CANADIAN OUTRAGE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume L, Issue 16606, 9 December 1924, Page 7

CANADIAN OUTRAGE.

DAY TRAIN WRECKED

A TERRIFIC EXPLOSION,

PASSENGERS BLOWN OUT.

VANCOUVER. Nov. s.—Farther details of the wrecking of a day coach on (ho Canadian Pacific Railway Kettle Valley train near Farron, British Columbia, when nine persons were killed, including Peter Veregin, Doukhobor leader, audi John 'JMnckie, member of the Legislative Assembly for Grand Forks, were received in Vancouver from Grand Forkes, where the special train .bearing the remains of Mr. Mackie and Mr., Veregin arrived'. There were 26 persons in the coach at the time, .and all except two were either killed or injured. So terrific, was the explosion that more than half the'passengers were blown clean out of the carriage, and. left a gruesome spectabie of mutilated humanity- and wreckage for nearly 100 feet.' The body of John Mackie was found! fifty feet away, with severe • wounds about the head, but otherwise not mutilated.

That of Veregin was found close to him, with one leg torn from the trunk. They had been sitting in adjoining seats close to where the explosion occurred'. The remains of an unidentified person, believed to be a Hindu, were, mutilated beyond recognition, while the •■ charred remains of another person taken from the burned coach, were also thought to be a Hindu. The others taken from the wreck were rushed back to Nelson in a special train, but died on the way. They were Neil Murray, W. B. Armstrong", ind Mary Suienoil. H. K.'Fawcett, train news agent, died in the hospital, later. The Kettle Valley train, consisting of the cars that were not damaged by the explosion, reached Vancouver thirtyminutes late. The passengers were terror-stricken at the disaster. •■•■■'

Patrick Scanloh and James Wolfe, who were the only uninjured passengers in the wrecked car, were detained by the Canadian Pacific Railway investigation department and placed in the city gaol for the night, to be retained as material witnesses for the inquiry. They were former employees of the East Kootcnay Company, coming to the coast for the winter, and stated they knew little about the cause of the explosion. They had lost their luggage. ' STORIES OF SURVIVORS. " • A graphic description of the explosion was given by Scanlon and Wolfe, the. only occupants of the car to escape, ih-

Wolfe said he heard a roar and! was lifted completely out of hie seat and thrown ten feet into the air. "When I recovered," he said, "I saw the sides and roof of the car had beei: blown lx> pieces and the centre had caught fire. iScanlon and OfSha.ughnessy {in the sameseat with Wolfe) were lying nearby, and several other persons were lying on the right of way. In a few minutes Scanlon recovered consciousness, andl wo found that O'Shaughnessy had been seriously hurt. He "was able to.standup, and" we helped him clear of the fire. By; that' time other passengers had arrived, and the work of rescue was started. The injured were carried into other coaches and first aid rendered."

Thos. Uphill, member of the Legislative Assembly for Fernie, was in the. parlor car. He said the explosion was followed by several popping, sounds. When he dashed out he found the coach practically demolished, flames licking the wrecked framework. Human forms littered the embankment, and the air was filled with groans and screams, he said. "Stretchers and blankets were obtained, and passengers and members of the train crew worked feverishly,* bringing in injured and rendering first, aid. Some were found l at the foot of the bank, fifty feet below the right of way, which shows the terrific force of the explosion," ■'■'' HIGH EXPLOSIVES USED. Mr, Uphill spoke in praise of . the work of the train crew-and passengers.. Respecting the report that the aim of the person piaeing the bomb was to kill Peter Veregin, head of the Doukhobor colony, Mr. Murphy, general manager of the Western lin.es, stated: "Investigation would go to show that Veregin was sitting on the north side of the' car, near the centre, and that was the part of the car that took the. force.of the explosion. I cannot think any. person wishing merely to injure the C.P;R. would do it in a "way to jeopardise innocent lives. There is no reason what-, ever, so far as we know, why such a, thing should be done at all'. Never in the history of the railway have we had a case where the perpetrator took the risk of great loss of life to* kill, .an individual, and never in the history of, the company have we had property' bombed or otherwise destroyed, as far as we know." . , , .

With bomb experts- of the Royal Canadian mounted police, provincial detectives under Inspector William Dunwoodie, and members of the Canadian Pacific Railway investigation j depart- '■■ merit on the ground, every effort was made to clear up the mystery of the explosion. That the blast was caused by a bomb or package of high explosives within the car close to where Peter' Veregm was seated, was the belief expressed by those investigating the affair. ' ■■ ■ Provincial police later arrested '• Sam Koinenschoff, a Doukhobor zealot, whoni his captors said 1 was seen near the explosion spot. The prisoner had pre-, viouslv made threats relative to Peter

Veregin