A RAILWAY WRECK. A TERRIBLE DISASTER IN CANADA. MANY BURNED TO DEATH.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 217, 27 August 1887, Page 7

A RAILWAY WRECK. A TERRIBLE DISASTER IN CANADA. MANY BURNED TO DEATH.

A terrible accident occurred at the crossing of the Grand Trunk and Michigan Central Railways in St. Thomas, Ontario, on July 15, about 7 o'clock in the evening. An excursion train on the Grand Trunk from Port Stanley ran into a passing freight train on the Michigan Central, made up of a number of cars laden with, oil. Tho engine crashed into one of these cars, when the oil instantly took fire and burned with great fierceness, communicating to the cars on both trains and extending to Griffin's warehouse, and the coal and lime sheds adjoining the track on the west and John Campbells dwelling on the east, all of which were burned to tho ground with their contents. Engineer Donnelly of the excursion train was burned in the wreck. His fireman umped and escaped with slight injuries. The forward car of the excursion train was filled with passengers, who made frantic efforts to escape, but notwithstanding hundreds of bravo and willing hands were immediately at work to assist in their rescue, it is feared a number of lives have been lost and that the victims will be burned beyond recognition before their bodies can be got out of the wreck. At eight o'clock, when thousands _of people were crowding around the burning pile, one of the oil tanks on one of the cars exploded, throwing hundreds to the ground with great force, scattering fire in all directions, and severely, perhaps fatally, injuring many. At 8.30 o'clock nine bodies were taken out. They were burned to a crisp.