Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1903-04-23
EIGHT DIE IN WRECK
CHICAGO FLYER CRASHES INTO
FREIGHT TRAIN ON ERIE.
Victims Burned Beyond Recognition
Before Rescuers Reach Them-En-
CINE and Cars Jump Track and De.
molish Nearby School House.

molish Nearby School House.
jamestown, N. Y, April 21.-Eight
persons are dead and ten injured,
three of them seriously, as the result
of a collision between passenger
train and freight train on the Erie
railroad near Redhouse, N. Y.
OF the dead, only one, Robert N.
Hotchkiss of Meadville, Pa, brake
man, has been identified. Seven bod
les, apparently those of three men,
three women and child, were burned
beyond recognition in the fierce fire
which followed the wreck. The wom-
en- are said to have boarded the train
at Youngstown, and to have come
from Pittsburg.
R. S. McCready, mail weigher of
Meadville, Pa, and Frank Barhite Of
jamestown, travelling salesman, are
missing and it is likely two of the I'M
identified bodies are those of the two
men. Mrs. Foote and E. c.. Gabler are in
the hospital at Salamanca. The 9TH
ers injured were able to proceed to
their destinations.
The wrecked passenger train was
known as No. 4. running from Chicago
to New York. The engine was in
cha/ge Of Engineer Samuel Cook and
F/eman Fred Bell of Meadville. The
tain was made up of one combination
gar, two day coaches, three sleepers
and two private cars. The train was
derailed by striking a freight train
taking a siding at Redhouse. The
wreck at once took fire and the COM
bination car, two day coaches and two
sleepers together with several freight
cars, were consumed. 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 go into the siding at
Redhouse and wait for the passenger
train to go by. The siding is about a
mile and a half long and there is a
tower Of the block system near the
west end. The freight was drawn by
two engines. Some trouble was exper-
fenced in entering the siding and the
foremost engine Of the freight was
sent in along the siding with flag
man to hold the express. 1t is alleged
that the operator in the tower, Law
renee Vale, a boy eighteen years old,
saw the light engine of the freight
which was bringing UP the flag. and
supposed the freight was on the sid
ing behind it. Vale then displayed a
white signal toward the passenger
train. indicating to the engineer that
he had a clear track. The engineer
on the passenger train failed to see
the flagman sent out from the for
ward engine Of the freight train and
only saw the clearance signal from
the tower. The train ran toward the
east end of the siding at high speed
and collided with the second engine
OF the freight train just as it was about
to clear the main line. The passenger
engine and some of the coaches
crashed into a small wooden structure
used as feed store and school house.
The first half dozen cars of the freight
were wrecked. They were boXcars
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. The tracks were
strewn for rods with burning wood
and coal and heaps of twisted iron