Omaha daily bee., 1912-07-15
TWO PULLMAN
CARS CRUSHED
Overland express of Burlington Road
Struck by Fast Mail at Suburb !.
Of Chicago. .,.c1 S, \,
IOWA MAN ANON Us
G. w. Tuder of q = Of Those
Idenhied.
TWO PULLMAN CARS CRUSHED
Woman in Charge of Tower Says
Signals Were Set.
FIRE CAUSES MUCH SUFFERING
Clothing ON Bodies Searched and
Robbed Before Remains Are
Taken to MOrGue--4Tyo Investf
cations Started.
Editorial Side Lines.


i CHICAGO, July 14-Thirteen persons
were killed and nearly score were in
Jured in wreck on the Chicago, Burling-
ton & Quincy railroad at Western
Springs, suburb Of Chicago, at $50
o'clock this morning.
Coming through fog. with supposedly
a clear track ahead. train No. s, fast
mail. ran at full speed into the rear of
train No. :, known as the Overland ex-
press from Denver, which was standing
still on the track. telescoping two of
the Overlands pullman cars.
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 con-
trolled, said she was certain the block
was thrown against both trains She
collapsed after the accident and still Is
in highly nervous condition.
The dead:
FRANCIS A. BARCLAY, 20 years old,
GEORGE BRONSON, IS years old,
Galesburg, ILL.,, engineer, train No. s.
| BUNCH, 80 years old, Chicago, negro
porter of Pullman car on train No. 2.
MRS. c. M. HART, wife of physi-
clan at Canton. Ohio.
| MRS. E. G. POHLMANN, San Fran
cisco.
| M. E. STERN, 40 years old, Chicago.
G. w. TUDOR, 40 years old, Lacey, Ia
| UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN, 45 years
old gray eyes, black and white striped
| waist and blue skirt.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN, 10 years
old light hair, medium build, blue serge
dress. black patent leather shoes with
white tops. &C. L. p. to L. P. H." en-.
graved on jewelry.
UNIDENTIFIED WOHAN, "a years
old, brown hair, blue eyes. two gold
crowned teeth on upper left side of
mouth.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL, 10 years old,
dark hair and eyes, brown silk skirt,
[xelvet pumps. Wore signet ring inscribed
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL. 9 years old
light hair, gold band ring. blue and white
UNIDENTIFIED BOY. q years old
linen dress, red socks and black sandals
| Among those injured were:
III. Q. Crane, Galesburg, ILL.,. fireman of
mail train, left hand and right foot in
jured.
Warren P. Dudley, IA Oak street, Bel
mont, Mass.
Mrs. Bessie M. Dudley, wife Of War
rem p Dudley, compound fracture Of
John W. Flack, Cincinnati, right leg
lacerated, scalp wound.
wounds.
Frank D. Hughes Hinsdale, H., con-
ductor train No. 5.
e. G. Pohlmann, San Francisco, right
arm and right leg broken.
Rev. r. H. Scholz, Saint Francis hos
pital Columbus O., back injured and
scalp wounds.
Rear Coach Demolished.
All Of the dead except Bronson were
taken from the rear coach of the Denver
train. The engine of No. s plowed
through this car, halfing it, and crush
ing out the lives of helpless passengers,
many Of whom still were In their berths.
On into the second coach the engine then
sped. Half way through that car 1t
veered to the left, derailing the sleeper
The engine was entirely stripped when
1t stopped.
Fire starting from the gas lights in
the sleepers Immediately broke out.
Many victims, pinioned down by heavy
timbers and iron that had been torn
from the engine, pleaded for death or
deliverance from the flames. Members
of the fire departments of Western
Springs and La Grange were on the
scene within a few minutes after the
wreck occurred and they put out the
fire with lines of hose.
Ghouls are believed to have robbed
the dead before they reached the morgue
in La Grange. More than dozen large
diamond sets were missinb from jewelry
and although most of the dead appeared
to have been persons In comfortable cir
cumstances, a dime was the largest sum
Of money found on any Of the bodies.
Coroner Hoffman promised thorough
investigation of this feature Of the ac-
cident.
An official of the Interstate Commerce
commission was on the scene early
gathering material for an investigation.
Coroner Hoffman ordered all of the bod
les embalmed Immediately. and early In
the afternoon impanelled jury to In
vestigate the wreck
Different story Told.
Another story of how the wreck oc- |
Cured differed from that of Mrs. Wilcox.
1t was that No. having been blocked
by signal. had sent back a brakeman
to set torpedoes to warn No. 8. No. s |
was coming down grade when the crash |
came. Persons responsible for the story |
OF the torpedoes say that No. had been |
given signal that the track was clear |
and that the crew either had failed to |
hear the torpedoes or had believed they |
had clear track.
One of the first bodies found was that |
of George Bronson of Galesburg Ill. He |
had been killed instantly, and was pin
ioned between the tender and his engine. |
Conductor Frank Hughes of HinsdaIe ILL.,. |
was one of the first injured taken out.
He was held down by debris in one end
of the second Pullman coaches.
II wish had gone with them," he told
his rescuers. But never mind me; get
those other people out"
A relii 'g::in from Aurora gathered up
all the a. liable physicians between that
city and the scene Of the wreck. Another
relief train was sent from Chicago
One of the most tragic features of the
wreck was the death of Mrs. Pohlman and
the severe injury of her husband. 1t is
said they had been married only few
days.