Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-07-23
Excursion Train on Pere Mar
quette Crashes into Freight
Slaughtering and Main,
ing Holiday Crowd
FREIGHT CREW IS
BLAMED FOR WRECK
Orders to Stop at Station Were
Ignored and Trains Crashed
Together at Top Speed
Children Escape

Salem, Mich. July 20-At 1880
o'clock the twenty ninth body had
been recovered from the wreck
and such progress was made by
the wreckers that they said 1t was
improbable that any more bodies
would be found. Many Of the in
juried, however, are In very
critical condition and it Is feared
the death list will be between IS
| and 40.
Salem, Mich, July 20.-A Pere Mar.
qnette excursion train bound from
Ionia to Detroit, was wrecked this
morning two miles east Of here. 1t is
reported that between 80 and 40 per-
sons were killed.
At noon twenty-five bodies had been
taken from the wreck and there are
probably fifteen more. Five Of the
eleven cars escaped destruction. There
were scores injured as there were
about 300 persons on the train.
Orders have been sent to Plymouth,
four miles away. to make arrange.
ments to care for thirty injured.
| General Superintendent Turmp says
the responsibility for the wreck rests
with some employe who failed to obey
orders.
The wreck occurred on perfectly
straight and level piece Of track. A
heavy freight and a passenger train
came together with enormous force
Six passenger coaches containing
men, women and children, were en-
tirely wrecked.
; All the available doctors from Sa-
lem and the neighboring villages have
been hurried to the scene. A special
train was made up at Detroit and sent
to the wreck, a distance Of forty miles,
with doctors, nurses, surgical instr1,-
ments and cots.
BY the time the train arrived there
. several scores Of people were waiting
to receive medical attention.
The dead are all from Ionia. Those
: identified are:
WILL DOT.
b JOHN PATTERSON.
8 CHARLES MACALONI.
/. ALHEBERT MARTIN KILIDU.
j - MRS. ABRAHAM EDDY.
= HERMAN -NAFF.
!. N. J. CORNELL.
JOHN ROGERS.
WILLIE GRAMS. boy.
s JOHN TAFEL
| MRS. AUGUST RICHTER.
g NED GALLAGHER.
!. LEE ALVORD.
4 CONDUCTOR E. E. BIXLEY.
= FIREMAN KNOWLES
= DEN ROGERS
. FREDERICK LATHAM
2 FRANK SMITH
d CHARLES HESS and two sons.
CHARLES M'CAULEY, SR
}. L. X. MERRILL.
ALBERT TRAUTWINE.
r JAMES WIZARD.
! HARRY REYNOLDS.
:. HOMER SMITH
:. FRED FITZGERALD.
q Few Children Hurt.
Q Three coaches were telescoped b,
the terrible impact The fourth ant
e fifth coaches were smashed into match
n wood. Although there are probably
hundred and fifty children among tn
excursionists it Is strange fact tina
but few Of them were severally nllrt
Nearly all the dead and injured ar
men,
} Freight Crew Blamed.
General Superintendent Trump say
the blame for the wreck rests Wit
q the crew Of the freight, which wa
west bound.
y They had orders, Trump says, t
!, wait at Plymouth for the excursio
train which had the right of way. Ii
stead they proceeded on to Salem an
the collision resulted.
Many freight cars were also pile
= up in the heap Of wreckage. 1t wi
:; take twelve hours to clear the tract
a Take Injured to Detroit.
n n NAV ha several honrs hefora n
y definitely know whether twenty DO,
n les now recovered comprise the Ell
70 tire list Of dead
q SURGEONS AT the scen. are o,vinp a
tention to injured, who are bein
- placed on special train from Detro
10 and will be taken there.