CANADIAN NATIONAL EXPRESSES COLLIDE

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6866, 22 March 1929, Page 7

CANADIAN NATIONAL EXPRESSES COLLIDE

Eighteen Deaths PASSENGERS BURNED ALIVE IN WRECKAGE HARROWING SCENES. Aus. Press Assn.—United Service. Received Thursday, 7 p.m. OTTAWA, March 20. A Toronto message states that 18 persons were killed, including 14 passengers, and five seriously injured in a head-on collision between two Canadian national trains to-day at Drocourt, near Parry Sounds. The trains wero respectively east and west bound for Toronto and Winnipeg. Tho deaths occurred in the west bound train, mostly in tho colonist sleeper, which caught fire, cremating the bodies of passengers who had been asleep. Efforts at Rescue Prove Unavailing ENGINE OVER-RAN SWITCH. Australian Press Association. Received Thursday, 7 p.m. 1 OTTAWA, March 20. Passengers in the sleeping cars on the Canadian National railway train Three returned here to-day giving a more definite account of the disaster. They reported that the colonist car, nc-xit to the baggage car, caught fire after tho wreck and several passengers were unable to get out, though heroic efforts wero made to enable them to escape cremation. Tho trains were scheduled to meet at Waubamik, just north of here but it is reported that owing to one being behind schedule, it had been arranged they should meet at a point further north. Practically all tho passengers were asleep when tho wreck occurred. Both baggago cars telescoped and the engines were reduced to a mass of twisted steel. Uninjured passengers describe heartrending scenes. A woman died calling for hel-p for her child in tho wreck. Tho death list inay reach over 20. Mr C. E. Harcourt, a passenger, stated that ho saw several skulls and human bones burning. One woman screamed' till she was burned to death. It is unofficially stated that train Three over-ran tho switch.