The Breckenridge news., 1906-11-21
FIFTY LIVES 60 OUT
immigrant Train Smashed In Col
IiSiOn With a Freight.
BODIES BURNED IN WRECK

Mistake Of Some Employe Causes a
Great Railway Disaster In Indiana.
Six Coaches Knocked Into Kinding
Wood by the Terrific lmpaet-story
of the Accident.
Chicago, Nov. 13.-Forty-seven per-
sons lost their lives and 3S were in
iured in the collision at Woodville,
Ind, between an immigrant train and
a freight on the Baltimore and Ohio
road. There were 165 passengers on
the ill-fated train. The names of all
Of the dead will probably never be
known, as 45 of the bodies were con-
sumed in the flames that followed the
collision or were so badly burned that
Identification will be out of the ques-
ton. The disaster was caused by a
blunder OF some employe of the rail-
road company, but just whose blame
II is has not been determined. The
passenger train, which was loaded
with Russian Jews, Servians and
Poles, all OF them recent arrivals in
this country, 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. 96, 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
passenger train was running in two
sections; the other is that the first
section Of the passenger train carried
40 lights or signals of any kind in
ticating that a second section was
close behind.
The freight train, in charge OF
Engineer Burke and Conductor Moste,
started eastward as soon as the
irst section Of the immigrant train
1ad passed the switch at Babcock. A
light snow was falling which increased
the darkness of the morning and as
the freight train was rounding sharp
curve Just west of Woodville, the sec
Ond section Of the immigrant train
came in sight a short distance away,
tearing toward Chicago at the rate OF
40 miles an hour. The two trains
came together
With Unslackened Speed,
and in the crash six passenger
coaches and several freight cars were
knocked into kindlingwood and to-
gether with the locomotives went roll
Ing down the 10-foot embankment.
Fire broke out almost Immediately
IN the wreckage and although a num-
Der Of the injured were saved by the
desperate efforts of the train crew and
surviving passengers, the greater part
of thJse who were pinned down in the
iebris were burned to death. The
aames spread through the wreckage
so rapidly that it was impossible 10
save a number of people who were
out slightly hurt, but were held fast
oy timbers that weighted them down.
These were burned in plain sight of
The throng which stood around the
scene Of the disaster utterly unable to
lend assistance in any way. The
tire continued until all of the shattered
cars were entirely consumed and OF
he AZ persons whose death followed
the collision As were burned to ashes.
Relief trains were at once sent out
rom South Chicago and from Val
Darniso. Ind, with every available
Dhysician and every pOssible aid was
given TO the injured. A large number
of the relatives of passengers on the
Inflated train we're in Chicago await
ng the arrival, and when the report
was receiTed that many had been
killed and injured in a wreck, the
scenes around the Baltimore and Ohio
station were narrowing.