Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1903-12-31
RED SIGNAL LIGHT 10 BLOWN
OUT DURING a FIERCE
BLIZZARD.
IRsIss MffT ON A long Curve
REDUCED TO A PILE or BROKEN
AND TWISTED TIMBER
AND METAL

Grand Rapids. Mich, Dec -
twenty-five persons were killed 4
tbirtyeight injured. several Of ta-n
rroOas.y fatally. in a head-on COLTS
ioa between " Pere Marquetts rz4[
way passenger trains near FaF-
SATURDAY evening.
It was the uost disastrous wreck IN
the history Of the Pers M~argre2te sys-
tom. and instead Of being caused sy
rams carsiessress or mistake s
charged to the high wind which sI-
tirguts4ed the red signal light In the
ereer board at LcCord's station,
Were the w~est-boand train was ex-
peeted to stop and receive new orders.
Tuo minutes before the train rushed
By McCord's station the Light was
burning. says tire operator. bur IN that
brief interval the blizzard that Was
raging ext!ugufshed IL and train No. 5
flashed BY the station To crash into
sast-boznd train No. 6. near East
Paris. The trains, which were two OF
she finest on the system, were re1gcec
tr . pile OF broken and twisted tim
Ter and metal. with dead and injured
Pinned Down and Crushed
5y the fragments. The ave cars ard
two large locomotives were jamned
Irt6 a space ordinarily occupied by
ESres coaches and the wreckags was
1uewn across the track from fence to
fsres. When train No. 5 whixzsd by
McCord instead OF stopping, the
frightened operator notified the dis
ratchsr tha. his light had been az
tlEggixhed. He reported this fact and
then there was but one action 70 take
The collision was Inevitable.
The GIspatcher's ONCE called for
medical aid and gave orders to held
the train over the Saginaw branch at
tie depot and get the wrecking outfit
snder steam They then waited for
tie word they knew must ONE
There was no chance OF the fast-run-
ming trains to see each ether through
the driving blizzard in time TO even
SLOW down. and In a few minutes word
came from the conductor OF No. s
tEat they had crashed together and
That there was an
Awful Lcss Of Life.
The w~est-bourd engine drove
through No. e's engine Ike q wedge,
separatl x the gear from the buiser
and standing the latter on end Ike q
broken, twisted shell. The running
gear was crunpled up like 80 much
twfna. Great cast steel side rods bent
into many shapes. and even the steel
tires Of the big driving wheels split
ard sprung from the wheels, landing
in some cases. ten feet from the en-
gIne- The boiler OF Engine 397 turned
several times. and the very force
C TIE twisting impact seems TO have
teen the means OF saving the life OF
Engineer Waterman. He was flung
forty Ieet over the fence al the edge
OF the right Of way. Moon, his fire.
NAV, was sitting on the opposite side
tne CAD, 4Aa ne, TOO. was thrown
GEAR OF the pile Of wreckage.
As the trains came together the
domes OF each boiler blew oT.
releasing their contents, else there
have been added horrors from
The clustering Steam.
According to statements made by
OF the Pere Marquette. the
e~astrbound train was travelling down
grade st the rate OF sixty miles an
The west-bound train was
Climbing the hill at a speed or forty
IN hour. The formes carried
probably seventy-fve passengers.
the latter is believed to have
teen carrying ut least 125 persons.
The two trains collidcd at abost the
OF a long, sweeping curve.
tf1ee-quarters or a mile west OF East
Paris. On the inner side of the curve
= a high embankareRt. preventing q
View o. the track ahead.
When the engines met one turned
over and lay on its nose
. direction opposite to that In whica
K had been travelling. TIE other
the wreckage. It's boiler torn
tie trucks, standing erect In the