The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-20
CRASH IN CUT.
Thirty-tWo Killed and IL In
jured in a Wreck.
Work Train Strikes a Freight
on the BIG Four.
A BOILER EXPLODES.
Heavy Iron Bars Hurled 200
Feet High.
Debris Piled Up to Height Of
80 Feet.
Sound of the Collision Was
Heard Miles Away.

The bodies have been taken from the
debris, which is piled 80 feet high on
the tracks, a huge pile of broken tim
Der, twisted and distorted iron and steel.
The bodies are mangled SO that many
are unrecognizable. All the dead and
most of the injured were members of
the work train. The crew on both 10
comotives jumped in time to save their
lives. The collision occurred in a deep
cut at the beginning of sharp curve,
neither train being visible to the crew
of the other until they were within so
feet of each other. The engineers set the
brakes, sounded the whistles and then
leaped. The trains struck with such
force that the sound was heard for miles
around
a second after the collision the boiler
of the work train exploded, throwing
heavy iron bars and timbers 200 feet.
THE DEAD.
ROBERT KING, fremont.
THOMAS TROY, fremont.
VIM. EADS, fremont.
CHAS. E. MEY ERS, Bloomington.
GEO. SMITH, Bloomington
GEO. HARMON, Bloomington.
JOHN DORAN, Bloomington.
JOHN SMITH, Bloomington.
FRED BACHMAN, Danvers.
JOHN SHAW, Mackinaw.
STEPHEN CUTTER, Mackinaw.
Two unidentified dead bodies mangled
beyond recognition.
Conductor J. w Jude, of Indianap-
oils, who had charge of the freight
train received orders at UFbanat it is
said, to wait at Mackinaw for the work
train. The freight train did not stop.
The engineer of the work train. George
Becker. had orders. it is said, to pass
the freight at Mackinaw. and was on
= IL 1@@1 #
five minutes late, and was running at
full speed in order to make up time.
When about two miles from Minert
and entering a cut both engineers saw
the approaching trains and realizing
that it was impossible to stop they
threw on the emergency brakes,
whistled twice. and then leaped from
their cabs. The collision was seen by
nearby house and telephoned to Tre-
mont.
A special train with four physicians
was made uD in few minutes and in
less than half an hour was at the
wreck. At the same time another
train arrived from Pekin, bearing Supt.
C. H. Barnard of the Big Four and
three physicians. The second train
bore lot of Turkish rugs, and these
were utilized to carry out the mangled
corpses of the victims. After working
two hours the bodies of twenty-six
men were taken out and laid on an
embankment near the side of the
track.
One of the last bodies recovered was
that of William Bailey, who had been
thrown thirty feet in the air and held
in place by two steel rails which had
been pushed up between the locoIno-
tive and the tender Of the work train
The workmen had been laying rails at
different points along the track
The injured were taken to the two
cabooses of the relief train where hos
! VxynF owls sod (0x1~ re
| booses was taken to Morton, while the
other was taken to fremont.
| The dead lay on the bank all night
awaiting the arrival of the coroner of
Tazewell county. Widows and orphans
! thronged around the wreck asking for
| information. Out of 35 men who con-
stituted the crew of the work train only
four are living and two are seriously
injured. Wreckage is strewn along the
track for 200 feet and "a hours will
elapse before it can be cleared.
All trains on the Big Four are using
the tracks of the Lake Erie and West
ern between here and Bloomington.
Conductor Judge. who was on the
freight train running west, said to the
Associated Press reporter that he had
orders to wait at Mackinaw until 2:4O
for the work train. He obeyed these
orders and stayed until that time when
the work train not coming in, he sup
posed that it had sided in at fremont
and accordingly he started to run his
train ahead. He was running along at
brisk rate of speed when the engine
of the work train appeared in sight.
Both engineers applied the air and then,
together with their firemen, jumped for
their lives.
None of the trainmen, with the ex-
ception of Brakeman Harmon, was in
jured- The latter received a broken
arm and was one of the men who was
taken to Bloomington.
SAYS DEATH LIST IS EXAGGERA-
TED
Peoria, Ill, Nov. 20.-An Associated
Press reporter who has just come in
from the scene of the Big Four wreck
east of fremont, reports the wreckage
as entirely cleared away, and trains
again running over the Big Four tracks
The list of casualties has been consider
ably exaggerated. A total of Is bodies
were recovered. many of them in a hor-
ribly mangled condition OF these Is
all but three have been identified The
list of injured number H. who were
placed in Bloomington and Peoria hos
pitfalls. Two of the injured have since
died bringing the total number OF
deaths to 20. Coroner Holmes, of Del
evan, has impane1Ied a jury and is pre-
pairing to hold the inquest today
Lebaudy Airship Blows Up.
Paris, Nov. 2o.-The Lebaudy airship,