The Savannah morning news., 1904-07-14
OEATH FOLLOWED
SWIFT UPON PICNIC
EIGHTEEN WERE KILLED
ANn sIxTY-EIGHT INJURED IN
RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

Af.er Enjoying a Picnic n Happy
Crowd Was Returning at NightfaIl
4o ChicagO-Their Train, Running
Forty Miles an Hour, Crashed In
IN a Freight-SurEeOns Were Hur-
ried TO the Scene of the Accident.
Chicago, July 13.-Eighteen persons
we're killed and about sixty-eight in
fured tonight in a collision on the
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad
at Glenwood, ILL.,, twenty-three miles
south of Chicago.
The collision occurred between a pic
mic train from Chicago, which was re-
turning from Momence, ILL.,. and a
freight train, into the rear end of
which the excursion train dashed at
high speed.
The picnic train was coming north
and the freight was on the nothbound
track A misplaced switch threw the
picnic train over on the southbound
track and before the engineer could
apply the brakes it ran at forty miles
an hour into the rear of the freight
The locomotive, the baggage car and
the first coach of the picnic train were
demolished and all of the killed and in
jured were on the locomotive and in
the two cars.
The picnic was the annual outing of
the members of Doremus Church,
formerly chapel of Plymouth
Congregational Church. After spend
ing the day on the picnic grounds at
Momence, the train load started on the
return trip, running in as the second
section of the regular passenger train
which is due in Chicago at 1925 p. m.
At Forty Miles an Hour.
When the picnic train reached Chi
cago Heights, four miles beyond Glen
wood, where the accident occurred, it
was switched to the regular south
bound track, and although it was com
ing north it was given a clear track
by the operator at Chicago Heights
until it should reach Glenwoods four
miles away. The train. after leav-
ing Chicago Heights, gradually in
creased speed and when half the dis
tance between the two stations had
Deen covered II was plungng along at
the rate of forty miles an hour.
Just half way between Chicago
Heights and Glenwood there is a
sharp curve. As. the picnic train tore
around this on the soutHbound track
freight train was backing from the
southbound to the northbound track.
1t was partly on both tracks, and no
train could have passed it in either
direction.
The bend is so sharp that the en-
gineer of the picnic train did not see
the freight until he was almost on
1t. 1t was too late to do anything
but set the brakes, but before they
could take effect the passenger train
smashed into the freight at full speed.
The locomotive, and the baggage car
OF the passenger train went through
the freight and were piled up in a
head of wreckage on the further side
of the switch track.
Dead in the First Car.
The first coach of the picnic train
plunged into the wreckage and buried
itself in a mass of kindling wood.
Nearly all of the passengers in the first
coach were caught beneath the mass
OF debris, and it was here that the
loss of life occurred. The people in
the rear coaches were hurled from
Hull SCdlS anu IHd0y Oh Ine1n bruised,
out all of the serious casua tiles oc-
Cured in the first car.
The uninjured passengers and train
men at once hastened to the relief of
those who were pinned Under the
Wreckage. The wreck was two miles
from any help and much delay en-
sued before some of the injured, who
We're held down by heavy timbers,
could be extricated. Nothing could be
zone Tor them until liftina5 machinery
came from Chicago Heights.
Inc first train to arrive at the wreck
came from Chicago Heights and it car
RED six physicians. A short time aft
eer,Ward a second train arrived from
Glenwood, bringing additional physi-
clans and number of nurses. Dark
ness had fallen and rescue went on
by the light of bonfires.
regular relief train was made up
az GlenWood, and 1t br ought the dead
ana wounded to Chicago.
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