The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1878-09-05
Details OF the Accideat on the G. R,& |.

About seven o'clock yesterday morn
ing an excursion train consisting of four
coaches left Ludington for this city. At
Reed City the cars were transferred to
the Grand Rapids & Indiana railway
track, aud many people joined the
party. The train then proceeded SOUTH
ward at the rate of about thirty-five
miles an hour, and all went well until
point about one mile north of Lock-
wood, this county, was reached.
Here those i'm the two forward cars
heard o sharp whistle for brakes, and,
looking out, saw that the rear coaches
were off the track, and both lying at
the bottom of u seven foot embank-
ment. The locomotive and what was
left of the train soon came to q halt,
aud then u sickening sight presented
itself to those who were fortunate
enough to have escaped the wreck.
The two rear cars, crowded with men,
women and children, lay partly on
their sides and partly on their roofs at
the bottom of the embankment, while
the passengers, thrown into promis-
cuOus heaps, three or four deep, were
uItering agonizing cries for help. Some
of the doors were set by the wrenching
of the cars, and it was found necessary
to force them open with axes. One man
who found himself under stove after
the coach found u resting place in the
ditch, broke door open with his feet.
and was the first to help his companions
out.
The injured people, thirty Or forty
In number, We're released from their
uncomfortable positions, placed i'm the
remaining cars and taken to Cedar
Il
three men, all severely injured, were
left for treatment. The rest came on
here, where telegram announcing the
details of the accident had already been
received. The company's surgeons,
Drs. Johnson and Griswold, and Drs,
Miller, Wooster and Boise, met the
train at the depot and proceeded at
once to care for the wounded. The
sufferers " no needed them were pro-
vided with rooms at the hotel connect
ed with the depot dining rooms and at
the various hotels, and DIR. Brady and
others were called to attend them.
Those of the eXcursionists who were
not injured devoted themselves entirely
to the care Of their unfortunate COM
panions, and, under the skillful care of
the physicians and the tender minis
tratiOn of their friends, all were soon
as comfortable as ii was possible to be
under the circumstances. Owing to
the confusion and the fact that the
party was made up from numerous
towns and cities, list of the injured
was procured with difficulty, but the
following Is believed to be correct:
l.. B. Fosgate, Reed City; rib broken
and injured internally. VIM. Brown,
Reed City; badly injured in the back.
ID. M. Coils, Ludington; bad scalp
wound. Chas. w. Rose, Baldwin; bad
ly injured In the side and head. Elias
Haggard, Amber; elbow dislocated.
Mrs. s. w. Merrill, Ludington; lungs
injured. Mrs. Hergusol, Ludington;
skull fractured; left at Cedar Springs.
p. M. Lonsbury, Reed City; hurt In the
face. c.. NJ. G. Ross, Baldwin, wife and
child; Mr.. II. received a wound I'm the
face. Mr.. Slaght, Ludingt0n; injured
slight. James Purple, AM
Der; legs hurt. Geo. G. Townsend,
shoulder, back and head hurt.
Geo. w. Helms, Baldwin; hurt In the
head. Ex-Sherif John Crowley, Lud-
ingtOn; badly hurt in the back. p.
Ludington; hurt In the ankle. |
Mrs. John Crowley, Ludington; neck
and shoulder hurt. Mrs. s. f. Criley,
leg hurt. Judge =. +.
White Ludington; severely hurt I'm the
shoulder. J. s. Stray, Ludington; face
cut. Mrs. III. Aldrich, Ludington;
slight internal injury.
Several others were hurt whose resi-
Iience and the exact nature Of their i'm |
|uries could not be learned. Among
them were G. q. Thompson, +. ID. Lacy,
Mr.. Chase and wife, III. N. Anderson,
Eva Smith, w. s. Fleming, ID. w. |
Campton, Michael Fee, ]. l.. yoh nson,
Joseph Henerd, Anna Mitchell, A. J.
Mrs. A. Brown, Mrs. David
son, Mary Train, Mrs. Heath and Mrs.
]. Cass.
Mrs. Hergusol, of Ludington, who
was left ut Cedar Springs, was very
low all the afternoon, and DIR. Johnson
was sent there on special car. Late
last evening word was received here |
that she was dead. The operators at
the q. II. q 1. depot, however, refused
to say anything about the matter, and,
rs there Is no night operator at Cedar
Springs, there was no way of learning |
the truth of the report. She was u
German lady, about sixty years of age,
and resided In the fourth ward of the |
city Of Ludington.
Several excursionists, who were In |
expressed the opinion that |
a Pere Marquette cars being too mar |
row for the q. II. q I. track, and stat
ed that the Hanges ON the wheels |
on the rails all the way down. |
In support of this theory they stated
that tie ties were very rotten where
the accident occurred, and that the |
1--~L ..,xI.S..l.fc<lIx, ox,rood oouflo-