Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-11-17
FORTY-SEV[N DEAD
immigrant Train Wrecked at
WoodviIle Takes Fire.
SCORES OF BODIES BURNED.
ShirE.eIght Injured. of Which Sew.
eraI VIII Die.
SCORES OF BODIES BURNED.
RUSSIANS. sfRylANS AND POLES.

Baltimore and Ohio Special Train.
with Ie5 European Immigrant Pas
sengers For Chicago, Hits Freight
Head-on Near woodviIle, Ind.-More
Than one-hsIf of Those ON Board
Were Either Killed or Injured mt
Impact or Were Burned when the
Rufns Of Both Trains Took Fire.
Many Pinned In wreck Were Burn
"a to Death, onIooI<ers Being Help
less 10 Aid Thcm-some Trsinman's
Blundcr as to Orders or Signals
Was Cause of Disaster.
than one-hslf the passengers on an i'm
migrant train on the Baltimore and
Ohio road were killed and injured In a
collision between the passenger and a
freight near Woodville, Ind.
One hundred and sixty-five passen-
gers were ON the train. OF these forty
seven were either killed outright or
were burned to death in fire that
broke out In the wreckage Immediately
after the collision. The names Of all
the dead will probably never be
known, as forty-fve Of the bodies
We're consumed in the flames or were
% badly burned that identification will
be cut of tho 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 blum
der Of some employee of the railroad
company, but just where the blame
lies has not as yet 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 northwest, was the second sec
Hon of through train from Baltimore.
The engineer of the freight train, No.
Do, on instructions received at Nc
Csol,. Ind, waited at siding at Bah
cock, Ind, to allow the immigrant
train to pass.
One report is that the engineer of
the freight train had not been inform
ed that the passenger train was run
ning in two sections. The other is that
the frst section of the passenger train
carried no lights 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 the switch at Babcock the
freight train, in charge of Engineer
Burke and Conductor Moste, started
eastward. A light snow was falling,
which increased the darkness of the
early morning, and as the freight was
rounding sharp curve just west Of
Waedville the second section of the inn
migrant train came in sight a short
distance away, tearing toward Chicago
ut the rate Of forty miles an hour.
The two trains came together at full
speed, and the impact wrecked both of
them completely. Both engines were
turned over on the south side of the
track and fell clear of the main track.
The cars Of the immigrant train were
hurled down ten foot embankment
and Immediately caught fire. Although
svery possible effort was made to ex-
tricate the immigrants from the wreck
age, the flames spread so rapidly that
this was impossible in many cases, and
1t Is believed that fully twoscore were
t,.u~~l e. H>att, hafara afd could hA
given them. 1t is known that five of
the Immigrants were killed outright.
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
The flames spread through the
wreckage so rapidly that it was i'm
possible to save a number Of people
who were only slightly hurt, but were
held fast by timbers that weighted
them down, These were burned in
plain sight of the throng that stood
around the scene of the disaster, utter
Iy unable to lend assistance in any
way. The IRE continued until all OF
the shattered cars were entirely con.
sumed, and of the forty-seven people
whose death followed the collision for.
ty-fivs were burned to ashes.
The crash of the collision was SC
great that number of farmers and
other residents of the neighborhood
came Fastening TO the scene, but they
could do nothing except lend assistance
to the injured who had already beer
taken from the wreckage. All of the
six cars of the immigrant train were
burned, as were three freight cars.
Aid was Immediately summoned
from this place A wrecking train
which was at once made up at Wood
vile was dispatched along the line te
secure medical aid. and every physi
clan within reach was at once taken
on board the train and hurried back tc
Woodville.
The passengers were asleep wher
the accident occurred and many were
killed in their hunks. The scenes thai
followed were heartrending, for ths