Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1903-12-31
|Head-on Collision Carries 80 To
Death.
THE WOUNDED NUMBERING SO
In Fearful Wreck on Il. NJ. Track
Near East Paris.
Worst Railroad Accident That Ever
Happened In Western
Michigan.

BY the extinquishing Of red sic a
light at McCords by the high wine
Saturday evening, one of the mos
appalling disasters that ever occurred
to 40 ere Marquette Railroad Com
pany in its history was caused
AS result l9 lives were crushed
out, some of them instantly ant
others fingered iu terrible agony un
Ill death came as happy relief tC
their sutferings.
Thirty eight were injured, some OF
them so badly that they now lie hov
ering between life and death in the
Hospitals of Grand Rapids or at the
homes of friends and relatives
The Grand Rapids and Detroit fly.
ers, one east bound the other west
bound, came together head on short
distance west of East Paris while
running at high rate of speed.
The impact was fearful and the
terifc crash completely wrecked the
| Engines and reduced the baggage and
smoking cars of each train to a pile
kindling wood.
The engineer and fireman on the
asst bound train were killed out
Eight, those on the other escaped
with their lives but both were seri-
ously injured.
Immediately after the crash came
and the wrecking Of the cars ensued,
the cries of the injured rose and could
b4 heard by farmers nearly mile
[hay, who had heard the crash and
ktarted out Of their homes to
IA the scene and be of assistance
No person occupying cars other
than baggage and smoking cars with
a few RECEPTIONS, were seriously in
iured The heavy Pullman1, which
largely composed the rains, God he
shock without greater damage thar
the breaking # windows.
Within two minutes after the acci
dent, male passengers and the unin
|. iured members of the crews Of th'
trains hurried from the cars to rescue
the injured.
The place of accident was some dis
tanre from any farm house and a
fast as the dead and wounded wer,
taken from the wreckage they wer
placed in the coaches, the bitter col
weather and snnw drifts retarded n
progress of rescuiug. a rescue trai
was Immediately sent out from Gran
Rapids with a number of physician
on board and the dead and wounde
we're removed TO the hospitals in tina
city.
The official statement issued at tn
general Offices of the Pere Marquett
declares that the high wind was RI
sponsible for the wreck, by BLOWN
out the red light in the signal boar
at McCords, which was put out
etop the west hound train.
Aee west bound train came alon
-><and ran by the signal. fhe McCor'
operator Immediately reported tn
to the dispatcher and then went in
mediately TO his signal board, whei
he found that the light had gone on
The light was burning and showir
red two minutes before the we
bound train came along. The hie
winds, however, blew il out in TIL
short time"
In the list of dead are found q
names of l. j Baldwin, wife and 81
of Mulliken, Mrs Daisy Giles OF L
well, Walter b. Jordan OF Clarksvil
Bert Myers and f +, Coykendall
Lake Odessa, VIM. Smith of Sarana
and w. T. Smith of Portland, all
whom have friends in this city. M
Giles lost her life by taking the
fated train through mistake, she
tended taking the one runni
through Lowell to Saginaw.
When the engines met, one tnru
completely over and lay with its M
in direction opposite TO that VIII
it had been travelling. The otf
Aclimed the wreckage OF the first,
boiler torn from the trucks standi
erect in the center of the debris
The baggage car of the west boz
train was thrown upon the uphea'
engines and the forward part of
coach which followed il was sol
what damaged. Otherwise the W
bound train remained practically