The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-12-30
EIGHTEEN KILLED
AND THIRTY-ONE INJURED
IN RAILROAD COLLISION.

| Follow III Paramour
to the End of the
| Earth.
Grand Rapids, Mich, Dec. 26.-
Eighteen are dead and thirty-one
injured, several of them fatally, as
the result of the collision early this
evening of two passenger trains on
the Pere Marquette Railroad, one
half mile of East Paris, about six
miles east of this city. The COLI
sion, which was head on, was caus-
ed, according to a statement made
by the officials of the road at the
general Offices in Detroit. by the
high wind blowing out the red sig
nal Tampa McCord's, where the
west. bound train, No. 5, should
have stopped and received orders to
pass the east-bound train at Fox.
According to the statement of the
| { mcials, the trains were originally
to have met and passed at Oakdale
Park, but to help the east bound
train the dispatcher issued new or
ders, fixing Fox as the meeting
place. The east bound train receiv-
ed the same order at McCord's. In
stead it rushed by this station, and
the operator there, after reporting
this fact, found on going out on the
platform that bis red light, which
had been burning two minutes be-
fore, was out, presumably exiin-
guished by the high wind that was
blowing
The trains met with a terrible
crash. the baggage and smok-
ing cars behind each locomotive be.
ing instantly reduced to a pile Of
kindling wood. The engines were
com pletely wrecked. the boiler of
the engine which had pulled the
east. bound train being torn conn
.plstely from the running geer and
standing perpendicularly in ditch
at the eide of the track. -
Engineer Frank Waterman, who
survived the catastrophe, says he
and E. B Moon, the fireman, were
caught before they had time to cave
themselves. He says he did not see
the east bound train until the crash
came. No person occupying the
cars other than the baggage and
smoking cars, with very few excep-
tions, were seriously injured.
Guided by groans and cries from
the wrecked care, the rescuers, by
the light of lanterns, delved into
the wreckage and with fence tim
bers for levers, pried out the suffer-
ers.
A special train bearing surgeons
and officials was made up here i'm,
mediately after the news was re-
ceived and arrived at the wreck at
7:15 O'Clock. Those of the injured
who had been extricated were inn
mediately taken into the train and
given emergency surgical aid and
the officials joined in the rescue
work.
When all the injured had been
taken out Of the wreck, the hospital
train was rushed back to Grand
Rapids where am mbulances were in
waiting to carry them to the hos
pitfalls where al! arrangements had
been made for the reception.
When the special train returned
to Grand Rapids it brought five
bodies in addition to it's load of in
jured. Rescuers say they saw at
least three more bodies under the
wreckage, where only a derrick
could extricate them when the spe-
cial train left the scene.
'sThree persons were killed right
in front of my eyes," said Miss Eva
Streeter tonight, as she sat by the
bedside Of her mother at the hos
pital. "a man, a woman and a !
little boy were sitting in front Of
my mother, and she was just one
seat ahead of me. We were going
home to Grand Ledge. All that l |
Der was that there was a
crash, and when l opened my eyes
the car was all wrecked and the
bodies OF, those three could not be
found. They were under the wreck.
age. / do not know their names"
Lester A. Williams, OF Lansing,
was taken out of the wreck, his left
arm torn from it's socket so that the
surgeons had to separate it from
his body with a psnknife..
It's reported that several more
bodies, including two women, have
been taken from the wreck. since
the special train came from the
scene.