Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-12-28
As a Result Train No. 5 whizzed by
the Station of Mccords and Met No.
6 at About the Middle of Long
Sweeping Curve Near East Paris,
Mich.-hish Rate of Speed.

y
The revised death list follows:
Mr.. and Mrs. l.. j. Baldwin and son
Mulliken. Mich.
Lester Williams, Lansing. Mich,
Mrs. Daisy Giles, Lowell, Mich
Burt Myers, Granville, Mich.
Walter Jordan. Grand Rapids.
Joseph Huilm lcolorer), Windsor
Ont.
Austin 1. Wager. baggageman. De-
troit.
Charles A. stoddard. Detroit. en-
gineer No. 6.
Charles e. Devin, Grand Rapids.
William Heinrich, Detroit, baggage
man.
f. NJ. Gillet, Burr Oak. or Portland
Mich.
Allen II. Wells. Big Rapids. Mich.
Frank Burns, Detroit, fireman No,
Peter w. Wierengo, Grand Rapids.
George Palmer, Detroit, express
agent
William Smith, Saranac, Mich.
Four unidentified men.
1t was the most disastrous wreck IN
the history of the Pere Marquette sys
tern. Five cars and two locomotives
We're damned into a space ordinarily
occupied by three coaches AMI the
wreckage was strewn across the rail-
road right of way from fence to fence.
When train No. 5. bound west.
whizzed by McCords instead OF stop
ping. the frightened operator notlfei
the dispatcher, then found that his rel
light had been extinguished. He re-
ported this fact and then. as the col
lision was inevitabl there was but one
thing to do. The dispatcher's office
called for medical aid. notified the hos
pitfalls here and got the special train
In readiness. Then they waited for the
word they knew must come. There
was no chance for the fast running
trains TO see each other thru the
driving blizzard in time to even slow
down, and in a short time. word come
from the conductor OF No. 5 that they
had crashed together and that there
was an awful loss of life.
The west bound engine drove thru
No. 6's engine like wedge separating
the gear from the boiler and standing
tut IdttSI Ol CIlu lIhe Il UIOheU, tMiStSa
shell. The running gear was crumplei
UP like so much Irvine. Great cast ste =!
side rods bent into many shapes and
even the steel tires OF the big driving
wheels split and sprlng from the
wheels landing in some cases ten fee;
from the engine. The boiler of engine
No. 397 turned over several times and
the very force OF the twisting impac.
seems to have been the means OF saw
ing the life of Engineer Waterman. He
was flung forty feet over the fence al
the edge of the right OF way. Moon,
his fireman, was sitting on the oppo-
site side OF the cab and he, too, was
thrown clear of the pile Of wreckage.
AS the trains came together the
steam domes Of each boiler blew Off
releasing their contents. else there
would have been added horrors from
the blistering steam.
No. s, east-bound, WAS composed OF
a mail and baggage car. combination
smoker, buffe. parlor car, day coach
and diner The baggage coach. caught
between the engine and heavy train.
crumpled like pasteboara, only the roof
remaining partially unbroken. The big
bind mail coach. heavily bulk headed,
took the hrunt of the blow. but with
stood the crash and communicated 1t
to the smoker next In the rear. The
smoker was swept clean, as the mail
car telescoped its entire length and
turned over at the north side of the
track.
The smoker in turn crashed several
faa ~ ;,,tN ~ a
at the rear end of the smoker and for
ward end Of the cafe car where the
passengers were killed and injured.
From Il space six feet square the bodies
Of two women, a boy and man were
taken out. The west bound flyer. with
Its heavy buik-hsaded cars, stayed on
the rails, back of the baggage and mai
cars, and the passengers in this train
escaped serious Injury. The men
rushed out of the train to assist the
less fortunate ones on the train from
crash, also turned out with blankets
and did valiant service.
According TO statements made by
officials OF the Pere Marquette the
train was travelling down
grade at the rate Of sixty miles an
hour The east-hound train was
the hill at speed OF forty
miles an hour. The former carried
possibly seventyflve passengers, while
the latter is believed to have been
al Least 125 persons. The two
trains collided at about the middle OF
q long, sweeping curve, three-quarters
of mile west of East Paris. On the
inner side of the curve is high en-
preventing a view of the
track ahead.
When the engines met one turned
over anG lay with its nose
in the direction opposite to that In
which 1t had been travelling The 9th
ar climbed the wreekage of the first.
it's boiler torn from the trucks. stand
ing erect in the center of the debris.
General Superintendent Smith in
terviewed Operator Booth at McCords
and said yesterday: Il nave no reason
10 doubt the statement of Booth that
his Light was burning two minutes be-
lore No. passed McCords. and that
-ha wind extin v1Iishad IT. He Is an old