The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-07-05
FORTY OTHERS INJURED IN A
MABAsH RAILROAD WRECK
AT LiTcHFiELp, ILL.
RAN INTO AN OPEN SWITCH
PASSENGER TRAIN STRUCK BOX
CARS AND THE OVERTURNED
COACHES TOOK FIRE.

Litchfield, ILL.,, July 1.-The Chicago
limited on the Wabash railway, due
In st. Louis at Z p. M, and half an hour
late, was wrecked Sunday night inside
the city limits.
The train struck an open switch
and was overturned and seven o. the
nine cars were burned.
1t is believed that twenty persons
persisted in the second and third coach
es and that forty were injured.
The injured are being cared for in
the st. Francis hospital in this city.
A partial list Of the dead follows:
L. O. Echstadt, Chicago; Mrs. G. F.
Luther, Milwaukee,: Dan H. Davis, De
catur, ILL.,; Joseph Barber, delegate
from North Dakota; Engineer James
Sanford, Decatur, ILL.,; Fireman Sam
Smith, Decatur, ILL.,; Mrs. Perrin, Chi.
cago; Hon. l. r. Mills, Decatur, ILL.,;
H. M. DIETRICH, Toledo, o.; Rev. N.
M. Mills, Bridgetown, N. j.; r. A.
DIETRICH, Chicago; Florence Smith,
Chicago; Hugo Peero, Montreal; Miss
Hakins, Chicago; Mrs. G. F. Luchere,
Milwaukee; Howard Groves, train dis.
patcher, Decatur; unknown boy about
fifteen years old; Miss Perkins, Chi.
cago.
The injured include the following:
s. A. Asguivitch, Waterloo, Ia., inter.
nally; Mrs. Candyou, Milwaukee, inter.
nally; Gleason S. Ellis. Marshfield,
Wis; Mrs. B. r. Tenney, Ada, Mimi,
internally hurt; B. F. Tenney. Ada,
Mimi, injured bones, sprained. L
The engine, after running into the
switch, struck a string of freight cars
and, with the first three coaches, was
piled into a heap across the track and
caught fire Immediately. The last car
on the train was a special from Wis.
consin. It vas uncoupled and pushed
back and saved.
Noted Illinois Man Killed.
/. R. Mills, who was killed, was in.
ternal revenue collector at Decatur,
and of the most prominent Repub-
licans in Central Illinois.
The track was reported clear at the
last station. and as the train was run
ming about fifty miles an hour, the
open switch was not noticed. No in.
formation can be obtained as to who
was responsible for the accident.
Nearly all the passengers were bound
for st. Louis. and those not injured
left on the Illinois Central train an
hour later. Three of the injured have
since died.
Coroner Gray is here and will hold
an inquest.
Mr., and Mrs. w. Bachelor of Chi
cago were on the wicked train. MI.
Bachelor said: when the accident
occurred the front car piled up on the
engine, took fire and burned. There
were dead and injured persons all
around. and it seems to us that there
were fifty killed, but probably the
number is not SO great. We did not
learn the cause of the accident, nor the
actual number of injured and dead"
Charles Corneau, station agent at
Litchf1eld, said that the wreck was
the result of mischief. He said the
north track, as that siding is called,
had not been used Sunday and it is
plain that the switch had been tam
pered with. Not fifteen minutes be-
fore the accident the third section of
Passenger No. 10, southbound, passed
over it safely. But when No. II was
derailed there the switch was turned
n the lock lying on the ground be-
side it.
Mayor w. J.. King of Litchfeld has
issued a proclamation calling off the
Fourth of July celebration tomorrow.
Howard Groves, the dispatcher, was
riding in the cab with the engineman
and has not been found. Neither have
the bodies Of Engineer Sanford and
Fireman Smith, who are buried under
q mountain Of steel.
g. L NG.NH ~