The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-20

Terre Haute, Ind, January 20.-Big
-Four accommodation train No. 3, which
left Terre Haute at $50 o'clock last
night, was destroyed by the explosion OF
a car of powder at the siding east of
Sanford, at $50 o'clock last night. Four
teen persons were killed, and the death
list will probably reach twenty, with
thirty or thirty-five injured.
The engine, two coaches and baggage
car of the passenger train were demol-
ished.
The identified dead:
Charles Gosnell, Paris, ILL.,, died on re-
lief train.
William Davis, Vermilon, Ill.
John Franklin, brakeman on passen-
ger train, Ashmoore, Ill.
A. d. Hector, farmer, Elbridge, III.
Claud Steel, Sanford, Ind,
William Thompson, Sanford, Ind.
Deed Wolfe, wife and two children,
Sandford, Ind.
Three cremated bodies were taken from
the wreckage and four frightfully mutt
lated bodies were found in the woods
some distance from the wreck.
Two other bodies taken from the
wreckage have not been identified.
1t is believed that other bodies are
buried in the debris.
The list of seriously injured includes:
Conductor Frank Thomas. Nation,
Jared. Mattoon, ILL.,; Harry Duck, Sand
ford, Ind; William Davis, Vermillion,
ILL.,; Lindsey Arlington, Vermillion, ILL.,.
j. c. Lawyer, Terre Haute, Ind; c.. ID.
Wiley, Kansas, H.; George Richards,
Memphis Tenn: Lewis Price, Vermillion,
Ill. w. S. Wishard, Franklin, Ind; G. d.
Haste, Grandview, ILL.,; p. r. Gilbert,
Dudley, ILL.,: Miss Mary Barhart. Terre
Haute L. f. Rose, superintendent main
tenance of way and, his wife, Samuel
Fisk and wife. Terre Haute; T. c. Aims
worth Paris III.
The first intmation the railroad people
had of the disaster was shock which
was felt in Terre Haute, and as far as
Brazil, and far south as Sullivan. The
wires were blown down and 1t was some
time before the Big Four officials here
learned OF the explosion. Relief trains
were ordered from Terre Haute and
Paris, ILL.,. and the dead and injured
were taken from the wreck to both
cities.
The work Of the rescuing parties was
limited by the almost total destruction OF
lnt Train.
@. II. Armstrong. agent at Sanford.
stated that he thought the car contained
about 600 or 800 kegs of powder. He said
he was standing in the door of the sta
tion when the explosion occurred, and
that he called some section hands and
they secured an engine. They then broke
an interlocking switch and went to Paris
for the relief train. All means of com
municaton between this city and Sand
ford was cut off since the men from
Sanford had not stopped to ascertain
how much damage was done. the passen-
gers receiving no aid until the relief
trains reached the scene.
The entire passenger train was a mass
OF flames, and the relief party was able
to reach only the passengers who had
been either blown from the train or were
able to crawl from the coaches after the
explosion Two of the men who were ere
mated were still alive when the relief
party from this city reached the wreck,
but the rescuers were unable to reach
them. and were compelled to stand by and
watch them burn. They were buried un-
der a mass Of burning wreckage, which
could not be reached or moved
The flames lighted up the scene so
brightly that the rescuers did not have
to work In total darkness
The station at Sanford was turned
into a morgue. 1t is not known how many
passengers were on the train. but it
is said that both coaches were almost
full. and since only sixty have been ac-