Rock Island Argus., 1907-01-19


statement issued by the Big Four says
there were IS people in the combina-
tion car and only four are accounted
for. No one was injured in the sleep
ers.
Chicago. Jan. 19.-The Queen City"
special on the Big Four railroad collid-
ed head-on with westbound freight at
Fowler. Ind. at 2:30 this morning.
The passenger train was running 80
miles per hour, and the force of the
collision was so great the tender of
the passenger engine was driven the
entire length of the combination. car,
in which were a number OF passengers.
All the dead and injured were taken
from the wreckage of this car. None
of the passengers of the sleepers were
hurt.
Many of Bodies Burned.
Soon after the collision the wreckage
caught fire from the engine Goals, and
all coaches except the private car of
Vice President Schaff We're destroyed.
The dead and injured were taken to-
Kankakee. 1t is reported % were kill
The Queen City consisted of 4
combination baggage and day coach.
three sleeping cars and the private car
of c. f. Schaff, vice president of the
road.
Fog Obscured Light.
Owing to the dense fog, the engineer
Of the flyer was unable to see a light
on semaphore, which directed him to
stop, as the freight had the right of
way The train dispatcher, knowing
the fog would prevent the trainmen
from seeing the block signal, went out
side and waved a lantern frantically.
and fired half a dozen shots from a re-
volveT. but the train went whiZzing by,
and a moment later the crash came.
Firemen of both trains were killed in
stantly. but the engineers escaped by
jumping.
Town il Aroused.
The report of the collision was heard
all over town. Fire bells and whistles
called the people to aid the injured. |
Immediately following the crash the
wreckage caught fire and the bodies |
were burned before they could be ex-
tricated. The heat of the burning cars
could not get near enough to render |
aid
Men, Women and Children.
The killed included men. women and
children. All that could be seen at
daybreak was the smOldering skele-
tons of human beings and the wreck
age of the smoker and baggage cars.
Paul ID. Harris, attorney, of Chicago. |
as far as is known. is the only person |
who escaped from the combination car.
One man, pleading piteOusly for aid
and pinned under a car seat. was res
cued when the flames were within six
feet Of him. Another man was thrown
ont of the window of the smoker into
the ditch. These were the only passen-
gers rescued from the smoker.
Forty Injured.
Later reports state the Pullman cars
with the exception &C the Vice Pres
idents car. did not turn over, but left
the track and were burned after the
passengers were taken out. The num-
Der of injured is said to be 40.
Seven Survivors Mt Sankakee.
Kankakee, ILL.,, Jan. 19.-Seven sur
vivors Of the Big Four wreck at Fow-
Ter were brought here in the private
car of Vice President Schaff, the only
car on the train not burned 1t is said
possibly 25 persons were burned in
the wreckage. Only five were res
cued. The conductor and baggageman
of the passenger tain are missing.
Some of Dead and Injured.
A partial list of the dead and in
jured Dead:
WALTER B. HARRIS. Indianapolis.
JOHN SCHANNON. Williamsport.
Ind, fireman of the passenger train.
Injured:
Burns, Cincinnati
NJ. A Creton, New York
Griffin. miner. Shelbyville, Ind.
It. F. Lang. Chicago.
II. w. Lynch, Chicago.
T. w. Tripp, engineer, Indianapolis.
Suburban Train Wrecked. 1
Hammond, Ind, Jan. BY the