The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1903-08-13
e killed IN
A TRAIN Wreck
Wallace Brothers. Circus Meets Dis
aster In the Railroad Yards
at Durand, Mich.
(Wful COLLISION SAID TO Be Due
TO FAILURE OF BRAKES TO ACT

VCkS0COpeO
Cars Of the Rear One Entirely De-
molished-ExpressW Wagons Turned
Into Temporary Ambulances.
Durand, Mich, Aug, S.-An air brake
on the second section of Wallace Broth
ers' circus train refused to work in the
Grand Trunk railway yards here early
Friday, causing a collision between the
two sections, in which % people were
killed, and over dozen injured.
List of Dead AID Injured.
The dead are: James Mccarthy.
trainmaster Grand Trunk road between
Port Huron and Battle Creek; A. w.
Large, special officer Grand Trunk, Bat
tie Creek; John Purcell, Peru, Ind, boss
canvasman; LATE Larson, Cambridge, o.,
six-horse team driver; G. Thomas, res
idence unknown, member of stake and
chain gang; Harry st. Clair, residence
unknown, reserved seat man; John
Leary, Springfield, ILL.,, boss Of ring
stock; Andrew Rowland, New York
state, canvasman; Frank Thorp, Dun
dee, Mich, trainmaster of circus train;
Robert Rice, residence unknown, har-
nessmaker; George Smith, residence I'M
known, blacksmith; Charles Sands,
Peru, Ind, driver; Joe Wilson, Pitts
burg; w. j. Mccoy, Columbus, o.,
canvasman with side show; unknown
man, driver of band wagon; unknown
man, home said to be in Indianapolis,
rider in circus races; unknown man,
home said to be Louisville, four-horse
driver; unknown man, four-horse
driver; unknown man, suffocated to
death; two unidentified men are also
dead at the hospital; Edward York, of
Terre Haute, Ind.
The seriously injured: James S. Foley,
special officer Grand Trunk, Detroit,
shoulder dislocated, bruises; Joseph +.
Penton, New Milford, Conn, internal in
iuries; w. H. Roe, Armstrong, ILL.,, inter-
nal injuries; Frank Tilley, Rising Sun.
Ind, hip dislocated, very bad bruises and
internal injuries; Burt McGrath, Con-
nellsville, O.; John w. Rooms, Bairds-
town, O., and George BARLEY, Los An
geles, Cal.
Edward York died at noon at the tenn
porary hospital. Fifteen of the injured
were placed aboard special train at
noon to be taken to Harper hospital in
Detroit for treatment.
The circus people have pitched their
tents and camped near the scene of the
wreck.
story of the Catastrophe.
The circus travels in two trains OF
about IS cars each. After last nights
exhibition at Charlotte the two trains
left for Lapeer over the Grand Trunk
road, the second section leaving half
hour after the first. 1t was 3:45 o'clock
when the first section pulled into the
west end of the Grand Trunk yards
here. A red light was hung on the
rear car to stop the second section.
Engineer Propst, of Battle Creek, who
was running the engine of the rear
train, says he saw this light and ap-
piled the air brake. To his horror it
refused to work. He reversed his en-
CINE, but the momentum of the train
behind was too great and with crash
that aroused all of the town near the
yards, the two trains met. Three cars
Of the stationary first section were tel
escoped and the engine and five cars
Of the moving train were demolished.
The rear car of the first section was a
raboose in which the trainmen were
sleeping, and the next two were filed
with sleeping circus employees. The
greatest loss of life was in the caboose.
One of the wrecked cars of the sec
ond section was occupied by five ele-
plants and several camels. One of
the elephants and two camels were
killed outright, while the other ami
mails and their trainer escaped. With
the exception of this car, none of the
menagerie was wrecked, the other de-
molished cars containing canvas or
wagons, and there was comparatively
little excitement among the wild ami
mails. AS soon as they recovered from
the first shock, the trainers rushed
among the cages, quieting the few
beasts that were excited. The ele-
plants in the wrecked car behaved
with surprising calmness, and were
led out of the wreck without trouble
The escaping steam and screams and
cries of those pinned in the wreck
made a horrifyirg spectacle in the
gray of the early morning, when the
trainmen in the yards and the aroused
townspeople first reached the scene.
Many feared at first that some Of the
menagerie had escaped. as some of the
animals could be heard crying. The
fire whistle was Immediately sounded
and the whole town was aroused.
The rescuers could see unfortunates
through the tangled wreckage and
went fIriously to work without wait
ing for tools to extricate them. A
wrecking crew is kept in the yards
here, and it was on the scene in very
few minutes, bringing tools and equip
ment in plenty. All the physicians
and trained nurses in town were sent
for, and those in nearby places were
rushed to the scene on hand cars.
The Hotel Richelieu was converted
into a temporary hospital, and scores
of volunteers with stretchers were in
readiness to carry the injured there as