The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-02
Nervous Reaction Following Shock of
Saturdays Awful Railway Dis
aster in Indianapolis.
TELEGRAMS OF SYMPATHY
KIND WORDS FROM CHICAGO UNI
VERSITY AND OBERLIN.
Anderson Pastors Speak Of Catas-
trOphe-Polytechnic Students Take
ActiOn-Richmond's Anxiety.
the indianapolis Journal.

Special to the indianapolis Journal.
LAFAYETTE, Ind, Nov. Purdue
University to-day passed the saddest Sun
day in the history of the institution. Fol-
lowing the intense excitement caused by
the awful calamity at Indianapolis has
come nervous reaction that has unstrung
everybody connected with the university
and the horror of the affair has become
more and more impressed on the minds
of the students. 1t will be many months
before those who saw the wreck will be
able to erase the scene from their minds
and Oct. 81, 1908. will be set down in the
Purdue records as the date of the univer-
sity's great catastrophe.
At 1890 o'clock last night huge crowd
met the Big Four special train from In
dianapolis that brought back hundreds of
students who were in the gay party which
left here Saturday morning and which in
a second was transformed into body of
frantic and weeping mourners. AS the train
drew into the station the crowd pressed
about the coaches and fairly lifted relatives
and friends from the steps. There were
joyful meetings and sad ones; some cases,
when bearers of sad news came face to
face with relatives or dear friends of the
killed or injured. Scarcely a loud word
was spoken. so general was the prevailing
grief. Nearly every coat bore a piece of
black ribbon, the old gold having been
cast aside when the awful accident hap
pened. After midnight the regular train
arrived and another crowd met ii at the
station. About the streets last night were
groups of men and women discussing the
accident and it's horrors. At the Hotel
Lahr many of the students who had passed
through the great peril unscathed told and
retold their friends how they had ESCAPED
death.
GRAVE FACES AND TEARS.
It was a peculiarly subdued crowd that
gathered in the hotel corridor, for never
before had such number of students as
sembled without giving vent to enthusiasm
over some football victory or other athletic
contest. Every face was grave and tears
dimmed many eyes as the survivors of the
wreck recounted how college companions
had been taken out dead from the ruins. A
great majority of those who went to the
capital city TO see the football game that
was not played, returned to Lafayette be-
fore morning.
Indianapolis, was in consultation with Pres
ident Stone over long distance telephone
last night. AS result Prof. Goss remained
at the registrars Office all day TODAY
answering questions and inquiries of anx-
ious parents and friends Prof. Goss
stated to the Journal correspondent TODAY
that there would be classes at the
university tomorrow. Instead a convoca-
tion will be held at Eliza Fowler Hall at
IL O'Clock at which time members of the
faculty Will announce what arrangements
have been made for a memorial service ON
Tuesday work Will be resumed at the uni
versity as usual. Prof. Goss said to-
day: This awful calamity that has fallen
on us is unparalleled in the history of any
American university. OF the fifteen per
sons who met death. thirteen were stu
dents here and the other two Intimately
connected with Purdue athletics. We are
in no mood for work at present nor can we
expect students to take up the thread OF
study right away. We are shocked al
most to the verge Of prostration by the
catastrophe
SOCIAL INVITATIONS RECALLED.
Social functions scheduled for a month to
come have been Cancelled. and fraternities
will not hold their customary fall recep-
tions In Lafayette many receptions
planned for the present week will not be
held Invitations have been recalled and
preparations abruptly broken off. Mr.. and
Mrs. Z. A. Ellsworth, who had issued "a
vitations to a dancing party to p held
soon, announced to-day that tho affair had
been postponed. The Ovide Musin Concert
Company's recital which was TO have
opened the Purdue entertainment course al
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