The Globe-republican., 1906-11-15
II WERE killed
Forty-Five Bodies Were Consumed
a IN . Fire Which Followed a
Wreck Nsar Wcodville, Ind.
ONIHEBAL1IMOREAND OHIO
The Train Carried 105 Passcnsers
N ana but 80 Escaped Unhurt--
Coaches Rolled Down Embank-
Y naent and Caught Fire.

Chicago, Nov. 13.--More than one
half the passengers on an immigrant
train on the Baltimore 4 Ohio road
were killed or injured in a collision
Monday between the passenger train
and freight near Woodville, Ind.
One hundred and sixty-five passen-
gers were on the train, and Of tAese
II were either killed outright or
were burned to death In the fire
which broke out in the wreckage inme'
diately after the collision. The names
Of All Of the dead will probably never
be known. as Az Of the bodies werc
consumed IA the flames Or were SO
badly burned that Identification Is
impossible.
Thirty-eight people were injured
and several Of these will die. Eighty
others escaped unhurt, but lost near
. ly all their baggage and clothing.
The disaster was caused by q
blunder Of some employe Of the rail
road company, but just where the
blame lies has not as yet been deter
mined. The passenger train which
was loaded with Russian Jews, Ser
vians and Poles, all of them recent
arrivals in this country, and bound
\ for Chicago or places in the North
west. was the second section of a
through train from Baltimore. The
engineer of the, freight train Noa &c.
on instruction received at McCool
Ind, waited at a siding at Babcock
Ind, to allow 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 passen
ger train carried no lights or signals
Of any kind, indicating second sec
tion was close behind. AS soon al
the first section of the immigran
train had passed the switch at Bah
cock the freight trSin in charge o
Engineer Burke and Conductor Moste
started eastward. A light snow wa
falling which increased the darknes
OF the early monring and as the freigh
was rounding sharp curve just ives
Of Woodville the second section o
the immigrant train came in sight
short distance away, tearing towar'
Chicago at the rate of 40 miles al
hour. The two trains came togethe
with unslackened speed and in tn
crasi six passenger coaches and sey
eraI freight cars were knocked int
klndling wood and together with tn
locomotives went rolling down tn
ten-fOot embankment.
Fire broke out almost immediatel
in the wreckage and although a nun
ber Of the injured were saved by th
desperate efforts of the train crew an
suryiving passengers the greater pal
Of those who were pinned down In tn
debris we're burned to death. TIL
flames spread through the wreckag
SD rapidly that 1t was impossible t
save number Of people who were bu
slightly hurt, but were held fast b
iimbers. These were burned in plai
sight of the throng which stoo
aroHnd the scene of the disaster u
teriy unable to lend assistance. Th
fire continued until all of the sha
tered cars were entirely consumed an
os Al people whose death followed tn
collision 45 were burned to ashes.
Relief trains were at once sent ol
from South Chicago and from Valp
raiso, Ind, with every available pr
vision end every possible aid Wa
given to the injured. A large nur
Der Of the relatives Of the passe
gers of the Inflated train were
Chicago awaiting the arrival ar
when the report of the catastropi
was received scenes tround the Bs
h timo C Ohio depot were harrowin