Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-26
FLAMES BLOT OUT
IDENTITY Of DEAD
IN TRAIN WRECK
Number of Persons Who PeriShed
in Durand Disaster May
Never Be Known
CLAIMS VARY FROM 8 TO 20
Injured, Trapped in Pullman, Die
in Fire; BIunder Blamed
for Accident
CLAIMS VARY FROM 8 TO 20
ASSOCIATED Press)


DURAND, Mich, Aug. 25.-With the
clearing away today Of the ruins of
the wrecked and burned Pullman
sleeper, Nebraska" probably has dis
appeared all hope of determining the
actual number of lives lost late last
night, when the rear section of the
Chicago Montreal express crashed into
the forward section of Grand Trunk
train, three miles east of this village.
Estimates of the number of the dead
vary from eight or twelve to possibly
twenty.
The known dead are:
MRS. ALMA WOODWARD, Belle
field, N. D.
MRS. E. GILPIN, Chicago.
JAMES MCLEAN, letter carrier, Chi
cago.
MISS sWINGER, trained nurse, with
Mrs. woodward.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN.
Portions of charred bodies, believed
TO he from six to twelve persons were
found.
The following are at Jurley hospital
this city, badly injured:
Burt Mitchell, Battle Creek, engineer
of No. IA, head bruised; condition CRIT
ical. .,x.,
Albert B. Watts, Edmonton, Alberta
face and hands burned.
Mrs Kate. Mclean, Chicago rlght
leg fractured.
Mrs. Lester Dochlar, Tac1stocK' Ont''
fractured leg and bruises.
The injured who were taken TO other
hospitals at Durand are:
George Nelson, Battle Creek, fire-
man on No. 4, badly scalded, propaply
will die. .,5oa
probably fatally.
Mrs. M. oteltey, Dubuque, Ia, upper
lin cut and severely bruised.
Charles Spencer Of Battle Creek, en-
eineer No. 4, is said to have been pao-
" injured, but his name does not aP-
pear on the list given out by the ran
road officials. .uo,,-
one report was that twenty pasSen,,, >,
gers had been in the NeprasAa I-,.o
yesterday at Chicago, and eight more
were taken on as the train proceeoeu
eastward, but the car porter sald tneio
we're only eighteen persons asleep IN
the car when the wreck occurred IL
the number on board was eighteen, the
civ injured taken today to Flint anu
Durand hospitals, and the SIX II poTle9
recovered would account for tWelVe,
leaving six persons TO De accouii'0u
for. ..L WOO
known as No. IA, had stopped because
of an accident to the air brakes, anu
Engineer Mitchell had crawled un9er
his engine to locate the trouble his
head Was terribly crushed when MS en-
gine was 1olted forward by the SHOCK
of collision. ,a soo-
The locomotive of the second sec
tion, known as No. 4, ploWed nalI waS
tbrnuoh the rear sleeper of the for
rvard train and the locomotives hre-
hoy set fire to the Pullman. The pas
senpers in the rear berths had not the
Slightest chance to escape ana those
NOT killed as the locomotive torgeu
through the sleeper were burned 10
death. Half a dozen passengers now
ever, seriously injured, We're rescueu
from the forward berths.
The body of James Mclean mas not
heen identified, but he Is known TO
have been killed, and the woman ana
child who have not been identihed are
believed to be mo@Aer and son, as the
little one was found in the woman
arms.
CAUSE OF WRECK A MYSTERY
A blackened watch, a diamond stud
ded crucifix and a locket bearing the
initials III. S. L." were found IN the
search for clews to the identity OIL tne
burned corpses. .-
The cause of the wreck is a mys-
terry, and an inquest will be held' EN-
gineer Spencer of the second sectlon
said today he was almost on Top u
the forward section when he heard the
torpedo signal that there was a tram
standing on the track ahead OF him.
An exploded torpedo was found To-Day
fifty rail lengths, or 1850 feet, from the
scene of the collision, and Assistant
Superintendent Ehrke of the Grand
Trunk said the second section could
have been stopped in 800 feet.
brakeman G.. r. Graham of the for
ward train today asserted that he ran
hack nearly a mile with the torpedo
and that he waved a red light to stop
the oncoming train. Graham also dis
nuted Engineer Spencer that the rear
lights of the forward train were not
burning. This evening Graham could
not be located by the railroad OFFICIALS:
The wreck was characterized by all
the grewsome scenes attending rall-
road wreck at midnight. Farmers who
ran from their homes to assist in the
work of rescue were held back by the
flames and compelled to stand help
less witnesses of the roasting of a
human body which burned and fell to
pieces before thier eyes.
Superintendent Ehrke's statement
that there were just nineteen passen-
GERS on the wrecked car is borne out
by the train chart, Pullman Conductor S,
Haynes, and the list given out at Chi
cago by H. G. Elliott, first assistant
general passenger agent of the Grand
Trunk.
Following is detailed list of the
passengers as given out by the railroad
officials:
The dead:
JAMES MCLEAN, Chicago.
MRS. ALMA WOODWARD, en- route
Bellefield, N. D., to Port Huron, Mich,
NURSE accompanying Mrs Wood
ward, from Halifax.
cago.
HAROLD sQUIRES, 1O-year-old son
of Mrs. Squires.
MRS. e. M. GILPIN, Chicago.
The injured:
Mrs. Leslie Dochlar, Lavista, Ont.
(probably meant for TavistoclD, "A