The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-01-19

the passenger train ran by the block
signal, which the engineer failed to see
on account, OF fog.
Vice President Schaff was not on
board the train, but his wife occupied
the private. car. Mrs. f;chaf was not
injured.
Twenty Were Cremated.
indianapolis. Ind, Jan 1s.-A spec
1ad to the News from Lafayette, Ind.
says reports received there indicate
that twenty-five persons were killed In
the wreck of the Big Four passenger
train No. 3S, near Fowler, early to-
day, twenty of whom were cremated.
Those killed. it is stated were nearly
all in the combination car, which took
fire and burned. The sleepers turned
over.
Owing to the dense fog the engineer
of the Big Four flyer was unable to
see the light of the semaphore which
directed him to stop as a westbound
freight had the right of way. The
train dispatcher. knowing that the
dense fog would prevent the trainmen
from seeing the block signal. went
outside and waved his lantern fran
ucally and fired at least half a dozen
shots from his revolver, but the train
men went crashing by with their
train and a moment later the crash
came.
The tender of No. 3S telescoped the
baggage car; the rear end of the ten
der cut through to within ten feet of
the rear of the smoker.
The firemen on both trains were kill
ed instantly, but the engineers escaped
by jumping The report of the collision
was heard all over town. Fire bells and
whistles called the people to the aid of
the injured.
Immediately following the crash the
wreckage caught fire and the bodies
were burned before they could be extri
Gated from the ruins. The heat of the
burning cars was so intense that the
rescuers could not get near enough to
help. The injured and some of the dead
were taken to Kankakee, Ill.
One man who was pleading piteously
for aid was pinned under a car seat. He
was rescued when the flames were
within six feet of him. Another man
was thrown out of the window of the
smoker into a ditch. These We're the
only two passengers rescued from the
smoker. The killed Included men, wo-
men and children and all that could be
seen at daybreak this morning was the
smouldering skeletons of human bodies
and the wreckage of the smoker and
the baggage cars. None of the passen-
gers in the sleepers was killed. Coroner
Comley has taken charge and Prosecut
ing Attorney Hall will assist the coroner
in making an investigation of the
wreck.
The sleeping cars were not destroyed
by fire as first reported.
General superintendent Houghton of
the Big Four said his informa ton at 10
a. m. was that between 10 and Is per-
sons were killed, while the list of ser
iously injured was not large. Indian
apolis survivors and injured will reach
the city at 1 p. m.
The Indianapolis sleeper said Mr..
Houghton, was the last car of the
train. No person on it was hurt
Five injured were taken to the hos
pitaI at Kankakee. One of them died
on the way.
The survivors were put aboard the
next train for Indianapolis. 1t was nee
.essary to send<this train back to Schaff
and over the Lake Erie weston and
Chicago and Eastern Illinois to get
back to the main line for Indianapolis.
Some of the passengers wished to go
back, to Chicago and were sent there.
We sent a wreck train from here at
8 a. M, but the train from Kankakee
was there ahead of it.