Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-01-19
Twenty-Five People Lose Their
Lives in Head-on Collision
On the Big Four.
WREcKAGE SOON CAUGHT FIRE
Heat of Burning Cars so Intense
That WouId-be RescuerS Could
Render no Assistance.
Twenty Bodies Were Burned---Dense
Fog Prevented Engineer Seeing
Semaphore Lights.

Kankakee. H.. Jan. 19.--Twenty per-
sons are believed to have been killed or
burned to death in the wreck of passen-
ger train No. IS, eastbound at Fowler,
Indiana, at . o'clock this morning. The
wreck occurred on the Big -Four road,
the passenger train which left Chicago
at 1850 p. m. last night running into
n freight train. The cause OF the coll
lision is said to be that the engineer
on the passenger train failed to see
the block signals. Fire followed the
collision, adding horror TO the wreck
and It is believed that more passengers
were burned 10 death than We're killed
by the collision There We're 25 per-
sons IN the combination day coach ana
baggage car. ana only fve of them
escaped alive.
The passenger train consisted Of three
Pullmans. the private car OF Vice Pres
ident Schaff of the Big Four, and n
combination day and baggage coach.
Some of the passengers in the Pullmans
and private car We're Injured, but none
killed. None OF tho freight crew were
injured
some OF the injured passengers were
brought here IN the private car.
Mrs. Schaff. who had been visiting
in Chicago was in the private ear on
her way to Cincinnati. and she had
some OF the injured taken on board
and brought here. assisting in dressing
their injuries,
The number of injured is said to be
about 49, Three of those brought here
are not expected to live.
SEVEN SURVIVORS OF WRECK.
Kankakee H.. Jan. 1s.-Seven sur
Siyors OF the Big Four,wrcck al Fow-s
ler We're brought here in the nrlvate
car of Vice President schaaf this after
noon. The private car was the only
one on the train that was not burn
ed IL was said that possibly 20 per-
sons were burned in the wreck. Only
hVe are Haid 20 have been rescued.
The conductor and baggagemaster
of the passenger are missing The
engineer of the freight train told the
passengers that his train had a clear
track according 10 orders. and that
the passenger train WAS going at the
rate of 80 miles on houI when the
NOAllNiOn occurred.
The following is a partial list Of the
dea dand injured:
INJURED.
At Kankakce-C l.. Barnes. Gin
cinnaH, severe bruises
M \. Creton, New York burns
Griffin. miner severely bruised.
Walter y, Harris, indianapolis. both
legs mangled
l.. f. Lang, Chicago, back and jeg
injured
II. W. Lynch, Chicago. internal in
jurles, will probably recover
Il. w. Trip, engineer of passenger
Train, jumped and nearly drowned IN
pool beside track condition serious.
NAMES OF VICTIMS UNKNOWN.
Cincinnati. ban. 81; ,iie Zig -FOUR
headquarters IN this city this morning
II was stated that the names or the uli-
fortunates who We're roasted alive In
the wreck at Fowler, Ind, will not be
known until later IN the day. The
bodies OF three people were consumed
with the timbers OF the cars The
conductor and baegagemaster OF the
passenger train are missing and the
foreman was killed
Several IN the sleepers We're injured
but an escaped before the fire added
TO the horror Of the scene The killed
wore IN the combination coach which
bore The brunt OF the crushing impact
of the collision ahead and the heavy
Shoppers IN the rear.
A HORRIBLE DISASTER.
indianapolis. Ind, Jan. ia special
TO the Nows from Lafayette. Ind, says
reports received there Indicate that Is
persons We're killed in tho wreck OF The
Big Four passenger train near Fowler
carly today, 20 OF whom were cremated.
Those Killed, II Is stated were nearly ali
N lie combination ear which took fre
and burned. The sleepers turned over.
owing TO the dense fog the engineer
Of the Big Four flyer was unable 10 see
the light OF the senaphore which di-
rocied him 10 stop as westbouud
freight had the right OF way. The train
dispatcher knowing that the fog would
prevent the trainmen from seeing the
block signal went outside ana waved
his lantern frantically and fired at least
half dozen shots from his revolver.
but the train went crashing by and a
later The smash came.
The tender OF No. So telescoped the
baggage car the rear end OF the tender
nut through 10 within 10 feet OF the
scar OF he smoker, The nremen OF
both trains were Killed Instantly. hut
he engineers escaped by jumping. The
'epurt Of the collision was heard All
lver town. Fire bells ana whistles
called the people 10 the aid OF the IN
ured.
Immediately following the crash the
caught IRE ana the bodies
were burned before thoy could be OK.
rlcated from the ruins. The heat Of the
burning cars was SO Intense that the
Nould-be rescuers could not get near
'nOugh IA help,
one man who Was pleading piteous-
y FOR aid was pinned under car sent
He was rescued when the flames were
Within six fcel of him, Another man
MAS thrown out of the window of the
smoker into "a ditch, These were The
lnly two passengers rescued from the
smoker The killed included men, wo-
men ana children and All that could DO
'een at day break this morning was tho
skeletons OF human bodies
ana the wTeckugo of the smoker and
baggage cars None of the passengers
n the sleeper was Killed, Coroner
,Omley has taken charge and Prose-
'utlng Atty. Han VIII assist the ooro-
ler's jury IN making an Investigation
u the wreck.
The sleeping cars We're not destroyed
- Gre as Al first reported.
Gen Stunt IIDupntou said hlu tufn.