The Penn's Grove record., 1904-07-22
A o KILLED IN CRASH
Excursion of a Sunday-School
Ends in Disaster.
Train on the Chicago and Eastern Illinois
Railroad Returning to Chicago Crashes
Into Freight at Chicago Heights.

Chicago, nl.-A score of persons were
killed and about twenty-five Injured In
a collision on the Chicago and Eastern
Illinois Railroad at Glenwood, ILL.,,
twenty-three miles south Of this city.
The collision occurred between a picnic
train which was returning here from
Momence, ILL.,, and a freight train, into
the real end of which the excursion
train dashed at high speed.
The picnic was the annual outing OF
the members of Doremus Church. AT
ter spending the day on the grounds at
Momence the t~rainload started on the
return trip, running in as the second
section of the regular passenger, which
is due in Chicago at S.25 p. m. When
the picnic train reached Chicago
Heights, -four miles beyond Glenwood,
where the accident took place, it was
switched to the regular southbound
track. and though it was coming north
a clear track was given to it by the
operator at Chicago Heights until it
should reach Glenwood.
The train after leaving Chicago
Heights, gradually increased its speed,
and when half the distance between
the two stations had been covered it
was plunging along at forty miles an
hour. Just halfway between Chicago
Heights and Glenwood there is a sharp
curve. AS the picnic train tore around
this on the southbOund track a 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 bends 20 sharp that the engineer
Of the picnic train did not see the
freight until he was about on it. 1t
was too late to do anything except set
the brakes, and before they could take
effect the passenger train smashed into
the freight at full speed. The engine
and the baggage car of the passenger
train went through the freight and
were piled up in a heap of wreckage
on the further side of the switch track.
The first coach Of the picnic train
plunged into the wreckage and buried
itself in a mass of kindling wood.
Nearly all the passengers in the first
coach were caught beneath the debris.
and 1t was here that the loss Of life
occurred. The people in the rear
coaches were hurled from their seats,
and many of them were bruised, but
all the serious casualties occurred i'll
the first ear. The uniniured passen-
gers and trainmen at once fastened
to the relief Of those who were pinned
under the wreckage.
The accident occurred two miles
from anywhere, and much delay en-
sued before some of the injured, who
were held down by heavy timbers,
could be e~Xtricated. Nothing could be
done for them until lifting machinery
came from Chicago Heights. The first
train to arrive was from Chicago
Heights, and it carried six physicians.
A short time afterward a second train
arrived from GlenwOod, bringing adj
ditional physicians and a number Of
nurses.
Darkness had fallen and reccue work
went on by the light of bonfires. A
regular relief train was made up at
Gienwood, and it brought the dead and
wounded to Chicago.
In explanation Of the wreck, Hoxie,
the engineer, and the crew of the
freight train say that their train
parted at Chicago Heights, and the
break was not noticed until the train
was near Glenwood, causing delay.
The engineer knew that the excursion
train was coming, but believed that it
was on the northbound track, and was
switching his train from the north
bound to the southbound track in an
effort to Leep out of the excursion
trains way. when it came north on
the southbound track and smashed in
to the freight train.