The Thibodaux sentinel. (Thibodaux, La.) 1905-1912, 1910-01-29
FORTY KILLED IN WRECK
Passenger Train Plunges into
Spanish River
Thick ice FORMED OYER Coaches
Blizzard Raging, Prevents Rescuers
From Reaching Bodies Known
To Be in the Submerged
Cars of IlI-Fated Train.

dray loads of rough boxes waitin
to receive the bodies of upwards o
two score victims, the scene of tn
Canadian Pacific wreck at Spanisl
river presented an almost hopeless
field OF labor for the hundred o
more men sent to clear away th
wreckage ana recover the bodies. /
blizzard ragged down the valley o
| tho Spanish river with q sblinlin,
snow and bitter cold.
Two Of the wrecked cars, the col
onist car and the drst class coach
whose ventilators were visible above
the water finally were completely
submerged, while thick Ice formed
above them.
More than 80 injured were taken
to the general hospital and the hotels
of Sudbury.
The number of bodies lying In the
cars may not be known for many
days. Among passengers unaccount-
ed for are Rev. Mr.. Childerhouse,
sault, Ste, Marie, Ont, and Auditor
Robertson, of the Canadian Pacific
railroad.
The wreck occurred on q 200-foot
steel bridge with overhead girders
and a S0-foot embankmert sloping
down to the Spanish river under
meath.
The engine and three cars had
passed safely upon the bridge when
the forward trucks Of the second
class coach jumped the track and
struck an immense steel girder with
such force as to snap the girder in
two and split the car as If divided
with c1eaver. The rear of the Sec
ond class coach swerved far out to
one side, pulling the colonist car,
first class coach and diner off the
bridge into the river and tipping over
the Pullman beside the track.
Fire broke out in the second class
coach and added to the horror of
the accident
Robert Burrows, of Montreal, said:
when the Pullman went down the
embankment, I was thrown into a
corner, stunned and covered with
debris. Extricating myself I went
down the car, clinging to the seats.
| found woman on the floor, pinned
under seat. I tried to extricate
her, but she was hopelessly pinned.
She asked for hor- r-huabandsa ftor
making her as comfortable as possi-
BILE, we left the car an discovered
he body Of her husband who had
been killed. On returning to her
We found that she had died in our
lbsence.
Leaving the car again we climb
ID the embankment to the second
'olonist car, which by this time was
'lazing. We could hear the pierc-
ng shrieks of women and children
inside. Men tried to quench the
lanes by throwing snow and hands
we're burned and blistered as they
ried to tear away the burning tim
ers, but their efforts were futile.
''The anguished voices grew faint
r and as the flames developed into
roar the cries died away At the
DOT of the embankment half of the
liner and the roofs of two other cars
'ere visible. All was deathly silent
here. We returned to the Pullman
, help remove the injured. A lit
e boy in blanket was handed to
le to pass on. As l took him the
ind blew the blanket open. The
hid was terribly cut but was con-
,ious. said to him:
Are you in much pain?' and he
splied, No, I'm all right, but NAM
ia is in the water, and his lips be-
IN to CULVER.
One of the brakemen on the wreck
train said that when the smash
l colonist car started to burn on
le trestle work of the bridge, parts
bodies kept dropping through
pom the ice.
"I never heard such terrible cries
] when those cars went over the
Ink. shall never forget it as long
I live" said Conductor Reynolds. ,
put the killed at between 40 and
J. The first coach carried about
or 40 passengers and of this NUM-
Il only one man escaped. f.
- S