Omaha daily bee., 1906-11-13
All But Two Ire So lady Earned That
IdeAt hCatiOn IL Impossible.
PERSONS ARE INJURED
-everal Of These will Probably Die from
bruises and burns
PASSENGER TRAN STRIKES FREIGHT
Two Locomotives hnd several Cnrs
Roll Down Embanh meht and
Debris Takes Fire and
Burns Rapidly.

CHICAGO, Nov l2.-More than oue-hslf
the passengers on an immigrant train on
tho baltimore g. Ohio road we're kiliod or
injured in collision today between the
passenger train and freight near Wood
viuc, Ind.
one hundred and sxty-hve persons We're
on the train and OF these forty-seven were
either killed outright or were burned tO
death in the fire which broke out on the
wreckage Immediately after the collision.
The names Of the dead probably will never
be known. as forty-iive Of the bodies were
consumed or so badly burned that idenu-
| fcstion is impossible.
Thirty-cight people were injured and
several Of these viii die, Eighty others
escaped unhurt but lost nearly all their
/ baggage and clothing
| The disaster was caused by hlunder OF
/ some emplaye of the railroad company, but
I just where the blame lies has not beer de-
termined. The passenger train, which was
loaded with Russian Jews, servians and
| Poles, all of them recent arrivals In this
country, and bound Tor Chicago or places
/ in the northwest, was the second section Of
| a through tram from Baltimore. The en-
! E1noer Of the freight train No. oG, on in
/ structions received at McCool waited at
siding at Babcoclt, Ind, to allow the inn
migrant train to pass.
PrODaDIe cause of Disaster.
One report that the engineer Of The
| freight tram had not been informed that
! the passenger train was running in two
sections. Inc other is that the first section
OF the passenger train carried no lights or
sgnaia OF any kind indicating that sec
onu section was close behind. AS soon as
the first section Of the immigrant train had
passed the switch at BabcocK- the freight
trdil. in charge OF Engineer Burke and
Conductor Moste, started eastward. a
light snow was falling. which increased tho
darkness of the early morning, and as the
freight was rounding a sharp curve just
west of Woodvillc the second section OF
the immigrant train came into view 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 three passenger
I coaches and several freight cars were
Knocked into kindling wood and together
witt the locomotives went rolling down
the ten-foot embankment. Fire broke out
almost Immediately in the wrecEage ana
2lthough number OF the injured were
saved by the desperate efforts of the train
crew and surviving passengers. the greater
part of those who were pinned down in
the debris were burned to death. The
flames spread through the wreckage
rapidly that it was impossible TO save a
NUMBER OF people who were only slightly
hurt but were held fast by timbers. These
were burned in plain sight OF the throng
which stood around the scene of the dis
aster utterly unable TO lend assistance
The fire continued until all Of the shat
tered cars were entirely consumed and OF
the forty-seven people whose death fol-
lowed the collision forty-hve were burned
to ashes.
Work of Relief
Relief trains were at once sent out from
South Chicago and from Valparaiso, Ind.
with every available physician, and every
, possible aid was given to the injured
large number of the relatives of the pas
sengers ON the Inflated train were IN Chi
Cd 90 awaiting their arrival, and when the
! report of the catastrophe was received
scenes at the Baltimore & Ohio depot were
narrowing. Men were there who had come
70 this country TO escape the massacres
in Russia. and who, after months OF hard
work had saved enough to pay the pas
sage OF members Of their families. and their
grief when they became aware that pos
sibly all their sacrifice and effort had re-
suited only in the death of those they had
sought 10 bring to them was pitiful. Crowds
Of Russians and Po.es were around the
depot ali day waiting for news from Wood
vile and when, late in the afternoon IL
train came in bearing the thirty-eight in
: jured persons, IL was with the greatest
; difficulty that the police were able to open
a passageway for the wounded. Several Of
, the foreigners became 50 excited that they
attempted to attack depot attaches whose
! uniforms led them TO believe they were en-
ployed by the Baltimore & Ohio road
One Pathetic incident.
Among the wounded who were brought 20
the depot was Mrs. Anna Chyza, who had
come from Warsaw to meet her husband.
who has been working here for six months.
Mrs Chyza is blind, and her husband rec
ognized her as she was being carried
through through the crowd by two police
men. Before the officers could stop him
: he fell across the stretcher, carrying It
n TO the ground, and kissing his wife re-
{ peatedly. She recognized his voice ana they
o olung 20 each other 80 desperately that Il
[ required the efforts OF both policemen to
r force them apart. Chyza struggled %
4 hercely that it was necessary TO place him
under arrest. He was released after being
= taken out OF the depot Others whose reia-
O tives were among the injured begged 10
. be allowed 70 take them 10 their homes.
I but the police were inexorabe. ana all
5 OF the injured were taken 20 the hospital
where II is believed they will receive better
care than their friends may be able to
, give them. At the hospital tonight Il was
sald that il would be for some time i'm
] ---.ftfo o.. rrerlf~f the VaauIf In the -as.e