Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1912-11-11
80 DE- 70 HURT
IN F|RE-SWEPT
TRAIN SMASH-UP
Fast Freight Crashes
Into Passenger
Coaches.
VICTIMS ARE MANGLED
BEYOND RECOGNITION
Brakeman Blamed by Railroad
Authorities for Appalling
Tragedy.

NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 11.-Thirty
persons were killed and more than
seventy were injured in a wreck on
the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley rail-
road early today when a freight train
crashed into an excursion passenger
train bound from New Orleans to
Woodville, Miss.
Five of the coaches of the passen-
ger train were burned and many of
the wreck victims are believed to
have been cremated.
The wreck occurred near MONTE.
La, about twenty-seven miles north
of New Orleans. train carrying
many of the injured and a number
of the dead arrived in New Orleans
this morning at S:15. The more seri-
ously injured were placed in the
Charity Hospital
OF the thirteen bodies recovered
up to 9 O'Clock this morning, nine
were negroes and four white per-
sons. OF the injured, who may total
seventy or more, the majority, it is
said, are white.
An official statement issued by the
railroad company placed the blame
for the wreck on a brakeman named
Cunningham, who was charged with
failure to have signaled the freight
train.
The excursion train, hauled by
two engines. left New, Orleans at IL
p. m. On approaching Montz one
locomotive broke down and the en-
gineer signaled to the brakeman, it
is said, to go back and warn the
freight train, running % minutes
behind the excursion. This order. it
is charged, the brakeman failed to
execute, and the freight train tore
into the rear of the crowded passen-
ger train at speed of about thirty
miles an hour.
Relief trains were sent from New
Orleans and Baton Rouge Thirty
of the injured, all negroes. were
taken to Baton Rouge. The dead
and the more seriously hurt among
the whites were brought to New
Orleans and placed in hospitals.
The Inflated excursion train left
New Orleans at II o'clock last night.
carrying several hundred people who
had spent Sunday In New Orleans
NictitnS badiy Mangie0.
1t slowed down on approaching
sharp curve near Montz soon after
midnight, and the freight train
crashed into the rear coaches.
Many of the victims were so badly
mangled as to make identification i'm
possible
The majority of the excursionists
e
Miss, which IS thirty miles north of
Baton Rouge.
Rear Coach Demolished.
The scene at the union station when
the relief train bearing the dead and
injured arrived in New Orleans was
one of confusion. Practically every
ambulance in the city had been sum-
moned to take the injured to the hos
pitfalls and police patrol wagons were
used to move many of the dead to
undertaking ablishments.
The two rear coaches, which were
telescoped by the freight engine,
caught fire Immediately Passengers
who had escaped injury rushed into
the wrecked coaches and dragged the
dead and injured from the flames
reach. Several of the occupants of
the front coaches who escaped in
jury were badly burned in their
efforts to save the less fortunate.
White men risked their lives to save
injured negroes from the rapidly
spreading flames, and negro men
rushed into the steam and flames to
rescue white persons, as well as men,
bers of their own race.
MEMPHIS. Tenn, Nov 11.-Reports
to the office of General Superintend-
ent Morris, of the Yazoo and Mis-
sissippi Valley railroad. state that
fifteen persons are known to have
been killed in the wreck near New
Orleans. Many were injured.