The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1903-01-02
THIRTY LIVES ARE LOST.
Terrible Wreck by Head-End COL
lision on the Grand Trunk
in Canada.
The Wreck Occurred at Wanstead,
Forty Miles From London, DUR
sing - Hard Snow storm. which
Added 90 the suacrings of the In
jured Passengers.

London, Ont, Dec. 2s.-A frightful
collision occurred, Friday night, be-
tween a passenger and freight train
on the Grand Trunk railway at Wan
stead. a station on the Sarnia branch
est reports from the accident, 80 per-
sons were killed and 40 were injured.
The passenger train was the Pacific
express. No. 5. west-bound. IL was
running at a high rate Of speed and
the freight. which was proceeding
east under slow Roadway, was to have
taken the switch at Wanstead to al
low the passenger train To pass. APP
parentlv neither engineer saw the
danger in time TO avert the accident,
for the two trains came together
near the west switch with frightful
crash, oyerturning into the ditch. The
baggage and express cars tclescoped
into the smoker with appalling re-
suits. The wreck was complete and
il is thought that hardly single pas
senger in the smoker escaped injury.
The other cars of the passenger train
remained on the track. Word was
quickly sent To this city and doctors
were soon on the scene.
The Iii-Fated Train.
The Inflated express consisted Of
two baggage ears. smoker, two
iirst-class coaches and two Puilnans,
the Chelmsford and the Fcnwick. The
smoker. which was telescoped by the
coach behind it. had the sides
knocked out of it. the roof falling
and imprisoning the passengers. 1t
was in this car that most Of the aw-
full havoc and loss of life occurred.
The wreck. shortly after the COLI
sion, caught fire and but for the he
role efforts Of a brigade of passen-
gers, organized and led by an old
man. who was himself q passenger on
the Inflated train. the disaster might
have been more disastrous TO those
pinned down i'm the wreck. BY heroic
efforts this brigade put out the fire
by throwing snow on the flames with
their hats and hands. They turned
their Efforts 10 getting out the
wounded who had their sufferings in
creased by a binding snow storm and
the thermometer near zero. A Miss
Cuthbertson. Of Port Huron. Mich.
was imprisoned under the wreck two
hours but was not seriously injured.
Due to Operators DIunder.
The accident is said to have been
due TO the failure of an operator to
give orders TO the express train TO
meet the freight at the station.
One of the passengers describes the
accident as follows:
We are running at about 40 miles
an hour when, without the slightest
warning. the two trains met with ter
rifle force. On examination il was
found that the two engines were in
the ditch. The baggage car was
thrown on top of the first-class coach.
instantly killing great many and
pinning about 80 other passengers in
the debris. The creams, means and
prayers Of the injured were heart
rending. One poor woman begged that
her child be saved. as she was dying
The little one was carefully taken
from the wreck, and will probably re-
cover. The mother was afterward re-
leased, but only TO die in few min
utes.
about so people were killed and 40
badly injured, some of whom will die.
The trainmen as well as every pas
senger did all they could 10 relieve the
sufferings of the Victims"