The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-11-13
FGal'y-5EEts KILLED
Passengers on IMMIGRANT Train
Crushed and Burned to Death
In Railroad Wreck.
DISASTER DUE TO BLUNDER


struction to Newcomers TO America.
eix Passenger Coaches gDemoliehed.
Fire In Wreckano Consumes Bodies
Of Victims.
Chicago, Nov 13.-More than one
half the passengers on an immigrant
tain en- the Baltimore and Ohio I'D
were killed and injured in a collision
between the passenger and a freight
near ,Woodyille, Ind, about fifty miles
from this city.
One hu4dred and sixty-fve passea-
gers were oa the train. OF these forty
seven We're either killed outright or
were burned to death in fire that
broke ont in the wreckdge Immediately
after the collision. The names of all The
oead will probably never be known, as
forty-fiye of the bodies We're consumed
in the flames or were so badly burned
that identification win be out of the
question.
Thirty y-eight people were injured, and
several Of these will die. About eigatv
others escaped unhurt, but lost nearly
all their baggage and clothing. The
passengers We're asleep when tie colAi-
sion occurred.
Disaster Due to EIundcr.
TIE disaster was caused by blum
der Of some employee of the railroad
company, but just where tie blame lies
has not as yet been determined. The
passenger train, which WIS loaded with
Russian Jews, Seryians and Poles, all
of them recent arrivals in this country
Gad bound for Chicago or places nortn-
west was the second section OF g
through train from Baltimore.
Ihe engineer of the freight train on
in9rucfions received at McCool, Ind,
waited at a siding at Babcock, Ila., to
allow The immigrant train to pass.
One report is that the engineer of the
fTeisht train had not bean Informed
dat the passenger train was running
il two sections The ether is that the
rrst section OF the passenger train ear
rid no lights or signals of any kind in.
iicating that a second section as
elise behind. AS abon as the frat sec
lion Of the immigrant train had passed
the switch at EabcCck the FREIGHT
train, in charge of Engineer Burke and
Conductor Bfoste, etarted eastward. A
light snow was falling, which increas-
ed the darkness cf the early morning,
and as the freight vzss rounding 6
sharp curve jugt wesf of Woodville the
second section Of the immigrant train
c.sn13 in sight a short distance av7ey.
t9zrirg toward Chicago at the rate OF
forty miles an hour. 49,
Six Paosonscr Cars Wrecked.
The two trains came together with
unslackened speed, and in the crash
six passenger coacliea and several
freight cars were knocked into kin
ding wood and together with the loco
motives went rolling down the ten foot
embankment
Fire broke out almost Immediately in
the wreckage, and, although number
of the injured were saved by the des-
perate efforts of the train crew and
surviving passengers, the greater part
of those who were pinned in the wreck
age lost their lives in the flames.
The flames spread through the
wreckage so rapidly that it was impos-
sible to save a number CT people who
were only slightly hurt, but were held
fast by timbers that weighted then
down. These were. burned in plain sight
of the throng that stood around the
scene of the disaster, utterly unable to
lend assistance in any way. The fire
continued untn all of the shattered
cars and the bodies were entirely, con
sumed.
The fireman of the freight train was
killed, and Fireman Cutler of the I'M
migrant train was so badly hurt that
he cannot live. Engineers Renneman
and Burke of the two trains and Bag
gagemaster Snyder of the immigrant
train were badly injured
Saved In Vain For Families.
When the report reached here that
many had been killed and injured 10
an immigrant train wreck the scenes
around the Baltimore and Ohio depot
were narrowing. Men were there who
had come to this country to escape the
massacres in Russia and who, after
months of hard work, had saved
enough to pay the passage Of mem
bers OF their families, and their grief
when they became aware that possibly
all their sacrifice and effort had result
ed only in the death of those whom
they had sought to bring to them was
pitiful.
Crowds of Russians and Poles waited
around the depot many hours for news
from Woodville, and when train
came in bearing the thirty eight in
jured persons, all of whom were taken
to Mercy hospital for treatment. 1t was
with the greatest difficulty that the
police were able to open a passage
way for the wounded.
Sad Meeting With Blind Wife.
Among the wounded who were
brought to the depot was Mrs. Anna
Chyza. who had come from Warsaw to
meet her husband, who has been work
ing here for six months. Mrs Clayza
Is bllad, and her husband recognized
her as she was being carried through
tho crowd by two Doliceraen. Before
the oldeers could stop him he FIJI
across the stretcher, carrying It TO the