The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-29
Trains on the Southern Pa
cific in Collision Near Tue
son-Twenty Dead Bodies
Taken From the Wreckage
and Still Others We're
Probably Killed-Failur
Of a Night Operator the
Cause.

TUCSON, Ariz Jan. 2S.-The failure
of Night Operator George CIough at
Walls station to deliver orders to west
bound train No. 9, known as the "Sun-
set Limited on the Southern Pacific,
caused a head-end collision at o'clock
this morning between trains No. and
fourteen miles east of Tucson and six
miles from Walls station with fatal re-
suits.
At last accounts twenty bodies had
been taken from the mass of burned
and chared wreckage, and it is believed
that several more are buried in the
twisted and tangled mass of iron and
steel
The dead:
JOHN BRUCE, Tucson. engineer.
r. WILKE, Tucson, engineer.
GEO. McGRATH, Tucson, fireman.
j. NJ. HILLON, capitalist, Cam
bridge, Mass.
Sixteen dead, unidentified
Seriously injured
Fred Donahue, Battle Creek, Mich;
Ben Sawyer, mail clerk, Tucson Abe
SiIVerton, New York; c. S. Gilbert,
fireman, Tucson; Ben Merryhill New
Hampshire.
Slightly injured:
FREDERICK Romero, JuareZ, Mexico;
- Michaelson, Tucson; w. H. Mark
ham, Saginaw, Mich; H. M. B. Boehme
baggageman, Tucson: F. S. M. Glidde3,
Cambridge, Mass; r. PesQuir, Her1no
SillO, Mexico; w. B. Waiter, Tucson,
Ariz.; Miss Irene Millington, Phoenix,
Ariz.
The son of J. NJ. Hillon, who was
among the list of killed, escaped in
jury.
How 1t Happened.
No 9, but which was several hours
late and running as No. 9, stopped at
Walls station at 2:40 this morning.
1t was in charge Of Conductor G.
w. Parker and Engineer Jack Bruce,
one Of the oldest and best known en-
ginemen in Arizona. The conductor
and engineer were furnished with Or
ders to pass an east bound freight
train at Wilmot station. There was
another order at Walls station-one to
meet Train No. s, known as the Cres-
cent City express, east bound, at Ed
mond. This order, which was the i'm
portant one, the operator failed to de-
hVer, and the limited passed out with
cut the right of way and with no Or
ders concerning No. 8. When six
miles west of Walls, running at a
speed Of fifty miles an hour,
and rounding sharp curve
No. 9 crashed into No. 8 running As
The crash and the scenes Immediately
following We're beyond description. SO
great was the impact from the two fly
ing trains that the two engines reared
up like two animals engaged in combat
and crushed the boilers like sheelIs.
The cars Immediately in the rear rush
ed upon the mass of heated iron and
piled up in an indescribable and
frightfully tangled mass.
Whole Mass in Flames.
Fire broke out at once. The flames,
followed by the oil from the broken
tanks of the engines, quickly commu-
nicated to the cars and the whole mass
was soon in flames. Those who were
able to escape from the cars in the rear
of the trains quickly came to the res
cue. But all their efforts went for
little as the pile of debris was heated to
such degree that the workers could
not approach near enough to do any
good.
Smoke from the burning oil and
cars, as well as escaping steam, blinded
all those who got near the flames. Even
in the face of all these obstacles the
passengers and trainmen who were
able to be of any service whatever
rendered noble aid to the wounded.
Many Of these were quickly removed
and taken to places of safety at the
sides of the tracks.
Burning Oil.
It is declared by passengers who were
brought to Tucson on the relief train
that oil from broken tanks ran in
streams down each side of the track
When this infammable fluid took fire
it rendered efforts at rescue very diff
cult and dangerous 1t is declared that
the mass of wreckage was heated to a
white heat by the intensity of the fire.
Pullman sleeper on the rear of
Train No. was detached by the tre-
mendouS force Of the collision and ran
down the grade into Tucson, crashing
into a switch engine Both the engine
and sleeper were damaged to a con-
siderable extent. The arrival of the
runaway sleeper was the first news of
the wreck to reach Tucson, although it
had been unauthoritatively stated that
Operator Clough, at Walls, learning of
his fatal error when No. 80 departed.
told the dispatchers office at Tucson
that a wreck would occur. Soon after
the Pullman car ran into Tucson
brakeman arrived from Walls bringing
news of the wreck.
Dead Thirty five to Forty.
His report said that the dead would
number from thirty-fiVe to forty.
A relief train was quickly made
ready, and DIR. Fenner the railroad
surgeon at this point, with two asst
anus, was hurried TO the scene. They
found terrible state of confusion ex-
listing about the scene.
Men and women were running to and
fro in a panic, some clad only in their
night clothes, others in different stages
of undress. The cries of the seriously
injured are said to have been dread
full. The surgeons rendered every aid
possible under the circumstances. Six-
teen of the worst injured were put
aboard the relief train and brought to
Tucson, where they were made as COM
Portable as possible at the railroad hos
pital Six of these are not expected to
recover.
With Hands Ciasped.
The work of searching for the dead
began as soon as the fire subsided. En-
gineer B"uce's charred remains were
found at the side of his engine and
partially under the oil tank The body
was terribly burned, only pieces Of ii
remaining. The only means of identf-
fication was his watch found under the
body.
His Fireman Joe McGrath was found
lying by his side, with his head under
Bruce's body. Bruces right hand
clutched that Of McGrath's. Engineer
Wilkie, of No. 8, was found under his
engine cab, his body burned to a crisp
Identification was made by means of a
watch chain.
One body pulled out from the burn
ing wreckage held in the charred hand