Hattiesburg daily news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1907-1908, 1907-07-21
Thirty-Five Bodies Recovered and
Dozen More Are Still Be-
meath the Debris.
NARROWING DETAILS OF
FEARFUL MICHIGAN WRECK
Scores Are injured, Biistering in the
Sun, and Crying for Water-Wonen
Went Mad-chlIdren Bespattered
With Blood.
United Press Associations.

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United Press Associations.
Salem. Mich, July 2O.-Thirty-five
are known to be dead and score Of
others are fatally injured, dozen
Still buried beneath the debris and
fifty others perhaps MANNED for life,
is the substance of the horrible story
thats comes from Washburn Crossing,
where fast excursion and heavy
freight train collided juct before noon
today
The rescuers are still engaged in
gathering the mangled bodies from the
ruins, and the dozen missing will be
added to the list of dead before mid
night, thus bringing the total up to
forty-seven. At least nine of those
most seriously injured will die during
the night, hence the total fatalities
from the disaster will be somewhere
in the neighborhood of sixty persons.
A misunderstanding of the signals
is said to have been the cause Of the
collision. 1t developed this afternoon
that the wrecking and relief trains
made up at the Union depot in De-
strpfr were dispatched to- the scene
several minutes before the collision ac-
tually occurred. The officials seeing
that the wreck was Inevitable called
surgeons and nurses, summoned the
wrecking crew and sent them for.
ward without waiting for news Of the
disaster.
Ionia Suffers Most.
The excursion was made up at Ionia
and the party consisted chiefly Of
Perre Marquette Railroad employees
and their families and the destination
; of the train was Detroit. 1t crashed
into the heavy freight train with fear
full. force, the coaches were telescoped
and the victims literally ground te
pieces in the mass of wood and iron
Fire added to the horror of the disas
ter, but this was soon extinguished
Few of the bodies recovered are recog
nizable.
The great number of women ant
children aboard the ill-fated train in
tensified the pathos OF the scene. Moth
ers went mad Children were blood
bespattered and weeping, while the.
CROPPED through the ruins in search 0
parents and loved ones. The fate 0
many of the injured was worse thai
if they had been killed. The blisterinI
sun beat down without mercy, and tn
groans of the dying mingled with pite
Gus appeals for water.
The first physician to arrive on tn
scene were sent from Salem. Later
trainloads of physicians, nurses an
supplies were sent from Plymoth an
Detroit.
Twelve excursion cars were crushe
and both engines were almost CON
! pletely demolished. Three freigh
cars were burned.
Trains Met on Curve.
United Press Associations.
Salem, Mich, July 20.- Both train
were running at full speed when tn
kcollision occurred. The freight wa
heavy one, composed of heavil.
leden box cars. The locomotives me
bn a high embankment, whilesrounl
Ing a curve, and the heavy freigl
cars smashed the lighter passengt
cars into kindling wood at first col
tact The wreckage Of the passengs
Gears. rolled down the embankmen
turning over and over, the loaded be
cars coming down on top Of them.
All Of the eleven passenger cal
comprising the excursion train wei
filled to overfiowing The crash can
without warning, hardly single pa
genger having time to jump. The des
bodies recovered within an hour aft
the disaster numbering thirty-five al
the bottom Of the wreckage has n
been reached.
Fixing the Blame.
United Press Associations.
Detroit, July Authorization no