The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1907-07-22
MAY EXCEED FORTY
Death List in Terrible Wreck on
the Pere Marquette Road.
FULLY ONE HUNDRED INJURED
Excursion Train Carrying Hundreds
Of People Had Right of Way but
Freight cisregarded Orders and
FriqhsfuI Collision Results.

Salem, Mich, July 22.-Twenty-nine
excurs,onists were killed and 100 were
injured many of them fatally, when a
Pere Marquette excursion train OF
eleven coaches from Ionia, carrying
nearly 1000 employees of the Pere
Marquette shops there and their fam
lilies, was run into by local freight
train at Washburn crossing, about
two miles east of here. The first
three coaches in the long excursion
train were telescoped and it was in
the smoking car, which headed the
train, that the greatest loss of life
those which were telescoped were
wrecked by the collision. The two
trains met In cut where the banks
are ten feet high above the tracks and
thu cut was piled with wreckage from
the rails to its top for a distance Of
several hundred feet The passenger
train, General Superintendent Trump
Of the Pere Marquette says, had been
given the right OF way and the freight
had been ordered to stay at Plymouth
until 1t passed. The responsibility
for the wreck, Mr.. Trump said, was
upon the conductor Of the freight
train. who did not obey his orders.
Although there were scores OF women
and children on the wrecked train
comparatively few Of them were ia
tally injured. The shock Of the col
lision was so tremendous that num-
ber Of passengers In the five cars
which were not wrecked were thrown
through the open windows beside
which they were sitting. Messengers
were sent for help to all the surround
ing villages and farmers for miles
around the scene hurried to assist In
the rescue work. A special train
with wreckers, physicians and nurses
ard equipped with surgical supplies
was sent out from Detroit and arrived
about two hours after the collision.
uninjured Work HsroIealIy.
AS soon as the uninjured passengers
had recovered from their panic and
shock they began delving into the
wreckagc to extricate the unfortunates
buried there. Fear that fire might be
started by the wrecked engines inn
PEELED them to greater speed, but for
tunately this fear was not realized.
The dead and wounded were carried
to the grass beside the tracks, while
such emergency help as was possible
was given to the more seriously in
jured Farmers brought bedding and
bandages, food and liquor from their
homes nearby and greatly assisted in
the work. A number of the injured
are so terribly hurt that their death
is expected and it Is feared that the
death list will finally total nearly forty.
In addition to the 100 people who
were severely injured there are scores
more who were cut and bruised by
Icing thrown about in the uninjured
cars when the trains cOllided. Nearly
every person In the first half dozen
coaches needed some medical atten-
tion. The most severely hurt were
first looked after by the surgeons.
Their wounds were hastily dressed
and hemorrhages stopped, after which
they were carried to the wrecking
train from Detroit and laid on cots to
be brought to Detroit hospitals for
further treatment. The less seriously
hurt waited their turn and when their
wounds were dressed most OF them
returned to the seats In the undam-
aged cars. There. with the blood
stiffening on their clothes and ban
dages and their minds horror stricken
by the tragedy they had been partici-
pants In, they told OF their expert
ences. Many Of them were so dazed
that they had no clear idea of what
had happened. Several young girls
who had been sitting beside open win
dows OF the rear coaches were hurled
through them to the tracks when the
trains met