The Gainesville star. [volume] (Gainesville, Fla.) 1903-19??, 1903-11-06
INTO DEATHS JAWS
ROIIiCklng Members Of Foot
ball Team are Hurled,
AN APPALLING DISASTER
Passenger and Freight Trains Collide
In indianapolis Suburbs, Scat
terlng Death and Destruction.
Sixteen Dead; Fifty Hurt

A special from indianapolis, Ind,
says; Fifteen persons were killed
and over flfty injured, some fatally,
Saturday morning by collision be-
tween q special passenger train on the
Big Four railroad and freight engine
drawing coal cars. The accident hap
pened In the edge of the city.
Tho passenger train Of twelve
coaches was carrying 954 persons,
nearly all of whom were students Of
Purdue university, and their friends
from Lafayette to Indianapolis, for tbe
annual football game between the
Purdue team and the indiana unlver'
slty squad for the state championship
which was to have been fought Sat
urday afternoon.
In the first coach back Of the en-
gino were the Purdue football team,
Substitute players and managers.
Three players, tho assistant coach,
trainer and seven substitute players
Of the university team we're killed and
every one Of the ffty.three other por'
sons in the car were either fatally or
seriously injured.
From Joy TO Gloom.
From the twelve passenger coaches
were coming the joyous cries Of a
thousand rooters for Purdue, clad In
gala dross with colors streaming,
while In the front coach sat twenty
muscular fellows trained to the hour,
on whom the hores Of brilliant vic.
tory on the gridiron we're confidently
placed.
Around a curve at the Eighteen h
street cut, Engineer Schumacher found
directly In front Of him the freight
engine and coal cars moving slowly
from switch leading to a gravel pit.
He reversed his engine and Jumped.
The crash hurled the passenger en'
CINE and three front coaches against
the steel freight cars loaded with coal
that plowed their way through and
buried under q pile or wreckage
Weighing many tons fully sixty human
beings.
The first car, in which were the
players, was completely demolished.
the roof being torn away and landing
across car Of coal, while the body
Of the car was reduced to kindAng
wood against the side of the steel
freight cars. The second coach, con-
tanning the band of musicians, was
partially telescoped, while the third
was overturned and hurled down a
15foot embankment
The other coaches did not leave
tho track. Immediately after the
shock the passengers, men and women,
began the work of tearing away the
wreckage and pulling out dead and
dying clasAmates and fraternity
brothers. The young women perform.
ed heroic work. Though the bodies
were in several instances horribly
mangled--one completely and ono par.
TALLY beheaded-they took upon their
laps the heads of the dying and In.
jured and soothed their sufferings as
beat they could until the surgeons
arrived
A general alarm was sounded and
every assistance tho city could afford
was rushed to the wreck, which was
three miles from the business center.
While the dead and injured were be.
ing carrid to the morgues and hospit-
ais, the work Of tearing away the
wreck and resculng those pinned De.
meath went on Big muscular stu.
dents wept aloud as they stood over
the bodies of their dead friends and
fellow workers or gazed helpless on
the sufferings of their college mates.
writing in pain To add to the hor.
ror the wreckage caught, fire, but the
flames were extlnguished by the stu.
dents after hard fight,
While the work OF rescue was going
on there arrived in the city the op.
posing team and over nine hundred
cheering followers of the red and
white of Indiana university at Bloom.
lngton. As the happy and excited stu
dents poured from the train news If
the tragedy to the black and gold Of
Perdue was received. Instantly all
was sadness and sympathy. The
thrcag melted into sorrowing groups
that separated to search the morgde
and hospital for friends or took cars
for the scene of the wreck to lend
any possible aid.
The sixteenth Victim.
William Bailey, of New Richmond,
Ind, sub.playc: on the Purdue uni.
versity football team. died Sunday at.
ternoon from internal injuries receiv.
ed in the Big Four wreck. This Is the
sixteenth death.
Fourteen dead bodies were shipped
TO their homes during the day.