Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 29, 1902, Winnipeg, Manitoba Vol Winnipeg monday december 29, 1902. Twelve pages no. 133 of the Day. Long. In Winnipeg. Page 5. By of fume is of St. , England is i sifter will speak at bran i team is now an i tin Stanley cup. Page 5. To. I lace Winnipeg Iii in a shanty. In rhe plans for Suth a Lias made. St. John s Lodge Oft Cors. Ports will i re Uratio ii Hus Cor Mene Firne in the Western place this the College have been in 3. F the . received i1.-, a i. Us Eit of n cd York i a in lore Liz the Woitel y Lias to Tii. Urgent fue-1 contents. L if i roved by i Eltjo 7. To Bowman cry for the discovery re 1 w kill Ute Anil in til grand trunk on., 1. . The c. N. To t ii. And will i a tit. W. Has to a 200 mile i u nest . An italian was a my Hal in for to if m unknown. To Erri Winnipeg at ill. Hotel a m and u Ahi on rhe the. Canadian v. .11 ignore their to to Arlin the 1 of desperadoes. Of Canada the weather. Probabilities. I ewer temperature fair monday ii exc opt Snow t Wodny. Fri h t Rometer readings. I Sun Tomo erasure. People killed and fifty injured in a collision on the grand trunk at wan Stead of baggage car shot through the smoker decapitating a scenes witnessed on the Crim soned Carson of Watford suspended train dispatcher Kerr gave the Fli understood list of the dead and on Board. Marine news. Steam ships. Arrive at. From. I. A new York tool Illston new York n y re London Tori Glasgow York. Liv Pool x a. York Fiarn i. Liverpool in. For. Lalih South Africa stills in Montreal. I riot Tiff a i i y St. A nah to Street two illicit stills in r in in the House. The if of the barrels of liquor. Vanderbilt improving. Or in us rip. Imn Rovo. His Tor per . Pirir i Hysi i. Or. Is a. Ii with his to missing. David a. Robson i Lui Plelps s. Is a. of Sov a there Are scores och curlers a reach Halifax. 4 4. Fix. Steam irian from Liverpool 4 Hrc to Day after weath 4 the scotch for in Nadine Bonspiel on Hoard. London. Ont., dec. The terrible und deadly head on col Iii Ion last night near on the grand trunk railway Between the West bound passenger train and a fast freight Twenty eight persons were killed and fifty injured. Some of the injured May die. Many of the dead were mutilated and the Snow about the wreckage was Crimson with blood. The Pacific express was two hours late and running at a High rate of Speed when it reached Wanstead. The freight was trying to make a siding but failed. When the through train struck the freight there was a disastrous crash. The locomotives reared their pilots High in the air and Tum bled into the ditch. The baggage car of the express train telescoped wit i the smoking car and Here the death lift was made. The Pullman Sleeper did not leave the rails and the occupants escaped except for bruises. The responsibility for the Accident not been definitely fixed but is be sieved to have been due to the Tele graph operator s error. The operator gave the order to the freight to pass no. 5, the Pacific express at wan Stoud. This order should have been duplicated to the conductor and Engineer of the express. Instead of this the conductor of the express train received a Clearing order telling him to run right the Ough. The freight train stopped at Wanstead to Side track and was telescoped by the express. Blinding storm raged. A blinding storm which was raging rendered objects invisible at a distance of a few feet. The operator at wan Stead is not usually on duty at night but last evening was in the office for a Short lie was going out Tho door when lie heard the Telegraph instrument Cli a and immediately Call re p at edly the message Slop no. Stop no. seizing a lantern the operator dashed for the door and As he closed it behind him he heard the crash of the collision up the track. There was not a Houfe at hand to which the injured could be carried. The two Pullman cars on the train wore converted a temporary hos Pital. The injured were placed on Tho i ruths and everything possible done to ease their sufferings. Who is to blame there Are conflicting stories As to the direct responsibility for Tho Terri ble affair but it is Plain that it was through a miscarriage of orders. Both conductors had orders which it is alleged clears them of blame taut an at tempt to throw the blame on to opera to Andrew Carson of Watford is in i with the facts an near As i be Learned by a diligent sifting of diff cry or stories. It is assorted that in the first place the. Train despatch a Janis of London ent an. Order to Walton for no. To pass the at want Rel the scene of the Wivik. Before Ali express. However the operator at Wyoming the first station to Tho West of Evans tend re ported to the Des atelier that the freight was still there. The despatch or thereupon acting on Watford advices supposing the freight was being held at Wyoming cancelled the Tenet org order at inn stood and when the express reached Watford conductor Mcauliffe. According to tiie running rules in Force and Clear right of Way to his next scheduled Stop at Wyom ing. Unfortunately after no. 5 had left Watford it was discovered that the freight after All. Had started for Wanstead. All possible efforts were made to intercept no. But the oper Ator at King s court Junction an intervening station who should have been on duty could not be reached for some reason. There was no earthly Means of stopping the impending catastrophe. The Wanstead operator who live about sixty