The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-11-23
From a Railroad Collision Which
Caused a Wreck,
WERE FOREIGNERS.
The WreCkage Took Fire and All of the
Dead Except Two Are Burned Be.
You'd Recognition. Blunder
of the Employees of
the Road.

More than one-half the passengers
on an immigrant train on the Balti-
more and Ohio road were killed or
injured In o collision Tuesday
between the passenger train and a
freight lear Woodyille, Ind.
One hundred and sixty-Gve passen-
gers were or the train. or these AZ
were either killed outright or were
burned to death ina fire that broke
out in the wreckage Immediately af-
ter the collision. The names of all of
the dead will probably never be
known, as 45 Of the bodies were con-
sumed in the flames or were so badly
burned that idcnti fication will be
out of the question. Thirty. eight
people were injured and several will
die. Eigty Others escaped unhurt but
lost all their baggage AND clothing,
The disaster was caused by a blund.
er OF some empl0ye Of the railroad
company, but just where the blame
lies has not as yet been determined.
The passenger train, which was load
ed with Russian Jews, Servian and
Poles, all of the recent arrivals in this
country, and bound for Chicago or
points in the Northwest, was the
second section of through train from
Baltimore. The engineer Of the
freight train, No. 96 on instructions
received at McCool, Iud., waited at
the immigrant train to pass.
One report is that the engineer of
the freight train had not been in
formed 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 a second Sec
tion was close behind. AS soon as the
first section of the immigrant train
had passed the switch at Babcock. the
freight train started eastward.A light
snow was falling, which increased the
darkness OF the early morning and as
the freight was rounding a sharp curve
just west of Woodville, the second
section OF the immigrant train came
into sight a short distance away,
40 miles an hour. The two trains
came together with unSlakcning speed
and in the crash six passenger coaches
and several freight cars were knocked
into kindling wood and together with
the locomotives went rolling down
the l0-fOOt cmbankmcnt.
FIRE broke out almost Immediately
IN the wrcckage, and although a num-
Der of the injured we're saved by the
desperate efforts OF the train crew and
surviving passengers, the greater part
OF those VINO were pinned down under
the debris was burned TO death.
The flames spread through the
Wreckage so rapidly that it was i'm
possible to save a number Of people
who were only slightly hurt, but were
held fast by timbers that weighted
them down. These were burned in
plain sight of the thrOng that stood
around the scene of the disaster, ut
terly unable to lend assistance in any
way. The fire continued until all Of
the shattered cars were entirely con.
sumed and of the AZ people whose
death followed the collision as were
burned to ashes.
The crash Of the collision was so
great that a number of farmers and
other residents of the neigborhood
came Fastening to the scene, but they
could do nothing except lend aSSiS.
lance TO the injured who had already
been taken from the wreck. All Of the
six cars Of the immigrant train were
knocked into kindling wood, as were
three freight cars.
Keller trains were sent at once from
South Chicago and from Valparaiso,
Ind, with every available physician,
and every possible aid was given to
the Injured.