The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-03-07
A REAR END COLLISION
Wreckage Took Fire and Many
Were Burned to Death.
CLEVELAND PEOPLE VICTIMS


Cleveland special on the Pittsburs,
Fort Wayne G. Chicago Railroad came
together at 7:45 tonight near Ems
worth, about IL miles from this city.
Both trains were entirely wrecked, the
debris being thrown about the tracks
for hundreds Of feet. In the twink
ling Of an eye between 80 and 80 per-
sons were killed and many more In
Jured. Before any aid could be rem
dered, the wreekage took fire from
the wrecked engines and no help
could be given those pinloned under
the burning mass.
BURNED ALIVE.
All the people from the surround
ing vicinity at once went to the
scene of the awful disaster and gave
what help they could. The houses
nearby were turned into temporary
hospitals and morgues, and spec
ial train left here with all the ply
sicians and nurses available.
The merry crowd into which dis
aster broke so suddenly was on its
way to the Inauguration at Washing
ton and while the laughing and joking
was at its height, death was sudden
ly flung among the jolly party.
CAUSE OF ACCIDENT.
The terrible disaster was caused
by car on the first section having
a hot box. The engineer was no
tified and he slowed down his train
to make examination. Before the sec
ton had fairly stopped, the second
section, which was following closely
crashed into IL, throwing disaster pell-
nell into the party. A fiagmen was
preparing to leave the rear platform
of the train to go back and flag the
following train, but was too late. He
and saved himself by jumping. Few
others escaped,so quickly did the
crash come.
3 The last coach of the first section
was cut completely in half and laid
to either side of the track, each half
filled with
DEAD OR DYING.
The huge engine plowed its way
through the train smashing the 9TH
er coaches into splinters. The crew
of the second engine was found
dead in the cab The heaviest loss
is said to have been inflicted upon
the engineer corps of the Ohio Nation
al Guard, formerly the Cleveland
Grays. considered the finest military
organization in Ohio. The officers OF
the regiment were in the last coach
of the first section and If any of them
escaped II Is by miracle. Their
coach fell in halves and the bright
uniforms of the handsomely clad Of
fcers and men could be seen in the
debris. strongly contrasting with the
awful scenes about them.
The second section came in for its,
share OF disaster also, many of the
persons in this train being killed.
HOSPITALS FILLED.
The Allegheny General hospital
the nearest largest institution to the
scene of the disaster, was filled to
overfowing with injured. The Mercy,
the West Penn and all the other in
stitutlons in the two cities also re-
ceived share of the victims.
The first trips of the emergency
train were only made for the bringing
back of the injured, the dead being
left until the last. The bodies will
not be brought here until all the
manned are cared for.
The uninjured men had scrambled
out of their coaches, of which there
were five, and a baggage car to each
train, they did some
HEROIC WORK
in rescuing their comrades. Major
John r. McQuigg, of the engineer
corps, was taken from the wrecked
: car of the officers, and with both his
: legs broken, his hip crushed and his
head badly cut, he attempted to call
the roll to seen how many were mis-
sing. The men with axes and what.
ever they could find, tried to break
into the heavy coaches to rescue their
friends, but were driven back by the
flames, being forced to leave some
comrades to burn to death.
The officers occupied the last coach,
Company G, in the next, Company ID,
next and B. and A companies in the
hear coaches. The officers coach and
one occupied by Company G was
where the soldiers were killed.
The second train was occupied by
the Tippecanoe Club, of Cleveland.
When the relief train reached the
scene, twenty injured were taken to
Rochester, Pa, mad on the way to the
hospital, two OF these died. Their
names could not be learned.
The men of the battalion who were
not injured were brought to this city
on the train which bore the dead.
The officers of the battalion have de-
Il