The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-28
Thirty-Eight Persons in the List
of Injured, and Some of These
Cannot Live.
NOT DUE TO MANS ACT
Worst Disaster in the History of
the Road Caused by the Wild
Forces of Nature.
SUSPENSE IN THE OFFICE
While Awaiting the News They
Knew Must Come-Conhicting
Stories by Operatives.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. Dec. H.-To-
night the death list resulting from the
head-on collision between the two Pere
Marquette Railroad passenger trains near
East Paris yesterday evening stands at
twenty-five, with thirty-eight injured, sew
eral of them probably fatally.
Investigation by the Pere Marquette Of
cials into the cause of the wreck has
brought out some conflicting statements
Operator f. NJ. Booth, at McCords, states
most emphatcally that when he received
orders to hold the west-bound train at Nc
Cords he Immediately displayed the red
light and set the board against the ap-
preaching train. The lamp was burning
brightly, he states, two minutes before the
train appeared in view of the depot. He
heard the rumble OF the train, and when
he noticed that the brakes were not being
applied he rushed to the door to flag it just
as the rear coach passed.
Engineer Waterman, his fireman. and
Conductor Neil all state that the signal
lamp was burning, but that instead of a
red light. it displayed white light The
engineer is more emphatic, on this point,
than either his fireman or the conductor.
Waterman says that if there had been no
have stopped at McCord's but he saw a
white light, and. supposing the track was
clear passed without stopping. At Nc
Cords there were three switchlights and
the light on the order board. The switch
lights were all white. The distance from
the order board to the nearest switchlight
was about three car lengths and the order
board light stood much higher than the
switch lights The trainmen do not think
hoy mistaken switch
for a signal light.
When the order board was examined to-
day IT was turned with the red lamp
against the west-bound train and this in a
measure confirms Operator Booth S state
ment.
The officials investigating the wreck are
inclined to believe the statement made by
the operator at McCOrd'S. They say he has
been in the employ of the company thirty
five years and has always been reliable
man and has a clean record, no accident
ever having happened through his fault.
One very strange feature of the disaster
was that Ralph r. Gay. brakeman of the
west-bound train, is of Mark c. Gay.
brakeman on the east-bound train, and both
rather and son were severely fnJuI ed.
Ralph lies in Grand Rapids hospital with
n broken leg, ear torn off and nose
crushed and bruised. The father went to
Detroit Saturday night with his head band
aged and bearing numerous cuts and
NOT DUE TO MAN.
1t was the most disastrous wreck in the
history of the Pere Marquette system and
instead of being caused by mans care
lessness or mistake, is charged to the high
wind which extinguished the red signal
light in the order board at McCords sta
ton, where the west-bound train was ex-
pected to stop and receive new orders. Two
minutes before the train rushed by Nc
Cords the light was burning. says the OPP
orator there, but in that brief interval the
blizzard that was raging extinguishe1 il
and Train No. flashed by the station to
crash into east-bound Train No. 6, near
East Paris. The trains, which were two
of the finest on the system, We're reduced To
a promiscuOas pile of broken and twisted
timber and metal, with dead and injured
pinned down and crushed by the fragments
of the heavy cars
Five cars and two large locomotives were
jammed into a space ordinarily occupied by
three coaches and the wreckage was
strewn across the railroad right of way
from fence TO fence.
When Train No. 3, bound west. whizzed
by McCord's instead of stopping, the
frightened operator notified the dispatcher,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2, COL. So