Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-12-29
TWENTY VICTIMS
Have Been Taken from Pere
Marquette Wreck.
Last Found Under Engines--Pl obabIy
Remains Of a Tramp.
Road Officials Cling to Wind. extin
suished Signal Theory.

Grand Rapids, Mich, Dec, 29.-Gath-
cred in a rubber blanket on the slab
in local morgue is the charred and
dismembered remains of the goth vic
tim Of Saturday nights head-on col
lislon on the Pere Marquette railroad
near East Paris. So terribly disfig-
ured is this last victim found at the
scene of the wreck, late yesterday, that
IN all probability its identity will never
be positively effected
Ii was at first thought that these
remains We're parts of one of the bodies
previously recovered. Investigations at
the morgue. however, showed that this
could not be the case.
The coroner's jury was inclined to
| the belief that this body is that of
woman, but the railroad authorities
say it must have been a tramp riding
on the blind baggage" car as no wo-
| man passenger could, in their opinion,
be thrown where tGis body was found
1t was the unmistakable odor of
burning flesh that led the wrecking
! crew to realization of the fact that
| another body lay under the wrecked
engines where Engineer Stoddard and
Fireman Burns of the east bound train
were found. When they had uncov-
| cred the remains of this additional vic
tim, they found only fragments of a
human form. There were no arms or
legs. only fragments of the skull and
large bones, some teeth and most of
the Internal organs intact, but literally
roasted.
| Three of the injured, it is thought,
| will probably die. Carrot Matin is in
the most serious condition and his
death is momentarily expected. J..
Mschick Is developing meningitis and
! there are only the slightest hopes of
| his recovery. John Post will reach the
| crisis within "a hours, with the chances
against him.
The unidentified body in the morgue
which was supposed to be that of A.
j. King or Kingsley, has been identi-
fed as John Methany McSween of
Reed City, Mich, "a years old. Me-
Sween was on his way back to Grand
/ Ledge after Christmas visit with his
i mother in Reed City.
II Today's Investigation and revision
shows that Allen II Wells of Big Rap
II ids, Peter w. Wiersengo of Grand Rap
Il IDS and man named Peterson OF
Il Thompson of Sioux City, Ia, who were
included in the list of dead Were not
II Killed. A mistake was also made in the
name OF f. Al. Gillette of Portland, one
of the victims. 1t should have been
i VIM. G. Smith of Portland. The mis-
/ 1take arose from Smiths middle name
l being Gillett.
The death list of 90 is declared to be
, correct by the Pere Marquette officials,
b., Iwho have charge of caring for the
= Bodies. There were no further deaths
I PUP to noon, today, among the injured
IN the hospitals and all were reported
i, Ito be doing as well as could be expect
9 led
NJ. j. Carpenter, vice president and
general manager of the Pere Marquette,
arrived in this city, today, from Chica :
, go He stated that he was here in an
, advisory capacity, the investigation as
: to the cause of the accident resting
, With General Superintendent Smith. Mr..
Carpenter declined to place the blame
upon anyone, making the following
statement in part:
"All the employees who might be in
any way responsible are tried men. who
have been in the employ of the company
l
| confidence in them. In the absence
of any other explanation I shall be-
y lieve the agents story that the light at
McCord's was blown out. 1t may be
: doubted that such thing is possible
with one of these signal lamps, but all
of us who have had experience with
: kerosene know that such lamps will
= defy all efforts of q strong wind TO blow
D them out, While little gust cddying
: in just the proper manner will eXtin-
:suish Them
Despite the extreme precauton and
| Uatchfulncss of the Pere Marquette Rail
road officials and county officers. it is
now believed that many acts of vandalism
We're committed ut the wreck near East
Paris. Saturday night, and that ghouls
. despoiled the bodies of the dead.
Coroner lIi!lker stated today, tn 1T
nothing of any value whatever was found
by him when he searched the bodies. and
that he is satisfied that ghouls robbed
: the bodies while they were in the wreck
| or while they were being carried into
baggage cars to be brought to this city.
= EIDE AT AwRENcE