AT LEAST FIFTY KILLED

Chronicle (Levin), 27 April 1946, Page 5

AT LEAST FIFTY KILLED

disastRous rail Smash IN U.S.A. STEEL TIJRNEI) BACK LIKE cardboArd Reeeived Friday 8.5 p.m. 'KEW YORK, April 25.. The last four carriages of the Aavance Flyer bound from Omaha to Lincoln (Nehraska) were telescoped by the j Exposition Flyer which was e'nroute to ; San Francisco. Eight or nine carriages J of the two all-stdel trains, were severeiy J daniaged. The Burlington Eailroaa made up a r'elief train at Aurora and | despatched it to the scene of 'the dcfci- , dent near !n apierville, with doctors, nurses and medicines. The impaet sent the Expdsition Flyer 's diesel enginb halfway through tne jAdvance Flyer 's rear carriage, throw;ing the hodies of some oi' the passesngdrs through the carriage winddws. Tne ; sides of the met'al coachs were turned jhack like ,cardhoard. Relief workers ; quickly removed the dead ahd irijurea j placing them in rows aldng the track. ! At least 50 are reported killed ana ' 125 injured. The Expdsition Flyer was traveliing at 80 miles per hour when thfe crash occurred. The police said the trains were so close together that the Exposition Flyer j strnck the other train only ninety see- . onds aftdr it had made an unschedulea | stop. A check of the automatic signai j system showed all lights operating pro- ' Perly. | The souiid of the crash echoed for I miles and .then came silence. Xext were i hear'd the scieams of the' injured ana : shaken passeiigers. Within minutes the' j uninjured mefnbers of the crew'S oi i both .trains began helping the trapped 1 -passengers. Many passengers also aS- : sisted. A'cetyleue torch crews v/ere summoned syvifty and began cutting away the tangied steelpldtes df the most damaged' carriages to release the ihjurj ed and dd'ad.