The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1903-12-31
FrightfuIIy Fatal Disaster on
Railroad in Michigan.
TWENTY-FIVE ARE DEAD
In Raging Snow Storm Wind Extin-
euished Red Signal Light and
Swiftly Moving Trains Crash
in Head-On Collision.

An eastbound and westbound pas
senger train on the Pere Marquette
railroad met in a nead-on collision six
miles east of Grand Rapids, about six
o'clock Saturday evening, just west
of East Paris.
The two trains were running a. full
speed, and the engines were reduced
to tangled heaps OF wreckage. The
first cars were also demolished, and
both trains left the track, except the
last coach on each, SO great was the
force of the collision.
The eastbound train was due to
leave Grand Rapids at $40 bound for
Detroit and was little late The
westbound train was due from Detroit
at SIS. It was also late.
Sunday the death list resulting from
the collision stood at twenty-five, with
twenty-si1e injured, several Of them
probably fatally.
It was the most disastrous wreck N
the history of the Pere~ Marquette sys'
TEN. and instead Of being caused by
mans careless2ess or mistake, is
charged to the high wind which extlr-
guished the red signal lamp in the
order board at McCords station, where
the westbound train was expected to
stop and receive orders. Two min
utess before the train rushed by Nc
Cords. the light was burning, says the
operator there, but in that brief inter
val the blizzard that was raging ex-
tinguished it and train No. mashed by
the station to crash into the eastDound
rain No. 6 at East Paris. The trains,
which were two of the finest on the
system, were reduced to a promiscu-
Gus pile of broken and twisted tim
ber and metal with dead and injured
pinned down and crushed by the frag-
ments of heavy cars.
Five cars and two large locomotives
were jammed into space ordinarily
occupied by three coaches and the
wreckage was. strewn across the rail-
road right of way from fence 70 fence.
When train No. 5, westbounG,
whizzed by McCords instead of stop
ping, the frightened operator notified
the dispatcher and then found that his
re digit had been extinguished. He
reported this fact and then there was
hut one action to take. The collision
was inevitable. The dispatcher's office
called for medical aid and gave orders
to hold the train over the Saginaw
branch at the depot and get the wreck
ing outfit under steam. They then
waited for the word they knew must
come There was no chance OF the
fast running trains to see each other
through the driving blizzard to even
slow down and in a few minutes
word came from the conductor OF NO.
S that they had crashed together ana
that there was an awful loss OF life.
It was at the rear end Of the smoker
and forward end of the cafe car Whe'e
all the passengers were killed! and in
jured.sz
According to. statements made oy
officers of the Pere Marquette, the
westbound train was travelling down
grade at the rate of 90 miles an hour.
The eastbound train was climbing the
hill at a speed of 40 miles an hour. The
former carried seventy-five passengers
while the latter is believed to have
been carrying at last 135 persons.
The two trains collided at about the
: middle of a long, sweeping curve three
quarters of a mile west of East Paris.