wanstead siding the headlight OF t
freight engine doomed up through
+ snow. 1t was impossible to see l
h feet ahead because Of the snow a
= trains crashed together almost befo1
|, the engine crews realized that col
II sion was imminent. The impact thr'
10 the two engines clear OF the track
re the right-hand side. The two d
ID coaches of the express were betwe
he the heavily loaded baggage cars a a,
" the weghty Pullmans. With terril
h grinding crash the rear baggage
n was driven into the coach for thr'
:, fourths of its length, and in twif
v, ling a score OF the occupants were de
~ and two score more were pinned 40
ID in the wrckcage crushed and mangl
~ BOILED ALIVE IN A VAT.