Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-08-22
Bad Wreck at Augusta.

The North Shore limited, consisting of
baggage, buffet coach and two sleepers with
20 passengers and Is train hands, was
badly wrecked at Augusta, IA miles east
of Kalamazoo on the Michigan Central at
4:2t Friday afternoon, by an open switch
40 rods east of the depot. 1t crushed into
freight train No. 81, Lafayette Saunders
conductor, VIM. Mosher first brakeman,
and -- Harris second brakeman.
Tho limited locomotive was running 60
miles an hour, but Engineer Charles Nc
Roberts of jackson reversed his engine and
pat on the air. 1t crashed along through
six freight cars loaded with various kinds
of merchandise, and, after jumping the
track on the cast side, crashed through an
oil house composed of fiat car, tipped bot
tom upward, and the tender slid through
che wreck 40 feet farther.
The fireman, Robert Gregg of jackson,
was pulled out from the wreck near the
engine, dead. His head was off, also one
leg. Engineer McRoberts was hurled
some distance, and has several bad cuts
and Commissions on his head. He was cared
for as well as possible, but the attending
and company physicians say that he cannot
live. He was placed on stretcher and
taken TO jackson on the jackson accommo-
dation train.
The baggage car on the limited was
turned over on its side, free from its
trucks, and slid 100 feet on the main track.
1t contained George Hearn of New York,
conductor of the buffet car; Oscar Crotch
en- of Chicago, conductor of the sleeping
car: Charles Bruckner of 266 Alfred street,
Detroit. baggageman; George L. Beele, OF
tho Western Electric company of Chicago,
and Head Brakeman A. II. HcrriclI of
Detroit. How they escaped with but few
cuts and scratches is a mystery.
( The passengers of the remaining cars OF
the limited, which either remained on the
track or chewed off the ties pulled along,
arc not seriously injured. Mat School of
Toledo had his arm injured: G G. Morris
of Detroit, travelling agent, suffered frac-
bure of the chest and ribs Conductor L. II.
Crofoot had his right knee badly bruised.
Clarence Cassidy, a ncwsboy, aged 10
years, saw and heard the wreck, and then
ran into the oil room which was carried IL
feet or more on the front of the locomotive
and after the dust had settled he came out
of the car alive His escape was miracle
but no is quite badly injured on one arm,
knee and the head. Howard Terry,
another boy, was sitting on the caboose OF
6hS lfSlSHJ lTdln anu was huOCh Oh dHu
injured.
Station Agent Barry at Augusta failed
to notice the carelessness of the brakeman
in leaving the switch open, and waived a
white flag from the top Of a freight car,
signaling the limited men that the track
was clear. The responsibility of the terri.
bic accident which resulted in two deaths,
lies between Conductor Saunders
Brakcmen Mosher and Harris
and Station Agent Barry, who was
ON the car TO waive the sigal. The
limited was well filed with passengers, but
mono except those noted received seriou!
injury or nothing more than slight bruises
I'm one freight car which was wrecked
Nxere large quantities of dynamite anC
giant powder. The former was in small
bars covered with oiled paper and wer'
ground fine but did not explode. The bag
gage car which was wrecked caught fire
but how cannot be stated as there was NJ
fire in the car. The track was cleared a
2:15 o'clock, and the wrecking car arrivet
hfter the track was cleared. One of tn
limited cars was taken east on the jackson
accommodation, with all the passengers
at $50 o'clock. The freight trains cas-
and west were run over the air line.