Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1903-12-31
MANY KILLED IN WRECKS
Disaster to Trains in Pennsylvania
and Michigan.
sixty-Three Lives Lost and Many In
jured at Laurel RIM, Pa.-Near
Grand Rapids, Mich, a Collision
Occurs-Twenty-Tw Dead.

terrible crash and a grinding Eoise
the Duquesne limited, the fastest
through train from Pittsburg to New
York on the Baltimore & Ohio,
ploughed into a lumber pile at Laurel
Run, two miles west of Dawson, at
745 o'clock Wednesday evening and
62 lives were lost and 80 persons in
jured, several of whom died later.
The train left Pittsburg. running
few minutes late, in charge of En-
gineer William Thornley,, of Connells-
vile. When approaching Laurel Run,
which is particularly fine piece of
roadbed, the train WAS running at a
high rate of speed.
Suddenly the passengers were
thrown from their seats by the light
ninglike application Of the air brakes
and moment later there was ter
rife crash. The train was made up
Of two baggage, two day coaches, one
sleeper, and one dining car, and was
carrying at the time, at the lowest
estimate, $50 passengers. The train
ploughed along for considerable as
lance and the cars were torn to pieces,
passengers jumping, screaming, fall
ing from the wreck as 1t tore along.
The minute the cars stopped rolling
there was a wild Gene. Many were
pinioned beneath ne wreckage anG
the screams and lies that rent thu
air were beyond description. Man.
were injured in their mad excitement
and plunged into the river. Others
pinioned beneath the heavy timber
plead in agonized tones for release. s
terrific was the force of the wrec
that nearly every passenger suffere
moments Inconsistencies anc
many of the able bodied men were un
able to assist in helping the injured
from the wreck on account of having
tainted
Disaster in Michigan.
Grand Rapids. Mich. Dec. 28.-
Twenty two persons dead, 20 injured
several fatally, and two locomotive
and two trains demolished in head
on collision of two passenger trains ol
the Pere Marquette railroad six mile,
east of here at six o'clock Saturda
evening are results of the high wine
blowing out red signal light at
country way station. Changed order
as to the meeting place OF the two
trains had been received by the op-
orator and the signal light fixed. The
west-bound train came laundering
along, and, seeing no light, DASHED
through to meet the catastrophe
which followed. According to The
statement of the railroad officials the
trains originally were to have met al
Oakdale Park, but to help the east
bound train, the dispatcher issued new
orders, fixing Fox as the meeting
place. The east-bound train received
its orders to this effect, and the west
bound should have received this order
at McCords. Instead it rushed by this
station, and the operator there, after
reporting this fact, found on going TO
the platform that his red signal light,
which had been burning two minutes
before, was out, presumably eXtin-
guished by the high wind that was
blowing.
Following is list of those killed:
Mr.. and Mrs. l.. j. Baldwin, Mulliken,
Mich.
Louis Baldwin, their son, Mulliken.
Lester Williams, Lansing. Mich.
Mrs. Daisy Giles, Lowell, Mich.
Burt Myers, Grandville and Lake
Odessa, Mich.
Walter Jordan. Grand Rapids
Joseph Hullm (colored), Windsor,
Ont.
Austin |. Wager baggageman, Detroit
Charles A. Stoddard. engineer Detroit.
Charles A. Devine, Grand Rapids.
William Heinrich, baggageman, De-
troit
F. NJ. Gillett. Burr Oak or Portland,
Mich
Allen H. Wells, Big Rapids, Mich.
Frank Burns, fireman, Detroit
Peter w. Wierengo. Grand Rapids.
George Palmer, American Express
agent. Detroit
William Smith, Saranac, Mich.
Four unidentified men.
The trains met with a terrific crash,
the baggage ana smoking cars behind
each locomotive being instantly re-
duced TO pile of kindling wood. The
engines were completely wrecked. the
boiler of that which had pulled the
east-bound train being torn completely
from the running gear and standing
perpendicularly in ditch at the side
of the track The collision took place
on a sharp curve.
Within two minutes the uniniured
male passengers and those of the
train crews who were not hurt had be-
gun the work of rescue Travelling
Agent Frank Hewitt, Of the Pere Mar
qIette. who was on the train bound
Tor Detroit and who escaped with
slight injuries, ran to the nearest tele-
graph office and telegrsphed for
wrecking train and surgeons. Guided
by groans and cries from the wrecked
cars the rescuers by the light of Ian
terms delVed into the wreckage and
with timbers for levers pried out the
sufferers.