Yards from the station saw the Impact of the two trains and immediately ran to the station to Call for Aid. He had no sooner opened the key than the Mes Sage was hashed him to Stop no. 0, but it was too late. Mascagni to direct for Thomas dec. To. Pietro the italian composer in Chicago As the director of the orchestra. It was also to Day that he will his tour of the United Story of the disaster the fatal order Many injured were saved. Wanstead ont., dec. Most appalling disaster in the annals of Canadian railways occurred Here last night about 10.10, and As a result seme Twenty eight human lives were lost and half a Hundred persons More or less seriously injured. Just where the blame for the terrible less of Iffe lies has not yet been accurately determined but there is no doubt that the disaster arose from the fact that a special freight train com ing East received orders to Cross the Chicago express known technically As no. 5, at Wanstead and the con Ductor of no. 5 received orders to Cross a. Special freight at Wyoming three Ami three Ciu Arter West of Wanstead. The express train which is a connection of the. International limited leaving London at 7.52 . Was owing to unusually heavy traffic yesterday being the last Day upon which cheap tickets were accepted filled with homeward bound excursion lists running about two hours late and the difficulties caused by unusually heavy passenger travel were increased by the heavy blizzard raging and the Snow falling thickly. The train Crew conductor j. Mcauliffe was in charge of the heavy train which was drawn by engine no. 9so, driven by Thomas Mackenzie whose fireman was e. Ricketts. Of Sarnia Tunnel Thomas sell brakeman Alex. Caul yield Niagara Falls baggage Man. The train was a solid Vestibule from baggage car to rear Sleeper. It consisted of an express car two first class Day coaches and two pullmans. All were comparatively new and richly upholstered and equipped and were filled with a merry company full of gladness and Joy born or cheer Ful re unions around the fireside in the old Homestead returning with buoyant spirits to resume the labor of life. Train order system. The system under which the grand trunk passenger trains operated pro Vides that a passenger conductor goes ahead from one station to another As soon As the schedule time for de parture arrives unless he gets what is technically called a to the uninitiated it May be explained that a Board is an Oblong disc painted red with circles upon it. If this disc is turned parallel to the tracks tic Road is Clear and the situation is de scribed As no but if the disc is turned at right angles to or across the track it is called a and no conductor dares to take a train farther until it turned or unless he gets a specific order in writing from the dispatcher. Upon arriving Witford. Conductor Viteau life found a Board against him and entering office asked the station agent and operator a. Car son what he had for him. The exact language of the reply is a matter of controversy which will probably be solved at tha inquest. Whatever it was. It was to Tho effect and was so accepted Liy conductor Mcauliffe that there had been a but that tin do he nether had bust the order and that Tho Board was annulled. Con Ducor Mcauliffe having received a clearance order went out on the plat form. Shouted All pave the signal and the heavy train rapidly gathering momentum under a full head of steam from the powerful boiler of the great Mogul locomotive 7-olled swiftly out of the station and the glaring red lights hanging on the rear car speedily disappeared in the distance. Moments of agony. By some inexplicable negligence or misunderstanding Between the g. T. R. Despatches office at London and the official on duty at Watford Sta Tion the Pacific express and a freight train were allowed to collide a few Hundred Yards West of Wanstead forty six Miles from London. There is a dispute As to the facts but in Brief London wired Watford to direct the Pacific express to pass the freight train at Wanstead. The Watford operator says this order was subsequently annulled. When Lon Don discovered that the express had been allowed to proceed Wyoming was called up to hold the freight train there but the answer came Back that the freight train had just gone through. All that remained was to try and Stop the express and for this purpose King court Junction was called up with feverish haste. Back came the answer that the express had passed. Between King court and Wyoming is Wanstead. But there is no operator there at night. The officials at London became conscious of the fearful fact that the two trains unaware of each other s presence were hurrying along a. Single track Between King court and Wyoming. There was one Chance of safety. The freight had orders to get into a Sid ing at Wanstead. If it reached wan Stead first All would be it was not to be. Had it been Given ten seconds longer had the fireman of Tjie express been Ever so remiss in feeding his monster no one. Would Ever have known How narrowly the shores of eternity had been escaped. A mighty Shook. The feeble St imagination is capable of co passing some measure of the mighty Impact that takes place when two locomotives followed by their almost incalculably massive a Queens of cars come together at top Speed. One Only to recall the sight of the dead Alexander Stewart petrol a. Mrs. Alexander Stewart a Gillis Sarnia Tunnel Engineer on the freight a Ricketts Sarnia Tunnel fireman on the freight Henry h. Lawrence Watford. Miss j. Trotter petrol a. Thomas Kelly Stouffville. Nicholas Jeffrey London. Clem. Bodley port Huron. Mich mrs. Bodley Mother of above Guy Depencier Lacrosse wis. Or. E. Penwarden grand rapids mrs. Penwarden grand rapids. J. H. Brook Chicago Iii. Viola Brock daughter of above o. B Burwell port Huron. Wilson Morton Chicago. Miss Nellie Geddes Sarnia. Alexander Cameron petrol a. De. De Baus Prescott. Lottie Lynch port Huron. Granddaughter of mrs. Bodley George Burkholder Strathroy. A. Douglas Alviston. We. J. Lucas Strathroy. Robert Stevenson Wyoming. Ivies. James Barnes Woodstock. G. D. Sutherland Loo port n. Y one woman unidentified with ticket Toronto to. Duluth. 