Arizona republican., 1910-10-05
APPALLING
 DISASTER Two Traction Cars Come
 Together TH|RTY-SEVEN WERE KILLED.
Every Person On Both Cars Was Killed or In jured Except the Crews Who Saved Themselves By Jumping.

Staunton, Ills, Oct. 4-Thirty- seven persons were killed, and from
 l6 to 25 were injured in a collision on | the Illinois Traction system, two miles north of here late today. At least three of the injured will pro-
 bably die. Reports of the wreck con- flict. Some statements make the
 number of injured as high as 50, but
 the officials say this is excessive.
 The collision was between local
 train No. If and northbound excur-
 sion train No. 73, loaded with pas- sengers on the way to view the par ade of the yelled prophet at St Louis
 The accident was apparently due to disregard of orders by the crew of train~No. 14 in charge of NJ A. Leon ard, conductor, and John Herman of Staunton, motorman. Train No. 14 had orders to pass train No. 73 at Staunton. The latter train was run ming in two sections, and the orders given to No. 14 were explicit that it was to wait for both sections. The first section of No. 73 passed, when the crew of No. IA pulled out on the main track and started north. At Dickerson's curve, sharp bend, two. miles from here, the two trains met. The hills, rise to the north and south of the curve, Both trains were on the grade, making 40 miles an hour when they met at the sharpest part of the curve.
 Confronted with death, the crews set the brakes and jumped for their lives. All escaped without serious in- jury. None of the passengers had. a chance for life. The smash-up fol- lowed immediately upon the cries of warning by the conductors and mot ormen as they jumped. The cars came together with a terrific crash and were both demolished, being piled in a huge mass of wreckage
 It is not known if any passenger escaped uninjured. Quickly as pos sible aid summoned at Springfield, and special cars started for the wreck. Other cars sent north from Granite City took many injured to the hospitals in that town. A car containing 2S bodies was sent to Car establishment.
 The work of unearthing the dead continued General Manager Chubbuck of the traction company was at Peo- ria when the news of the wreck was received and started at once for the scene. Passing through Springfield, he said: l"
 Reports from the wreck are mea- gre and unsatisfactory. The best in formation I have shows 37 killed, that 2S dead are now at Carlinville. I have received various estimates of the number of wounded, ranging from 16 to 50, but 1 feel assured that the list of the injured will be nearer the smaller figure"
 >"I am unable to discuss the details of the wreck. I have received no au- thentic information regarding it." he added
 Within a few minutes after the collision occurred the farmers of the 1 surrounding country, and practically l every man in the village of Staun- ton were on the scene to render as sistance. Early corners saw a mass | of twisted steel, eight feet high, and | in this pile the dead and wounded ] were flung in every imaginable form ! of mutilation. Some of the bodies | were actually torn apart, and streams | of blood flowed from the debris. News l of the accident spread throughout the | country by telephone, and when it be- | came known that 2S dead had been taken to Carlinville, the long distance | telphone to that town was swamped | by. messages asking the names of the | killed.