The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1906-11-16
FIFTY KILLED IN A COLLISION
Immigrants Had Embarked AT Bal
timOre.

CHICAGO, November 12.-Fifty persons
are know to have been trapped and burned
to death and 80 others seriously injured
in head-on collision early today near
Woodville, Ind, 49 miles from Chicago,
in which Baltimore and Ohio immigrant
train was smashed by a 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 pas
senger train were burned, and all but SIX
of the bodies were incinerated.
Besides the immigrants, the casualties
included Frank Rennerman, passenger
engineer, and Albert Cullers, passenger
fireman, killed. and Sam Nose, passenger
conductor; William Snyder, bagggageman,
and Anthony Burke, freight engineer, in
jured.
One hundred and sixty five passengers
were on the train. Of these 80 were
either killed outright or were burned to
death in fire that broke out in the wreck
age Immediately after the collision. The
names of all of the dead will probably never
be known, as As of the bodies were con-
sumed in flames or were so badly burned
that Identification will be cut of the ques-
ton.
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 bya 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 Russians, Servians and Poles, all OF
them recent arrivals and bound for Chicago
or places in the Northwest, was the second
section of a through train from Baltimore.
The engineer of the freight, train No.
SO, on instructions received at McCool,
Ind, waited at siding at Babcock, Ind. :,
to allow the immigrant train to pass. One
report is that the engineer Of the freight
train had not been informed that the pas
senger 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 second section
was close behind.
As soon as the first section of the immi-
grant train had passed the switch at Bah
cock the freight, in charge of Engineer
Burke and Conductor Meste, started east
ward. A light snow was falling, which
increased the darkness of the early morn
ing, and as the freight was rounding a sharp
curve just west of Woodville the second
section of the immigrant train came in
sight short distance away, tearing toward
Chicago at the rate of 40 miles an hour.
The two trains came together with unslack-
ened 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 10-foot embankment.
Fire broke out almost Immediately in
the wreckage land although number ofin
jured were saved by desperate efforts of the
the crew and survivors, the greater part Of
those who were pinned down in the debris
were burned to death The flames spread
through the wreckage so rapidly that i
was impossible to save number of people
who were only slightly hurt, but were helt
fast by timbers that weighted them down.
These were burned in plain sight of thu
throng that stood around the scene of thu
disaster utterly unable to lend assistance
in any way. The fire continued until al
ofthe shattered cars were entirely consumed
and of the so people whose death followed
the collision As were burned to ashes.
The crash of the collision was so grea
that number of farmers and other resi-
dents of the neighborhood came Fastening
to the scene, but they could do nothing
except lend assistance to the injured wht
had already been taken from the wreck
All of the six cars of the immigrant trair
were burned, as were three freight cars.