4 the injured Aiex. M. Stewart win am face slightly bruised. Mrs. J. J port Huron face head and hands bruised possibility of internal injury. James p. Ramplin Amelia Street Toronto bruised and shaken up. Mrs. Samuel Cummings port Huron not serious. Hattie Northey Peterboro. Very slight. James r. Northey Peterboro bruised not seriously. Mrs. Coote Chicago serious internal injuries Frank e. Baker London dislocated shoulder and other injuries not serious. W. M. Morse wife and one child Sarnia. Or. Morse fractured Arm Chest injured. Mrs. Morse considerably shaken up child slightly injured not Seri Ous. Thomas Coote London hip slightly injured. George Stacy Wanstead slightly injured. Or. Harvey Chicago lacerated wound in head some bruises not Seri Ous mrs. J. M. Stewart and two children Oshkosh wis. Mrs. Stewart fractured jaw. And lacerations. Earl Stewart broken Arm and Collar Bone. Hobart Stewart fractured hip. Russell Quinn Chicago Burns on hands and Scalp wound considered serious. James barns Woodstock injured leg and hip not serious. Beatrice Geddes Sarnia slightly injured. J j Cuthbertson port Huron fractured jaw and bruises. John Bird Chicago fractured Arm injured Back Scalp a ounces Arbr lacerations. J. A. Lamont Wyoming fractured leg and lacerations. Mrs. W. Gott and daughter. London very slightly injured or. J. W. Lawlor Strathroy slightly injured w. H. Cole and wife Flint Mich. Slightly injured. B r. K. Mcdonald Strathroy slightly injured. Mrs. I. N. Byrnes Sarnia slightly injured. Mrs. Pugsley London slightly injured or. Robert Jackson petrol a slightly injured. Miss Flossie Cuthbertson slightly injured. Annie Sinclair Komoka slightly injured. An express As it goes by not in the slow majesty with which it moves in cities but As it shoots along in the open country it is the strongest mightiest and most Resistless thing that Man has made. On some lines the fast express is called a. Cannon train and that is what they Are Cannon balls not of twelve to fifteen pounds weight but thousands of tons. The very idea of two of these giants meeting in full career even if we exclude thoughts of the human freight they Bear is a thought of dread. If anything can be said to be fortunate about the catastrophe it May be the fact that both monsters were not moving at top Speed. The express was but the Crew of the freight had just opened the Wanstead Swit Cli and was moving slowly on the main line towards the Point where the collision occurred. The locomotive of the express was one of the largest moguls. The freight locomotive was much smaller and the Story of their Brief but mighty wrestle the apparent to anyone who looks upon them As they lie two masses of scrap Iron in the ditch. The Mogul like a great bully is mounted insultingly on the Back of his puny opponent. It is Well that he was so puissant. Had he not been the Shock to the coaches in the rear would have been so much greater and so much greater would have been the toll of death. As it was the weight of the heavy pull mans in the rear came on the first coach like a mighty battering ram. The baggage car in front of it must have risen Clear off the rails so that its floor was As High As the tops of the seats in the Day coaches. The latter driven Home by the irresistible Hammer behind it stripped the sides of the baggage car while the narrower flooring of that car at about the height of the tops of the seats went through the Day coach like a Guillo Tine shearing off the Heads of the passengers in its path through three fourths of the car. Those who were caught fairly were killed in the Twink Ling of an Eye. The floor did not enter the car level but was higher than the seats on the South Side which accounts for the escape from instant death of some of those on that Side of the car. An almost unbelievable thing was that the baggage Man was carried upon the floor of his car while beneath his feet a pitiful decapitation of a score of his fellow creatures took place and scarcely a hair of his head was injured. The dead were piled above the living and those pinned under had to Bear each other company. Those who had escaped the mighty knife were first threatened by fire and latterly by Frost. Held fast in some cases for hours in a biting Winter night in the midst of groans and appeals to god and Man for Succour men women and children faced death in almost appalling aspects. Seated in the smoking compartment of the rear Pullman wan a tall Ruddy complexioned and Stalwart traveller bus ily engaged in making up an extensive time Sheet who from his training knew too Well the import of so sudden a Stop the silence and the hissing of steam which followed. Immediately rising he hastened from the car and fearing the worst