Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1903-11-27
THTRTY=ONE ARE KILLED
Big Four Freight and Work Trains Col
Tide Head On.
KILLED AND MANGLED BESIDE TRACK
Engineer Judge, of Freight Train, Ignored
Orders to Wait at Machinaw, and His Trait
Met Work Train at. Full Speed-Men OF
Work Train Were Crushed Among Stee
Rails and Debris OF Csrs-Boler Exploded

Peoria, III. (SpeciaD Thirty on<
men were killed and at least fifteen in.
iured in. head-on collision between
freight train and a work train on the
Big Four Railroad between Macknaw
and fremont.
Bodies OF twenty-six OF the victim:
have been taken from the wreck, which
is piled thirty feet high on the tracks
On bank at the side OF the track liz
the bodies OF the victims, cut, bruisct
and mangled in a horrible manner. Sc
far only twelve have been identified
the remaining being unrccognizabl'
even by those who knew them and arr
aware OF the fact that they are among
the dead.
All the dead and most of the injured
were members of the work train, tin
crews OF both engines Jumping i'll time
10 save their lives. The collision DC
CURED i'll a deep cut at the beginning
OF sharp curve, neither train beinl
visible to the crew OF the other unit
they were within fifty feet of cacl
other. The engineers set the brakes
sounded the whistles and then leapet
from their cabs, the two trains strik
ing with such force that the sound wa:
heard for miles.
A second after the collision tn
boiler Of the work train engine eXplod
ed, throwing heavy iron bars and spin
terc M wood oOO feet
Conductor John w. Judge, Of In
dianapolis, who had charge OF thu
freight train, received orders at Urban;
TO wait at Macllinaw for the work train
which was due there at 2.4o p. m. In
stead of doing this he failed to stop
The engineer OF the work train, Gcorg'
Becker, had also received orders tt
pass the freight at Mackinaw, and wal.
on the way to that station. The worl
train was perhaps five minutes late ant
was running at full speed
The collision was witnessed by Rus
sell Noonan, farmers boys, IA year;
IF age, who fastened to nearby hous,
and telephoned to fremont. A specia
rain with four physicians was made III
IN few minutes, and in less than hal
an hour was on the scene. At the sam,
time another train arrived from Pekir
bearing Superintendent G. H. Bernard
OF the Big Four and three physicians
The second train bore lot OF rugs
and these were utilized to carry ou
the manglcd corpscs OF the victims.
One OF the last bodies recovered wa:
that OF William Bailey, Of Mackinaw
who had been lifted thirty feet into thu
air and held in place by two steel rail:
which had been pushed UP between til.
engine and the tender OF the Worl
train.
The workmen had been engaged il
laying steel raifss-aatt--d different point
along the track, and three 81 the freigf
cars were heavily loaded.
The injured were taken to the twt
cabooses OF the relief trains, wher.
temporary hospitals were improylSei
and their wounds dressed.
The dead are residents of neighbor
ing towns, and the scenes about tn
wreck were beyond description. Wive
and children of men who were missing
thronged around, asking if their huS
bands or fathers had been killed. Ou
OF thirty-fve men who constituted tn
crew OF the work train only four ar
living and two OF these are SeriouSl,
injured.
The wreckage is strewn along th'
track for distance of nearly 200 feet
and it will be twenty-four hours betor'
it can be cleared.