The Washington herald., 1907-01-20
WRECK VICTIMS BURN
Eight Die Outright, Others
Cremate in Train Crash.
FoRTY-0NE ARE INJURED
Big Four Passenger, Running Fifty
Miles an Hour, Dashes by Signal
Freight on Main Line-Unfortun-
ates Pinned Under Blazing Debris.

Fowler Ind. Jan 19-Twenty-thr per-
sons perished and forty-one We're injured
in this mornings wreck of the Big Four
Railroads Queen City Special and a
freight train on the same line. three
quarters Of a mile east of here.
OF those who met death, eight are
known TO have been killed outright, their
bodies having been saved before the fire
reached them. The others-dead. dying.
and injured-were pinned fast in the
wreckage and burned
That several might have been saved is
certain had not the rescuers been driven
back by the intense heat Their cries for
aid could be heard for many minutes, as
the flames drew nearer and nearer and
finally enveloped them.
Three More Wounded May Die.
Owing to the shocking Disagreement of
the bodies, the work Of Identification will
be slow The known dead are:
JOHN SHANNON Chicago. died on relief train
on way 20 Emergency Hospital at Kankakee
HENRY G. OUTCALT Cincinnati fireman OF
passenger train. hurled 50 feet from locomotive and
instantly killed
E. J. MIDDINGER. Lafayette. Ind. conductor OF
passenger train
J. L MAGEE lafayette, Ind. bagsageman on
passenger train.
HENRY MINOR. GHm,h. Ind. fireman on
". b. HARRIS, Indianapolis, died in Emer-
geucy Hospital at Kankakee
HENRY A PRICE. Long Beach Cal. instantly
killed.
The injured were hurried to Kankakee
on special train. Of the patients AT
the hospitals two or three viii probably
die
Operator Tries TO stop Train.
The Queen City Special was running
fifty miles an hour when It crashed into
the freight The dense fog made il inn
possible for the passenger engineer to see
the semaphore light directing him to stop
Though the operator. seeing the train
dash by. frantically waved his lantern
and emptied his revolver into the air in
the hope of attracting the engineers at
tention, the train did not slacken speed
When the passenger and freight trains
met, the two locomotives plunged down
high embankment into the ditch. The
combination baggage and passenger coach
at the front OF the special was crushed
ike an eggsheu by the impact Of the
Pullmaus and the private coach Of Vice
President and General Manager Schan.
Of the Big Four, which followed. The
Pullmans and private cars kept the rails
but the passengers were hurled heIter
skelter from their berths Though none
was dangerously hurt, scarcely any es-
capped injury.
General Managers Wife Turns Nurse
Mrs Schan. wife Of the general mana
ger, WAS also thrown from the berth in
the private car and severely bruised.
Hastily dressing, she directed the removal
from the wreck Of the injured. herself
assisting TO arrange her car for hospital
purposes.
After acting as nurse in charge of the
car on its way TO kankakee she insisted
on returning to the scene where. her face
ghastly with horror. she urged the men
to the work Of rescue Of those under the
debris.
I'll stay until the last body is taken
out she answered TO the railroad men.
who begged her to leave the spot
The wreckage took fire almost instant
ly following the crash. 1t is uncertain
just how many We're in the combination
car, but it is believed there were fifteen
and that only two escaped-one man. who
was dragged from under a seat. which
pinned him fast. before the flames reached
him, and another who was pitched
through a window into the ditch.
At least one woman and two children
are known to have been in the car.
Residents of Fowler were aroused by
the terrific crash Of the trains. and rushed
into the street to see the sky lighted by
the glare of the FIRE
Injured Taken from Blazing Sleeper.
Dr. Cook. one of the railroads physi-
clans, was already at work among the
injured when the citizens Of Fowler
reached the scene.
The Cincinnati sleeper was at first
turned into a hospital. but this car soon
caught fire. The private car was then cut
of and dragged to distance where il
was safe from the flames. The wounded
were carried from the blazing Cincinnati
sleeper and by Mrs. Scaf's orders placed
in her car. The engineers Of the two
locomotives jumped just as the trains
struck Engineer Tripp. Of the passenger
train was so badly hurt that he soon
lapsed into unconsciousness. His recov-
cry is considered unlikely
The special left Chicago 11.30 last night
and was due in Lafayette at 2.30 this |
morning. Considerable time was lost in /
the fog however, and the train was late /
and the engineer was attempting to make /
up for the delay when the crash occurred. /
Coroner COnley., of Fowler, began an /
ir,y-aetisaf fiou tb{c afternoon,