The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1906-11-15
FIFTY PEOPLE KILLED
IN RAILROAD COLLISION
The immigrants Had Embarked at
Baltimore, Md.
CREMATED IN THE BURNING CARS.
Somebody's Blunder Caused a Disas-
trOus Wreck on the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad Near WOOdville. Ind.
A Freight Crashes Into the lmmi-
grant Train.

Chicago, (SpeciaD Fifty persons
are known to have been trapped and
burned to death and so others seri-
ously injured in a head-on collision
early Monday near Woodville, Ind, .,
4S miles from Chicago, in which a
Baltimore and Ohio immigrant train
was smashed by fast freight train.
The wreck resulted from the lack
of proper signals on the first section
of the immigrant train, the Baltimore
and Ohio officials say.
All but one of the six cars on the
passenger train were burned, and
all but six of the bodies were in
cinerated.
Besides the immigrants, the casual
ties included Frank Rennerman, pas
senger engineer, and Albert Cullers,
passenger fireman, killed and Sam
Nose, passenger conductor; William
Snyder, boggageman, and Anthony
Burke. freight engineer, injured.
Burned Beyond Recognition.
gers were on the train. OF these so
were either killed outright or were
burned to death in a fire that broke
out in the wreckage Immediately af-
ter the collision. The names of all
the dead will probably never be
known, as 40 of the bodies were con-
sumed in flames or were so badly
burned that Identification will be out
of the question.
Thirty-eight people were injured.
and several of these will die. Eighty
others escaped unhurt. but lost nearly
all their baggage and clothing. The
disaster was caused by Il blunder Of
some employe of the railroad COM
pany, but just whore the blame lies
has not as yet been determined.
The passenger train, which was
loaded with Russians. Servians and
Poles, all of them recent arrivals and
bound for Chicago or places in the
Northwest. was the second section
of through train from Baltimore.
SOnicpOUl DlunUcrcu.
The engineer of the freight, train
No. 90, on instructions received at
McCool, Ind, waited at a siding at
Babcock, Ind, to allow the immi
grant train to pass. One report is that
the engineer 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
Il
or signals OF any kind Indicating that
a second section Was close behind.
AS soon as the first section of the
immigrant train had passed he
switch at Babcock, the freight, in
charge of Engineer Burke and Con-
ductOr Meste, started eastward. A
light snow was falling, which in
creased tho darkness of the early
morning, and as the freight was
rounding a sharp curve Just west
of WOodville the second section of the
immigration train came In sight a
short distance away, tearing toward
Chicago ut the rate of forty miles
an hour. The two trains came to-
gether with -unslackened speed, and
in the crash six passenger coaches
and several freight cars were knock
ed into kindling wood, and, together
with the locomotives, went rolling
down the 10-foot embanlIment
Imprisoned And Crematcd.
Fire broke out almost Immediately
in the wreckage, and although a
number of injured were saved by
desperate efforts of the crew and
survivors, the greater part of those
who were pinned down in the debris
were burned to death.