New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1903-11-04
Fifteen KILLED
IN TRAIN WRECK
Football Special, Carrying Team
and Students from Purdue, Meets
Disaster Near indianapolis.
AWFUL ACCIDENT RESULTS FROM
COLLISION WITH COAL CARS


ut Over Fifty, Several of Whom
May Die-Team Were to Play at In
diana University-several Players
Among the Victims.
indianapolis. Ind. Nov. "A Spe-.
cial train on the Big Four bearing 954
Lafayette passengers, including sew
eral hundred students of Purdue uni
versity, was wrecked at 1920 Saturday
morning near Riverside park, in the
edge of this city.
Fifteen dead have been taken from
the wreck and SO passengers were in
jured, "a of them seriously.
Among the dead are several mem
bers of the Purdue university football
team, which was to play Indiana uni
versity for the state championship
here in the afternoon.
List of the Dead.
The dead: W. H. CRUDE, substitute
player, Butler, Ind; Walter FUR,
member Of the team, Texas; E. c.
Robertson, assistant coach; Walter R.
ROUGH, Pittsburg; L. e. Rush, Pitts
burg; r. ]. Powell, Corpus Cristi,
Tex: w. D. Hamilton, center rush,
Lafayette; Gabriel S. Drollinger, be-
headed; Sam Squibb, Lafayette; Jay
Hamilton, substitute player, Hunting
ton, Ind; N. R. Howard, Lafayette;
Walter Robertson, Patrick zMcClair,
Chicago, assistant coach, died at hos
pital; Samuel Truit, Noblesville, Ind,
substitute quarterback, died at city
hospital; G. L. Shaw, student, Lafay-
cite. ~5-
The injured at the hospitals, num-
bering over So, are being fully cared
for Several are fatally hurt. Sur
geons have already amputated several
limbs.
Collide with Coal Cars.
The special train bore the Lafayette
rooters, numbering nearly 1000. It
consisted of IL coaches and was run
ming as the first section at high speed.
At a gravel pit switch near Eighteenth
street switch engine with a cut Of
coal cars collided with the passenger.
The passenger engine and first three
coaches were almost totally destroyed.
The first coach was crushed to splin-
tiers, the second telescoped and thrown
down an embankment Is feet high,
while the third coach was overturned
and thrown across the track. There is
confusion as to what caused the acct
dent, each engineer insisting that he
had the track and did not know Of the
other train. A deep cut prevented g
clear view Of the track. rT.-
The crash of the two trains threw
the coal cars through the first two
coaches in which were many of the
football players and substitutes The
engine, two coal cars and two coaches
were crushed into a confused mass OF
wreckage. Under this pile Of debris
were so or more students of the uni
versity. .-
Work OF Rescue. .r~i
The work of pulling out the dead
and injured was continued by the stu
dents and passengers, including many
girls from Lafayette, until surgical
help arrived. The hospitals and sur.
geons' Offices were telephoned for aid
and physicians began rushing up In
automobiles and carriages.
The crash of the collision was heari
for blocks around and the news spread
like wildfire over the city. People hur.
ried from every direction, and womer
who lived in the vicinity came pre-.
pared with home remedies to assist thu
injured. All the ambulances in thu
city, including the dead wagons Of thu
various undertaking firms, the patro
wagon and hose wagons OF the fire de.
partment, responded to the alarm.
Distressing Scenes.
The scenes following the rescue o.
| the dead and injured were distressing
Strong men wept and cried aloud wheK
| they looked upon the faces of theil
dead classmates or at the sufferings o.
their classmates and fraternity broth
| ers Here and there some one would
| stoop and lift from the face of on
| of the dead handkerchief or piece o.
garment that had been placed over thu
| ASdLu1cS Wy SOAIC AAlSAO Mduy VI LII
girls rolled up their sleeves and knel
at the side Of the stricken men ant
bathed their wounds until the services
| of surgeon could be secured. The
| women on the train did everything
| possible that their limited means
would permit. Nearly all of them as
sisted in the work, and their soiled gala
| day dresses when the work was ovel
was mute evidence Of their willingness
to do everything possible
Ali the young men killed were II
! the first coach, which was reduced tt
kindling wood. They were found lyinf
tangled and bleeding with the injured
pinned against them. The coach hello
| about 70 persons. Those who retained
| consciousness when laid on the grass
urged, and in some cases demanded
that their friends hasten to the tele
graph offices and inform their parent!
that they had escaped with a few
bruises.
/ Several of the suffering fellows pite
Eeusly pleaded that their names be no
| published, because of the anguish i