Evening star., 1912-07-15
DUAL S|FT OF CRASH
Coroner and Commission to
Investigate Killing Of Is.
is INJURED RECOVERING
Victims Plead for Death as Fire
Licks Crushed Pullmans.
GHOULs ROB BODIES OF DEAD
Block Signals Set and Torpedoes
Placed, But Fog Plays Part in
Wreck Near Chicago.

| CHICAGO. July 15.-According to
| early reports today all of the Injured
taken to hospitals as a result of the
collision between the Chicago. Burling-
| ton and Quincy Overland Limited and
| a mail train at Western Springs yes
| terday morning. in which thirteen per-
sons were killed and sixteen known to
| be hurt, were in a condition which in
dicated their recovery.
Twelve of the injured were taken
| to st. Anthony de Padua Hospital, and
| after careful examination physicians
| pronounced that none had suffered In
| juries which would be likely to cause
death. or the dead three remained un-
| identified. These were the bodies of
| two women and one girl. The women
were both OF middle age and the girl
| about nine years old.
Dual Inquiry to Be Made.
A dual inquiry will be made today to
AK the blame for the wreck. One will
| be made by Coroner Hoffman of Cook
| county, and another by the state railway
| commission, which will meet in Chica ago
| and go to the scene Of the wreck with
persons, one of whom is dead. will be
| inquired into In an effort to fix the blame.
The acts OF George Bronson, the engi-
| neer of the mail train. who was killed /:
Flagman John Woodruff Of the Overland
are those to be questioned. Mrs. Wilcox
and Woodruff have said they did their
full duty-the former by placing the block
| signals and the latter by placing tor
pedoes.
Only one thing has been definitely es-
tablished regarding the cause of the
| wreck, and that is that a dense fog play
| ed a big part In the disaster.
| Coming through a fog, with a sup
posedly clear track ahead, train No. s,
| a fast mail, ran at full speed into the
rear of train No. 2, known as the Over
| land express. from Denver, which was
Overland's Pullman cars.
The Dead.
Francis A. Barclay, twenty years o.d,
Billings. Mont
George E. Brownson. fifty-five years
old. Galesburg, ILL.,. engineer Of train
No. 8.
A. E. Bunch, thirty years old. Chica 20
negro porter of Pullman car train No. q
Mrs. c. NJ. Hart, wife Of a physician
at Canton. Ohio.
Mrs. E. G. Pohlman. San Francisco.
M. E. Stein, forty years old. Chicago.
g. w. Tuber, forty years old, Lacey,
Iowa.
Miss Lillian Kelly. aged twenty-five,
Boise. Idaho.
Two unidentified women.
! Two unidentified girls
One unidentified boy.
List Of the Injured.
Among those injured wore.
H. o. Craman. Galesburg, Ill. fireman
Of mail train; left hand and right foot
injured.
Warren P. Dudley, Belmont, Mass.
Mrs. Bessie NJ. Dudley, wife of Warren
p. Dudley; compound fracture of right
leg.
John w. Flach, Cincinnati: right leg
lacerated and scalp wound.
Mrs. Flack, Cincinnati; severe scaln
wounds.
Frank D. Hughes. Hinsdale. ILL.,. con-
ductor train No. 8.
E. G. Pohlmann, San Francisco; right
arm, and leg broken.
The Rev. E. "A. Scholz. st. Francis
Hospital. Columbus. Ohio; back injured
Mrs. E. w. Francis, Bedford. Ind. !:
severely bruised about the body.
Mrs. j. c. Krehl, .rirard. Ohio; spine
hurt and several ribs broken.
Miss Ethel Oakes. Boston; collarbone
broken; internal injuries.
Coach Halved by Engine.
All Of the dead except Brownson were
taken from the rear coach of the Dem
yer train. The engine of No s plowed
through this car. halving it and crushing
out the lives of helpless passengers. many
v1-hn cff1 tn, h0iS r.
into the second coach the engine then
sped. Halfway through that car it veered
to the left. derailing the sleeper. The en-
gine was entirely stripped when it
| stopped.
sleepers then broke out. Many victims.
pinioned down by heavy timbers and
iron. pleaded for death. Members of the
fire departments Of Western Springs and
few minutes after the wreck occurred,
and they put out the fire with lines OF
hose.
Ghouls Rob Victims. ).
Gheuls are believed to have robbed the
dead before they reached the morgue in
La Grange. More than dosen large dia-
| mond settings are missing from jewelry,
and although most of the dead appeared
10 nave Qccu persons III COmIOFtaOlc ClI-
cumstances. a dime was the largest sum
| of money found on any OF the bodies.
Story OF Mrs. Wilcox.
Railroad officials refused to fix the
blame until after the wreck had been
investigated thoroughly. Mrs. F. A. Will
cox. who was In charge Of the tower from
| which the block signals were controlled,
| said she was certain the block was
thrown against both trains. She collapsed
after the accident.
In little room above a business house
| In La Grange Mrs. Wilcox hid herself
from visitors throughout the greater part
| she was trying to collect her thoughts.
| Finally she said:
After thinking the whole affair over,
have decided that was not in any way
| to blame for the accident know that
the blocks We're set against the train.
1t was not / that erred
Three trains, instead Of two, passed
| the signals. In violation Of all rules al
though 1t might have been that the engi-
neers did not see the board.
Tried to Gather Her Wits.
| First heard No. T. train in no wav
connected with the wreck. pass Then.
In a few minutes No. came by. I
thought something was wrong, and be-
gan to try to think OF something to do
! CONTINUED on Second Pase)