went Forward where a. Scene of devastation and suf Fering appalling in its nature greeted his eyes. Prompt official action. Fully alive to the urgency of prompt action or. Costello assistant superintendent of the London Section for it was he at once took charge of , and worked systematically and effectively to release the imprisoned pass engers. I is first action was to Send a maa Forward to protect the rear of the train. His next to hasten to wan Stead station a few Hundred Yards Distant and to Send a despatch to Lon Don which confirmed the worst fears of the dispatcher who had so earnestly and diligently but unsuccessfully sought to Stop the express in its head Long Rush to death and destruction. He also wired an urgent Call to the nearest Point at which an engine could be procured with instructions to Rush a locomotive to the scene in order that he might have Power available to pull the uninjured cars Clear of the debris in Case of tire and also to provide steam with which to heat the undamaged coaches and make them comfortable for the wounded. Having performed these preliminary duties or. Costeiu assumed Active command of thu work of Rescue which pro ceded As rapidly As possible under Ditl cult circumstances. Work of Rescue. Through or. Cost Llo s orders auxiliary trains from London and Sarnia were hurried to the scene with Doc tors. Ile also Yave instructions to have the Day coach which had escaped injury repaired for the reception of the dead and the suggestion that the occupants of the sleepers give up their berths for the accommodation of the wounded was accepted with cheerfulness and acted upon with alacrity. In the meantime the Well meant efforts of individual passengers had been successful in assisting the few were uninjured or who had received slight injury and who thank Ful for their own preservation with out loss of time not even waiting to ascertain the extent of their injuries. Willingly took places in the ranks of workers. These ranks were in creased by the station agent and two of three residents of Wanstead. The Village is Small and its residents Are in the habit of reliving Early there fore the greater number of them were in Complete ignorance of the disaster until the next morning Tho Strong wind the crash from disturbing them and the blinding Snow obscuring completely objects a Yards Distant. Baggage car floor raised the Effort to chop through the sides of the car had not proved effective and or. Costello determined to raise the floor of the baggage car in order to release the people pinned Between it and the floor of the Day coach. Jacks which form part of the equip ment were procured and willing hands and Strong arms supplied the Power required to operate them. Passengers without distinction joined in the work of Rescue actuated by a desire to relieve the sufferings of their Fel lows they worked heroically and devotedly without thought of them selves and their own sufferings from Frost and Snow. The floor of the baggage car was raised a few inches and several wounded were speedily released from an uncomfortable position and cared for in the Sleeper. It wins found necessary to wrench off the backs of the seats and the dead and wounded were brought out in twos. As the dead and wounded were taken out from each successive seat another turn of Jack screws raised slightly the heavy timbers and allowed the another seat Ana so More mangled and bruised victims were released. This work was necessarily slow the greatest care being exercised in order to avoid intensifying the sufferings of those still left in the wreck. Heart rending appeals. The appeals of those who were injured and were unable to release themselves was heart rending. The weather was bitterly cold and added materially to the suffering of the Pas sengers caused by the injuries they had received. It was several hours before the last victim had been re leased. Appliances for dressing the in juries of the wounded were necessarily limited and a Strong desire was expressed by those present that the cars in which the wounded were should be taken Down the line to some station where they could get better accommodation. As this would necessarily have interfered very much with the Progress of releasing those still imprisoned in the car or. Costello after consulting the physicians decided to apply his whole energies to the work of Rescue until the last prisoner had been released. Taken to London. Coroner or. A. B. Harvey of Wyom ing was Early upon the spot gave permission to the grand trunk authorities to remove the bodies to Lon Don pending the inquest. When the gruesome task was done some Twenty five bruised and battered bodies were stretched out upon the seats of the Day coach and some thirty persons suffer ing from More or less severe wounds were resting in the berths of the pull mans. This work having been completed the train with its sad Burden pulled out of Wanstead towards Lon Don. The attention of the auxiliary Crews was at once directed towards the work of Clearing the track. The baggage which filled the car was scattered in confusion trunk and Valise were burst open and the con tents became the sport of heavy wind that was driving the Snow be fore it. The express car was entirely wrecked and its contents too contributed towards the pile of debris. The most serious damage to the freight train was the destruction of two cars containing chilled beef which was heaped into a useless. Mass. A number