The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1910-10-06
TOTAL WRECK
Cars on tie Illinois Traction System
Crash With Dire Resuh
THIRTY SEVEN KILLED.

Disregard of Orders Cause Collis-
son.-Cars Are Completely Demoi-:
ished, and the Passengers, Unable
to Escape, Flung in Every Posi-
ton and Mutilated Terribly.
Thirty-seven persons were killed
and from sixteen to Twenty-Five In.
iured in "a collision on the Illinois
Traction system, two miles north Of
Staunton, Illinois, late Tuesday eve
ming. Three Of the injured Will die
and maybe more.
The collision occurred between To-
cal train No. IA, north-bound, and
an excursion train, No. 70, headed
toward; st. Louis and loaded with
passengers on their way to view the
parade Of the Yelled Prophets at St.
Louis. The accident, is said, was
due entirely to the disregard OF or:
ders by the crew Of the local, which
was in charge of NJ. A. Leonard,
conductor, and John Herman, Of
Staunton, mOtorman. 81
Train No. IA had orders to pass
train 73 at Staunton. The latter
train was running in two sections
+ and the orders given to No. i 4 were
explicit that it. should pass both sec
tions of the south bound train at
,Staunton. The first section Of Is.
pulled out on the main track and
started north.
AT a sharp turn in the road at the
bottom of a. decline, the two Train
came together in splintering crash.
Train No. IA and the second section
Z of 73 were both on the down grade
and moving at speed of about.
forty miles an hour when they met.
M The crew Of No. IA and the crew
of No. 73, which was composed of
w. v. Duncan, conductor, and E. J..
Young, ,motorman, both Of Spring
field, Illinois,, leaped for their; lives
as soon ass they saw :.the;;; collision
was inevitable, and all four escaped
without. serious injury: They. were
! badly shaken up, but were able to
Tend assfsta 81 aSnce I TO the if1iured an
instant. later. .s.-...-.--. :
None Of the passengers had any
chance to escape, as the crash be-
/ tween the cars followed Immediately
the cries. of warning Issued by the
conductors and motormen as they
jumped from the trains. The cars
came together with a terrific crash,
and both were demolished and piled
in one huge mass Of wreckage,
through which the bodies Of the dead
rand wounded were scattered 1t Is
certain that byr far the larger por-
,tion Of the passengers on both cars
were either killed outright or desper-
ately injured The two trains were
SO closely twisted together that it
was marvel that anybody escaped
death or injury:
AS quickly as possible word Of
, the accident was telephoned Spring
i field and Peoria, and special car
was Immediately rushed from these
points. Other cars were also sent
north from Granite City, Ill. These
last took many Of the injured and
hurried them back to Granite City,
where they were placed in hospitals.
AS fast as the dead were extricated
they were placed in one Of the cars
sent from Springfield. In short
!. time q car was containing twenty
eight bodies, and it was sent to Car
! linsyille, where they were placed IN
an undertaking establishment. Late
Tuesday night only three bodies had
been Identified.
General manager Chubbuck, of the
Traction Company, was in Peoria
when the news of the wreck was re-
ceived. Accompanied by minor Off
cials, he started at once for the
wreck. At Springfield all the avail
able physicians were placed on Mr..
Chubbuck's special car and hurried
to Staunton.
Within a few minutes after the
collision occurred farmers from the
surrounding country and nearly ev-
cry man in Staunton was en- route
to the scene of the accident to rem
der whatever assistance was possi-
BILE. The early comers were greet
ed with a spectacle such as was nev-
er before seen in that part Of the
country.
The two cars had come together
{. with such awful force that they were
not only telescoped, but they were
actually battered out Of all SEM
blance of their original shape. They
were simply mass of splintered
wood and twisted iron and steel eight
feet high. In this pile of wreckage
the dead and wounded were flung
In every conceivable position and ev-
cry imaginable form Of mutilation.
Some of the bodies of the dead
were torn apart, and streams OF
blood flowed down the debris in a
dozen places. The farmers and the
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