Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1904-01-01
Two Terrible Railroad Wrecks.

A head-on collision occurred near
East Paris Mich, Saturday night be-
tween two Pere Marquette railroad
passenger trains. Twenty-Five persons
were killed and 20 injured several prob
ably fatally. 1t was the most danger
Gus wreck in the history of the Pere
Marquette system and instead of being
caused by mans carelessness or mis-
take, Is charged to the high wind
which extlnguished the red signal light
In the order board at McCords station,
where the west bound train was ex-
pected to stop and receive new orders.
Two minutes before the train rushed
by McCords the light was burning, says
the operator there, but in that brief in
tervai- the blizzard that was raging ex-
tinguished it. and train No. flashed
by the station to crash into east-bound
train No. 6, near East Paris. The trains
which were two of the finest on the
system were reduced to a promiscuous
pile of broken and twisted timber and
metal. with dead and injured pinned
down and crushed by the fragments
of the heavy cars.
'iANy -INt bNtip 10 VIC itSuit VI Nilt
Duquesne limited passenger wreck on
the Baltimore and Ohio railroad at
Dawson, Pa, Dec. 23. Twenty or 80
persons were badly hurt. The wrecked
train was east bound and filed with
Christmas shoppers. 1t crashed into n
pile of lumber left by the breaking of
the casting on a carload of bridge tim
bers on west bound freight train
which had just passed The train was
late and running at a high rate of
speed when suddenly the passengers,
$50 in number, were thrown from their
seats by the lightning-like application
of the air brakes, and a moment later
there was n terrible crash. The train
ploughes along for considerable dis
lance and the cars were torn to pieces.
jumping. screaming and
falling from the wreck as 1t tore along.
Suddenly the engine swerved to the left
and the coaches plunged down over
the embankment TO the edge OF the
Youghiogheny river. Many persons
were pinned beneath the wreckage and
the screams and cries that rent the air
were beyond description. Some were
scalded to death by steam The train
was composed Of nm engine combina-
ton baggage and smoker two coaches,
two Pullmans and diner. Many Of
the dead were employees Of the railroad.
The hero OF the wreck was Conductor
Lewis Relgoth. AS he lay on the bank
dying from frightful scalds he called
out: Il am dying. For Gods sake flag
49," His warning prevented another
train rushing down on the wreck and
doubling the horror of the situation.
Another story of heroism seldom
equalled IS told of Benjamin Nichols,
steward on the dining car the last car
on the train. When the train was
dragged sideways along the road Mich |
OILS leaped ard ran toward the smoker, |
which was reduced 10 twisted iron and /
splinters. The crash had torn the es-
cape valve trom the top Of the engine
md steam was shooting in the ear up /
On the passengers. Taking off his coat |
Nichols rIpned and tore ii and plugged |
lp the pipe, shutting off the steam |
relief was thus given the |
sufferers. After this Nichols ran back !
% the steering cars and rescued five /
people.
Following the wreck thieves were |
detected robbing the dead and injured I
md were arrested. The wreck can not |
le attributed to negligence of any EN-
,loyees.