The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1904-07-21
70 KILLED ON TRAIN
Gay Crowd of Excursionists Meet
With Horrible Accident
A COLLISION SOUTH OF CHICAGO
Running at Forty Miles an Hour
Picnic Train Plunged Into a
Freight Which Was Backing OF
to Another Track.

Chicago, Special.-Twenty persons
were killed and about twenty-five
Injured Wednesday night in a COILS
ion on the Chicago & Eastern Illinois
Railroad, at Glenwood, ILL.,, 2S miles
south Of Chicago. The collision oc-
Cured between a picnic train from
Chicago, which was returning from
Momence, ILL.,, and a freight train, In
TO the rear end of which the cxcur-
sion train dashed at high speed. The
picnic train was coming north. and
the freight was on the south-bound
track. A misplaced switch threw the
picnic train on the south bound track,
and before the engineer could apply
the breaks, it ran at forty miles an
hour into the rear of the freight.
The engine, baggage and several
coaches were demolished, and the i'll
iured were in two of the coaches.
The picnic was the annual outing
of the members of Doremus. After
spending the day on the picnic grounds
a.. Momence the train load started on
the return trip, running in as the Sec
ond section of the regular passenger
train, which Is due in Chicago at S:25
p. m.
When the picnic train reached Chi
cago Heights, four miles beyond Glen
wood, where the accident took place.
l. was switched to the regular SOUTH
bound track, and although it was COM
ing north. it was given clear track
by the operator at Chicago Heights un-
til It should reach Glenwood, four miles
away. The train, after leaving Chica-
60 Heights, gradually increased its
speed and when half the distance be-
tween the two stations had been COW
cred, it was plunging along at the rate
or 40 miles an hour. Just half way be-
tween Chicago Heights and Glenwood'
there is sharp curve. AS the picnic
train tore around this on the south-
track, a feright train was backing
from the south bound to the nortn
hound track. It was partly on both
tracks, and no train could have passed
II in either direction. The bend is SO
sharp that the engineer OF the picnic
train did not see the freight until ne
was almost on it. 1t was too late 10
do anything but set the brakes, put De-
fore they could take effect the passen-
ger train smashed into the freight at
full speed. The locomotive and the
baggage car of the passenger train
went through the freight and were pill
ed up in a heap of wreckage on the
further side Of the switch track.
The first coach Of the picnic tram
plunged into the wreckage and buried
itself in mass of kindling wood. Near
" all of the passengers in the hrst
coach were caught beneath the mass OF
debris and it was here that the loss or
life occurred. Tie people in the rear
coaches were hurled from their seats
and many of them were bruised, but
all of the serious casualties occurred
in the first car. The uninjured passen-
gers and the trainmen at once hasten
ed to the relief of those who were
pinned under the wreckage. the
wreck was two miles from anywhere,
and much delay ensued before some
OF the injured, who were held down
by heavy timbers could be extricated.
Nothing could be done for them un-
tt! lifting machinery came from Chica-
20 Heights. The first train to arrive
at the wreck came from Chicago
Heights, and it carried six physicians.
A short time afterward a second train
arrived from Glenwood, bringing ad-
ditionel physicians and number of
nurses. Darkness had fallen and res
cue went on by the light Of bonfres.