Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1903-12-31
;8S.E6EIlSiQg..
A. Disastfoas Wreck Occurs on the
Pere Marquette Railroad.
TWENTY-FIVE PERSONS IOVg0EAD.


death list resulting from the head-or
collision between two Pere Marquette
railroad passenger trains near East
Paris Saturday evening stands at q
with 80 persons injured, several Of
them probably fatally. It was the
most disastrous wreck in the history Of
the Pere Marquette system and, instead
of being caused by mans carelessness
or mistake, Is charged to the high wind
which extinguished the red signal light
in the "order" board at McCord's sta
ton, where the westbound train was
expected to stop and receive new Or
ders. Two minutes before the train
rushed by McCord's the light was burn
ing, says the operator there, but in
that brief interval the blizzard that
was raging extinguished It, and train
No. s flashed by the station to crash
into eastbound train No. 8, near East
Paris. The trains. which were two Of
the finest on the system, were reduced
to promiscuous pile Of broken and
twisted timber and metal, with dead
and injured pinned down and crushed
by the fragments of the heavy cars.
Five cars and two large locomotives
were jammed into q space ordinarily
occupied by three coaches and the
wreckage was strewn across the rail-
road right-of-way from fence TO fence.
When train No. $50 bound west,
whizzed by McCord's instead Of stop
ping, the frightened operator notified
the dispatcher, then found that his
red signal light had been extlnguished.
He reported this fact and then there
was but one action to take. The col
lision was inevitable. The dispatcher's
office called for medical aid and gavo
orders to hold the train over the Sagi-
nav branch at the depot and get the
outfit under steam. They
then waited for the word they knew
must come. There was no chance OF
The fast-running trains to see each
other through the driving blizzard in
lime even to slow down and in q few
word came from the conduct
,r Of No. that they had crashed to- |
yether and that there was an awful
oss Of life.
The westbound engine drove through |
Io. 6's engine like a wedge, separating |
he gear from the boiler and standing
he latter on end like q broken,
visited shell. The running gear was
rumpled up like 80 much Irvine.
treat cast steel side rods bent into
many shapes and even the steel tires
I the big driving wheels split and
prung from the wheels, landing in
ONE cases ten feet from the engine.
he boiler Of engine No. 397 turned
yer several times and the very force
I the twisting impact seems to have
cen the means of saving the life Of
.ngineer Waterman. He was flung 40
bet over the fence at the edge Of the
lght-of-way. Moon, his fireman, was
ltting on the opposite side Of the cab
nd he too, was thrown clear Of the
lie Of wreckage. a aRiiM
As the trains came together the
.eam domes Of each boiler blew of,
sleasing their contents, else there
ould have been added horrors from
le blistering steam. No. 6, eastbound,
as composed Of mail and baggage
If, combination smoker, buffet par
" car, day coach and diner. The
aggage car caught between the en- ,
ne and heavy train, crumpled up like
only the roof remaining
lrtially unbroken. The big blind /
all coach, heavily bullheaded, took
10 brunt Of the blow, but withstood
e crash and communicated It to the
noker next in the rear. The smoker
as swept clean as the mail car tele- J
oped Its entire length and turned
'er at the north side Of the track.
he smoker In turn crashed several 8
ct into the parlor car and 1t was at .
q rear end Of the smoker and for
ard end Of the cafe car where the s
ssengers were killed and injured. Q
'om space SIX feet square the bodies I
two women, a boy and man were 7
ken out The westbound flyer with i
heavy bulkhead cars stayed on the
lis, back of the baggage and mail
RS, and the passengers In this train .
capped serious injury. As one man 9
ey rushed out Of the train to assist 4.
9 less fortunate ones on the train
I'm this city.
Many stripped warm overcoats from
cir backs and covered the suffering
iured as they were borne to the less =,
altered cars of No and into che a.