Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1908-11-19

ELEVEN KILLED AND MANY IN
yUREp, some FATALLY.
NEAR NEW ORLEANS.
DISASTER DUE 70 ERRORS


New orleans, La, NOV. Ia AUatJ
price in human flesh and blood wal
paid for the errors OF trainmen wher
q Great Northern express crashed into
the rear Of a New Orleans & North
eastern local shortly before nine
o'clock Wednesday morning at Little
Woods station, a fishing and hunting
camp on Lake Ponchartrain, IL miles
from this city.
Eleven dead and many more In,
jured, some Of them fatally, is the
record Of the wreck, which was at
tended by unusually gruesome scenes
in the fog-bound swamps Of the lake
shore. To add to the horror Of the
situation, the wreck caught fire and
only the heroic work OF the surviving
passengers prevented the cremation
Of those pinned down in the debris.
Z Between Slidell and New Orleans
the Great Northern trains run over
the tracks Of the New Orleans g
Northeastern road. A local train Of
the Northeastern from Hattiesburg
and other Mississippi points is due to
arrive in New Orleans at $3.50 a. M,
and this is followed by fast Great
Northern train from Covington sched-
uled to reach here at $40 a. m.
Wednesday morning the Northeastern
train was late and the difference Of
20 minutes between the running Of
the trains was considerably reduced,
When Engineer Blackman, Of the
Great Northern train, took the North
eastern tracks at Slidell, he says he
was given the usual right of way
signal and proceeded to shove his train
toward New Orleans at a 45-mlle-an-
hour clip AS the station Of Little
Woods was approached the Northeast
ern local suddenly doomed up through
the fog. Engineer Blackman applied
his brakes and remained at the
throttle while the ponderous locomo-
tive plowed its way through the train
ahead, leaving behind It trail of dead
and injured passengers. N "A
No one on the Great Northern ex.
press was seriously hurt, but the nose
Of the big express engine tore its way
entirely through the two rear coaches
Of the local.
Little Woods has no telegraph sta
ton, and serious delay was expert.
snced in getting a telephone message |
10 New Orleans. Even then It was
two hours before rescue train arr
lived, and in the meantime the sceneej
around the smoldering wreck were
leartrending. One Of the passengers
who rushed forward from the Great
Northern train saw golden-haired
10Y with his hands waving piteously |
lbove his head, apparently unable to
,xtricate himself from the wreckage,
which was fast settling down upon
lin. A score or more Of men, some
i them stained with their own blood,
made an heroic effort to get the child,
tut the wreckage and escaping steam
rom the partially demolished locomo
i've interfered and they were forced I
o stand helpless as the little voice,
alling feebly for help, grew weaker
nd weaker and was finally hushed,
This child proved later to be Willie
the three.year-old son Of Mrs.
Ilphonse Attaway Of Slidell, La. His
ody was taken out Of the wreck sew
raj hours later, horribly mutilated |
nd placed beside those Of six or seven
len, whose lives were also sacrificed |
! the catastrophe. 1
The Northeastern officials say that
he Great Northern train should have
roceeded cautiously after receiving
warning at Slidell that the local
-ain was running ahead of them late.
he Great Northern trian crew claim
hey received no warning at Slidell
nd that even II they had been
armed, the Northeastern train should
ave sent a iiagman back when the
nm waa unada At Little Woods Il