of other freight cars were also wrecked and the Road tied was badly Cut up. The men worked faithfully All night but it was not until 2 o clock of the next afternoon that the main line was cleared and the train from tha West came through passengers East and West being transferred in tie meantime at the Sceno of the wreck. An Eye witness Wesley Young the Day operator at Wanstead was an Eye witness of the disaster. His House is situated a Short distance from the station and from the window he has a. Clear View of the switch where the collision took place. From Force of habit although not on duty he watched the approach of the freight from the West saw in come to a standstill and observed a change in the switch Light which indicated that the brakeman had opened it to let the freight enter the siding. Suddenly he saw the engine of the express Rush by and realizing that something terrible must happen Hur ried from the House and ran to the station a Short distance away. As he entered the building he heard the Telegraph key sounding a Call for him. He ran to the instrument and ticked off the answering signal but before he had completed it the order came Stop but it was too late. Already the wreck had occurred and he went to the scene to assist in work of Rescue. Which one is guilty Story of the order sent from London minutes would have saved the trains. London ont., dec. Neglect of one Man to observe the running regulations of the grand trunk rail Way company Cost the lives sacrificed in Friday night s awful calamity. Which one of the two men failed in duty will be determined by Tho Coroner s jury and that Man will be sub to criminal prosecution. The i responsibility lies Between j. G. Kerr train desp Toher London and Andrew Carson station agent and their state no Nta Are conflicting. The express left London late. Somewhere Between Watford and Wyoming it had to pass a freight train coming East. Ken1, sit ing in his office in London decided that they should Cross at Wanstead station Between Wyoming and wat Ford. In carrying out this course of action he telegraphed the a Jents at Watford and Wyoming As follows order no. A. No. 980. And extra East engine will meet in compliance with Hie regulations his order was repeated Back by both agents to the dispatcher and acknowledged by him. Up to this Point the versions of the dispatcher and the agent at Watford agree. According to agent Carson s Story the order was followed however by the Mes rare from the dispatcher bust this meant that the order had been can celled but Carson himself admits that if such message came Over Tho wire he violated a Cardinal Rule of the company in accepting it As an annulment of the previous order. He however declares that he did receive such a message and acted on it. The express Drew into the station and the conductor was told by Carson that there were no orders for him. The conductor asked for and received a clearance order allowing him to go ahead. If order co had been Regul arly received by the conductor it would have been signed by him and the fact telegraphed to the dispatcher. Not receiving this he called Watford and received the answer that the express had left not thirty seconds be fore the freight train had pulled out of Wyoming. Between the two. Trains were the stations of King court and Wanstead the latter being with out an operator. The dispatcher at London and the agent at Watford one on the railway and the other on the commercial wire pounded their keys in a. Frantic Effort to raise King court Junction. After a few minutes came the regular report from King court no. J5 then both men knew that Miles away the trains were speeding through the blizzard to wards each other and that if freight 773 could not make the siding at Wanstead the worst would happen. Freight 773 failed by less than two minutes. Carson has been relieved of duty but has not yet been asked for a state ment by the authorities of the rail Way. The Only explanation that he has made was Given to a representative of the free press who found him at Watford. He said i received order in the regular at the Hospital. It was about a Quarter to five in the morning when the train bearing the injured reached the City. A Small knot of citizens who had Learned of the Accident had gathered at the grand trunk station waiting for the train to come in. It stopped Only a few minutes to allow the few injured passengers to alight and then proceeded to South Streit where it was switched on to the London and port Stanley tracks which it traversed until within a Block or two of the Gen eral Hospital. Here a score of cabs and ambulances were in waiting and a number of men who carefully car ried the injured into the hospitals. The entire staff of doctors nurses and assistants was on duty and sufficient Beds had been procured to accommodate All injured. The worst cases were first attended to and then others in turn. In a very Short time everyone of the injured had been looked after the wounds dressed and All had been made As comfortable As conditions would allow. The death train. About 10.30 the train arrived Bear ing the bodies of those who had been killed. In order to make the removal of the bodies As private As possible it was run to the freight Sheds two mocks East of the depot where undertakers Ferguson and Stevenson had a staff on hand to take charge of them. A Force of policemen and railway employees formed a cordon around the continued on Page ;