The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-11-13
B. & O. Train Hits Freight
During SnOwstOTm Near
WOOdViIIe, Ind
OTHER DISASTERS MAKE
YESTERDAY MEMORABLE
Sunset Limited Boiler Expodes In
California--Wild Freight Tears
Down Part of Station
In Detroit

Chicago, November l2-AIore than one
half the passengers on an immigrant
train on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad
were killed or injured in a collision to
day. between the passenger train and
freight near Woodvile, Ind.
One hundred and siXty-tive passengers
were on the train and of these forty
seven were either killed outright or were
burned to death in fire which broke
ont in the wreckage Immediately after
the collision. The names of all the dead
will probably never be known as forty
five OF the dead bodies were consumed
in the flames or were so badly burned
that Identification will be out of the dues
ton Thirty-eight people we're injured.
and several Of these Will die. Eighty
others escaped unhurt. but lost nearly
all their baggage and clothing.
Partial List of Injured.
The names of the injured are as follows,
the officials of the Baltimore and Ohio
road declaring that this is the onlv list
that they are at present able to Atan:
Robert Novich. arm broken, lost wife
and three children Lon collan collar
Ind engineer of the freight train. scalded
about the head and back Samuel Nose,
| Garrett Ind, head cut :; Frank Renne-
mann. passenger eHeiFasz.e AsaFreH Ind
leg injuerd - Snyder, baggagemaster.
| head cut Roster. leg broken. Nick
Opovltch head cut; Ralef Dether. inter-
nal injuries; r. Petroff, internal injuries;
b. Tuzlhmank, internal injuries Radell
and wife, badly burned; F. Ermantha. Ia
tally scalded: Rolschoff. badly burned: B.
Holstoff badly burned; Ingreed. collar
bone broken. lost wife and two children;
Cugros, scalp wound; j. Ritter, back hurt,
wife and two children missing; Swarpor-
dy, hand badly cut; Lacip, back injured;
c. Ritter, leg broken
Disaster Caused BY Blunder.
The disaster was caused by a blunder
of some employe of the railroad company
but Just where the blame lies has not
as yet been determined. The passenger
train which was loaded with Russian
Jews, Servians and Poles. all of them re-
cent arrivals In this country and bound
for Chicago or places in the northwest,
was the second section of a through train
freight train, No. 96 on instructions re-
ceiyed at McCool, Ind. waited at siding
al Babcock. Ind, to allow the immigrant
train to pass. One report is that the en-
gineer of the freight train had not been
informed that the passenger train was
running in two sections; the other is that
the first section of the passenger train
carried no lights or signals OF any kind
Indicating that the second section was
close behind. As soon as the first section
of the immigrant train had passed the
switch at Babcock, the freight train in
charge of Engineer Burke and Conductor
Moste started eastward.
liaht Snow Increased Darkness.
A light snow was falling Which increased
the darkness of the early morning, and
as the freight was rounding a sharp curve
lust west of Woodvile, the second sec
tion of the immigrant train came In stgnt
short distance away, tearing toward
Chicago at the rate of forty miles an
hour The two trains came together with
unslackened speed and in the crash six
passenger coaches and several freight cars
were knocked into llndling wood and To-
gether with the locomotives went rolling
down the ten-foot enbankment.
Fire broke out almost Immediately in
the wrcckaHe. and although number OF
the injured were saved by the desperate
efforts OF tie train crew and surviving
passengers, the greater part of those who
were pinned down i'm the debris We're
burned to death. The flames spread
through the wreckage so rapidly that II
was impossible to save number of peo-
pie who were but slightly hurt but were
held fast by timbecs that weighted them
down These were burned In plain sight
Of pa xkbt he
scene cf tine disaster utterly unable to
lend assistance in any way.
The ire continued until all the shattered
cars were entirely consumed and of the
forty-seven persons whose death followed
the collision, forty-five were burned to
ashes.
Shattered Cars Entirely Burned
The crash of the collision was so great
that numter Of farmers and other res
dents OF the neighborhood came hastenins
to the scene 5ut they could do nothing
but lend assistance to the injured who
had already been taken from the wreck.
All of the six cars Cf the 4 sraut train
were burned. as were threa 'ht ears.
Relief train. We're At once y it from
South Chicago and from Nalpnra.-o. Ind,
with every available physician and every
possible ald was gwen 10 the injured.
A large n mber II the relatives OF pas
sengers on tho Inflated train were in
Chicago awaiting he arrival. and when
the report was received that many had
been Killed and injured in Wreck the
I scenes around The Baltimore and Ohio
| station were narrowing. Men We're there
/ vino had cor q - his country to escape
/ the massacres ii iiussia and who after
I n,ot,ths of hard work uad saved enough to
! nay the passage Of members of their fam
/ lies aud their etef when they became
aware thar possibly all their sacrifice ana
| effort hld resulted only in death of those