The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1901-08-01
Wreck on the Northwestern at High
land Park Delays Traffic for
Many Hours Monday.
EIGHT ITALIANS ARE INJURED
Freight Train Crashes Into CONSTRUCTION
Many Laughable Incidents.

crashed together near Highwood Mon
day afternoon. Summer residents
of the North shore, including scores of
Kenoshans, were subjected to hours of
delay or forced to walk miles to reach
their homes.
Traffic was blocked absolutely, and
it was FIVE hours before the piles of de-
bris, coal, shattered lumber and heaps
of stone from the freight and work
train that co11ided were cleared away,
and tired, weary suburbanites, scat
tered IN blocked trains from Chicago
to Highwood park, were able to con-
tinue homeward journeys to belated
dinners.
At every siding and station from the
Wells street depot in Chicago to Hi h-
land Park were b1ockaded passenger
trains. Many of these stood in the hot
sun for hours. Hundreds of people
sought to satisfy their hunger, but the
few restaurants along the line were
unable to accommodate the sudden
rush of customers. Suffering from
heat and thirst, and eager to reach
their homes, scores took the trolley
line adjacent to the Northwestern
tracks, but the few small electric cars
could not carry the appreciate part of
the delayed passengers.
AS late as 9 O'Clock Monday night
dozens were just greeting their fami-
lies after having tran1ped miles
through dust and gravel, or ridden
miles to Kenosha by way of the West
ern Division of the road.
Soldiers from Fort Sheridan who
had spent their days leave in Chicago
had to make explanations for entering
the lines long after "taps." Dozens
of John Alexander Dowie missed even
ing prayers at Zion City, many of
them insisting on trying to walk to
the new city site beyond Waukegan.
On the other hand, Chicagoans hur-
rying from Wisconsin resorts to attend
to business matters in the city during
the late afternoon were caught in the
tangle and held there from 2:15 until
a passage way was made through the
debris by flying shove1s at 8 O'CLOCK in
the evening. Real suffering resulted
on several of the side tracked trains,
especially to children. In several in
stances the water supply in the cars
became exhausted, and volunteers did
their best to bring supplies from farm
and summer houses.
At the scene of the wreck those who
could gave their attention to a dozen
Italian laborers who had been buried
in the debris. Eight were injured,
but none SO seriously that life is
threatened, and Monday night all were
resting comfortably at St. Luke's hos
pita1.
The wreck was caused by the col
lision of freight and a construction
train, ten cars and an engine being
wrecked, entailing loss of $4,000.
The construction train, consisting of
eighteen cars, had attempted to run on
the main track from the government
switch at the Highwood station when
the freight was seen bearing down at
high speed from the south. The crew
of the work train supposed that the
switch had been thrown, that the
freight was to cross the tracks to the
west and pass in safety.
The construction train had all but
cleared the switch when Conductor
Patterson saw that the freight had
passed the switch and was coming to-
ward the WORK train. Patterson
rushed up the track, waving his hands
in a frantic effort to signal the en-
gineer of the freight to reverse his en-
CINE. The latter threw the lever back
and jumped. just as the heavy train
crashed into the construction cars.
The engine of the freight was thrown
over on its side, the heavy cars behind
piling up over the obstacle thus caused,
sides and roofs bursting open, and the
heavy stone and building material
with which they were laden were
heaped over engine ard tracks.
In one gondo1a of the work train
were the eight Italians who were in
iured. They were hurled from the car
by the force of the impact and buried
in shower of upheaved track ballast
and debris. The njured were cared
for as quickly Jas possible and later
brought to Chicago, temporarily treat
ed at the Northwestern dispensary at
So Kinzie street, and then removed to
ST. Luke's hospital.
The track was finally cleared at 8
O'Clock sufficiently to allow a few
trains to pass, but it was an hour later
before the regular service was re-
sumed. None of the officials would
r..
day night.