Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-11-25
Awful Wreck Near fremont, Ill.
Caused by a Conductors Neg
lect to Obey Orders.
IRlR1Y-1Wo REPORTED KILLED
and SEVENTEEN Others INJURED
Sixteen of the Dead Mangled Beyond
Recognition List of the Identi-
fled Victfms-An Were Members of
Work Train Another Report
Says Dead Number Twenty.

Peoria, ILL.,, Nov. 20.-Thirty-two men
were reported killed and II injured in
head-end collision between a west
bound freight and work train on the
Big -Four railroad between Mackinaw
and fremont at 2: is o'clock Thursday
afternoon. Up to the present time the
bodies OF 26 victims of the wreck have
been taken from the mass of debris.
which Is piled 80 feet high on the
tracks, while five yet remain buried
under huge pile of broken timber,
twisted and distorted iron and STEEL On
a bank at the side of the track lie the
bodies Of the victims, cut bruised and
mangled in horrible manner. So far
Is only have been identified, the re-
naming being unacceptable even by
those who kn-w them and are aware of
the fact that they are among the dead
All the dead and most of the injured
were members of the work train, the
crews of both engines jumping in time
to save their lives.
Met in Deep Cut.
The collision occurred in a deep cut,
at the beginning of a sharp curve,
neither train being visible to the crew
OF the other until they were within
SO feet. The engineers set the brakes.
sounded the whistles and then leaped
from their cabs, the two trains striking
with such force that the sound was
heard for miles around. A second after
the collision the boiler of the work
train exploded with terrific force.
throwing heavy iron bars and splinters
Of wood to distance of 200 feet.
The Victims.
The following is list of the dead
who have been identified:
Robert King. aged AZ, fremont, wife
and three children.
Thomas Troy, SO, fremont, single.
William Eads, 30, fremont, wife and
three children
Charles E. Meyers, SO, Bloomington.
wife and five children.
George Smith, SO, of Bloomington,
wife and three children.
George Harmon, 33, Bloomington,
wife and four children
John Doran, aged 80, BLOOMINGTON,
single
John Smith, 80, of Bloomington,
single.
Fred Bachman, "a, of Danvers. sin
gle.
John Shaw, aged %, Mackinaw, sin
gle.
Stephen Cutter, aged %, Mackinaw.
single.
A. M. Long, Leroy.
Frank Lucas, Leroy.
Sam Smith, Leroy.
Amos Smith, Leroy.
Sixteen unidentified dead, bodies
mangled beyond recognition.
Failed to Obey Orders.
Conductor John w. Judge, of Indian
apolis, who had charge of the freight
train, received orders at Urbana to
wait at Mackinaw for the work train
which was due there at 2:40 p. m. In
stead of doing this he failed to stop,
The engineer of the work train, George
Becker, had also received orders to
pass the freight at Mackinaw and was
on the way to that station. The work
train was perhaps five minutes late
and was running at full speed in or
der to make up time. When about
two miles from Hinert and entering
a cut, both engineers saw the ap-
preaching trains and realizing that it
was impossible to stop, they threw on
the emergency brakes, whistled twice
and then leaped from their cabs. The
two trains, both heavily loaded and
going at full speed, crashed together
Only Twenty Reported Killed.
Another report from the scene of the
wreck reports the wreckage as entire
ly cleared away and trains again run
ming over the Big Four tracks. The
list of casualties has been considerably
exaggerated A total of 10 bodies were
recovered, many of them in a horri-
bly, mangled condition OF these IS all
but three have been identified. The list
of injured numbers IA, who were placed
in Bloomington and Peoria hospitals
Two of the injured have since died
bringing the total number. of deaths
to 90.
Reports to the President.
Washington. Nov. 21-Hon. Thomas
H. Carter, president of the national
commission of the Louisiana Purchase
exposition. has submitted to the presi-
dent comprehensive statement show.
ing the receipts and disbursements of
the Louisiana Purchase Exposition