The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1903-04-25
FIG HIT PEOPLE DEAD
PASSENGER TRAIN ON THE ERIE
coLLlDEs WITH A FREIGHT
At RED HOUSE, N. Y.
Three Persons Seriously Injured and
Seven Others More or Less Hurt
Only One of the Dead Has Beer
Identified, All Being Burned Almos,
Beyond Recoqnition-Cause of the
Wreck Subject Of Dispute.


Jamestown, N. Y, April 21-Eighi
persons were killed and ten injured
throe OF them seriously, in a collision
between passenger train and q
freight train on the Erie railroad nea,
Red House, N. Y.
or the dead only one, Robert N
Hotchkiss Of Meadville, a brakeman
has been identified. Seven bodies, ap
parently those of three men, three wo
men and a child, were burned beyond
recognition In the fierce fire which fol
lowed the wreck. The women are said
to have boarded the train at Youngs
town, and to have come from Pitts
burg.
Il. 3. McCready, a mail weigher oi
Meadville, Pa, and Frank Barhite oi
jamestown, a travelling salesman, are
missing, and it is probable that two oi
the Unidentified bodies are those of the
two men.
Mrs. Foote, E. C. Gabler and Fire.
man Bell are in the hospital at Sela.
manca. The other injured were able
to proceed to their destination.
The wrecked passenger train was
known as No. 4, running from Chicago
to New York, and was made up of en-.
CINE No. 545, in charge Of Engineer
Samuel Cook, and Fireman Fred Bell,
OF Meadville, one combination car two
day coaches, three sleepers and two
private cars. 1t was derailed by strik.
ing a freight train which was taking
siding at Red House. The wreck at
once took fire and the combination
car, two day coaches and two sleep.
ers. together with several freight cars,
were consumed.
Dispute as to Cause Of Wreck.
There is some dispute as to the cause
OF the wreck. The passenger train
was running east and the freight,
which was westbound, had orders to
60 into the siding at Red House and
wait for the passenger train to 60 by.
The siding is about mile and half
long, and there is a tower of the block
system near the west end.
The freight was drawn by two en-.
gines. Some trouble was experienced
In entering the siding and the fore
most engine of the freight was sent in
along the siding with a flagman to hold
the express. 1t is alleged that tho
operator in the tower, Lawrence Vale,
boy seventeen years old, saw the
light engine of the freight, which was
bringing up the flag, and supposed
the freight was on the siding behind
1t. Vale then displayed a white sig.
nal toward the passenger train, indi-
eating to the engineer that he had
clear track.
The engineer on the passenger train
failed to see the flagman sent out from
the forward engine of the freight
train and saw only the clearance sig.
nal from the tower. The train ran to.
ward the east end Of the siding at high
speed and collided with the second en-
gine Of the freight train just as it was
about to clear the main line The pas
senger engine and the coaches crashed
into a small wooden structure used as
a feed store and schoolhouse The
first half dozen cars of the freight
we're wrecked. They we're box cars
loaded with coal The coal filled In
amongst the wreckage, creating an in
tense heat. All but three Of the cars
of the express followed the engine and
the whole mass of wreckage was soon
in flames,