Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-01-19
BLOODY DAY
ON RAILROADS
Twenty-Five Perish
In Collision on
Big Four
MANGLED BODIES cREMATED
Santa Fe Engine Explodes
Killing Crew--.Rock Island
Train Into Washout.

NllllAAk AASWe-'A NUN 1oAoIlu
Train Into Washout.
Chicago, H., Jan. 19.-Passengel
train number 50 east bound on the Big
Four Railroad, collided head-on with
west bound freight number 50 at Fow-
Ter, Indiana, a small town twenty
eight miles west of Lafayette about
2:30 o'clock this morning, killing and
| injuring number Of persons various
ly estimated at from twelve to twen-
ty-tive.
Queen City Special Destroyed.
The passenger train, which left Chi
cago at 11;30 o'clock last night was
known as the Queen City special
and consisted of combination bag
gage and day coach, three sleepers
and the private car of G. l.. Schaaf
vice president of the road. The train
was running at fifty miles an hour and
the force of the collision was SO great
that the tender of the passenger en-
5ine was driven entirely through the
combination car in which were from
fifteen to twenty-five passengers.
Dead and Injured In One Car
| All of the dead and injured were in
this car. None Of the passengers in
he sleepers were hurt. Soon after
the collision the wreckage caught fire
and all the coaches except the private
car of Mr. Schaaf were destroyed.
| Paul D. Harris, an attorney OF Chi
cago, was, so far as is known, the
only passenger to escape from the
combination car,
Engineer Did Not See Light.
According to him, both trains had
orders to stop at Fowler, but the pas
senger train ran by the signal which
| the engineer did not see in the. fog
| Mr.. Schaaf was not in the car but
his wife was. She was uninjured.
PuIIman's Ditched and Burned.
| Later information shows that the
Pullman cars, with the exception OF
Vice President Schaafs private car
did not turn over, but left the track
and were burned after the passengers
were taken out.
Death List Numbers IS.
| A special from Lafayette, Indiana
says that twenty-five persons were
killed in the wreck OF Big -Four passen'
ger train No. 3S near Fowler early to-
day, twenty of whom We're cremated
Owing to a dense fog the engineer o.
1.-The fyer was unable to see the light
tof the semaphoor which directed him
Ito stop as a west bound freight train
had the right of way.
Tried to Stop Train With Pistol.
The train dispatcher waved his Ian
tern frantically and fired at least hal'
4 dozen shots from revolver, bu
the train went on The tender o
number SO telescoped the baggage
cars. The rear end of the tender Gu
through to within ten feet of the rea
end of the smoker. The firemen o
both trains were instantly killed bll
| the engineers escaped by jumping.
Bodies Burned in Wreckage.
| Immediately following the crash
the wreckage caught fire and man
bodies were burned before they coul'
be extricated from the ruins. INT
heat of the burning cars was SO in
lteuse that the rescuers could not bea
| 10 approach to help the injured. Tn
killed include men, women and chll
dren and all that could be seen at day
light was the smouldering skeleton
of human bodies. None of the passer
gers in the sleepers were killed an
none of the sleeping cars were dc
stroyed by fire as was at first re
ported.
Engineer Jumped Into Water.
Seven of those injured in the Bi
Four wreck at Fowler were taken t
Kankakee, including the engineer G
the passenger train who jumped Int
a. pool beside the track and whose COZ
dition is serious. The other six WI
probably recover.
Many Perished in Flames.
At least twenty persons are believe
to have been killed or burned to deaf
! in the wreck of the passenger trail
on the Big -Four at Fowler at tw
, o'clock this morning. The cause
| the collision is said to be that the ell
! sineer of the passenger train did NJ
r see the block signals. Fire followe
$ and 1t is believed more passenger
) were burned to death than were XII
. ed in the collision There were twel
E ty.five persons in the combination da
A coach and only five, 1t is estimated e
. caped alive. Several passengers
! the Pullman and private car wei
e injured The number of injured
. said to be forty. of whom three al
e mot expected TO live.
Vt Engine Blew Up on Bridge.
t Desota, Kans.. Jan. 19.--The loc'
2 motive drawing eastbound Santa +
h freight train number SO exploded c
/. a bridge near here this morning. Tt
bridge was demolished and the engir
and fourteen cars went into cree
The engineer fireman and brakems
z were buried beneath the wreckas
land were killed
I'll Rock Island Train Into Washout.
ISL Peoria, Jan 19.--Train number 3;
q on the Rock Island early today ra
. Into washout three miles west
d Bureau, Illinois. The engine, baggaf
n car, one chair car and a sleeper wel
derailed. The engineer and f1remt