Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1903-08-15
WALLACE Bros.
CIRCUS IN WRECK
Two Sections Of the Show
Train Crash Together In
Michigan Town.
FEARFUL SCENE ENSUES
Believing Of Frightened Animals n
;ries of the Injured Made a Bed
lam of lt-Circus Has Big
Financial Loss.

'shs
Financial Loss.
Durand. Mich, Aug. s. - Wallace
Bros circus was wrecked In the
Grand Trunk yards here early today
and t~wenty-one men, mostly en-
ployes. were killed outright. Twelve
more wera injured. seven fatally.
Among the dead are J. Mccarthy.
train master OF the Grand Trunk. n
A.. W. Large OF Battle Creek, special
agent of the Grand Trunk.
The show was travelling In W Sec
tons over the Grand Trunk from
Lansing to LaPere. The accident, 1t
Is said, was caused by the failure or
the second section to stop on time, 50
that It ran into the first section at full
speed.
The engine OF the second section n
four cars Of the first section were de-
molished. Much valuable property
was destroyed. The loss to the circus
people will probably be very heavy
Some OF the animals were killed.
The scene after the accident was APP
palling. The shrieks OF the injured
and tho believing OF frightened AMI
mails could be heard above the hiss OF
escaping steam and the excited houts
OF the rescuers
It was GONE hours before all the In
jured were rescued.
The Dead and Injured.
The dead:
JOHN PURCELL, Peru, Ind.
LAFE LARSON, Cambridge, o.
G.. THOMAS.
HARRY ST. CLAIR, residence I'M
known.
JOHN LEARY, Springfield, Ill.
ANDREW ROWLAND, New York
state.
FRANK THORP, Dundee, Mich.
ROBERT RICE.
GEORGE SMITH, residence I'M
known.
CHARLES SANDS, Peru, Ind.
JOE WILSON, Pittsburg.
w. j. MCCOY, Columbus, O.
SEVEN OTHER SHOWMEN, names
and residences unknown.
The seriously injured:
James s. Foley, special officer of the
Grand Trunk, Detroit.
Joseph +. Penton, New Mlllord'
Conn.
w. II. Roe, Armstrong, Ill.
Frank Tiiley, Rising sun, Ind.
Bole Abrams, Sandusky, O.
Burt McGrath. COnnellVille, ..
John w. Rooms, Bairdstown, O.
George BARLEY, Los Angeles, Cal
The wreck, according TO the state
mont of the engineer Of the second sec
ton, was caused by the failure of the
air brakes to work.
Early Morning Horror.
Il was 3:45 a. m. when the first sec
ton pulled into the west end of the
Grand Trunk yards. 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 the light
and applied the air brakes. To his hor-
rUr the air refused 10 work. lie re-
versGd, but the momentum OF the train
behind was too great and with a crash
that aroused all OF the town near the
yards the two trains met.
Three cars OF the first section tele-
gcoped rhe engine, and five cars Of tho
moving train were demolished. the
rear car OF the first section was q ca
bOOse. In which the trainmen were
sleeping, and the next two were filed
with sleeping circus employees.
The greatest loss of life was In the
CaboUsa. one OF the wrecked cars or
the second section was occupied by
Ave elephants INC several Camels. On6
elephant and two camels were killed
outright, while the other animals and
the trainer escaped. With the eXcep-
ton OF this car none of the meuagerie
was wrecked, the other demolished cars
containing canvas or wagons. There
was comparatively little excitement
among the wild animals.
Elephants behaved Well
The elephants in the wrecked a be-
haved with surprising calmness. They
were led out OF tho wreck without
! trouble. The escaping steam and the
cries oS those pinned in the wreck
made a horrifying spectacle when the
| trainmen In the yards and the aroused
~tOWnSpeOple first reached the scene.
The rescuers could see the unfortunates
through the tangled wreckage and
went furiOusly to work. A wrecklng
| crew was on the scene In a very few
| minutes bring tools and equipment in
plenty.
All the physicians and trained nurses
In the town were sent for, and those IN
nearby places were rushsd to the scene
! on h%andCars. The Hotel Richelieu was
converted into a temporary hospital,
and scores OF volunteers with stretch
ers were In readiness to carry the In
jured there as fast as the rescuers
could extract them. The dead-many
OF them so terribly mangled that iden-
tifcation seemed w~ell-night impossible
were carefully laid on the green
sward a short distance from the scene
Many Physicians at Work.
BY 6 o'clock u corps Of twelve physi-
! clans were operating on the injured
and dressing their wounds In the tenn
porary hospital. When the wrecking
train crews had succeeded In pulling
away the pieces of the tangled and
broken cars, seventeen dead were lying
on tho grass awaiting removal to the
morgue. -Four others died In the hos
pital. The majority were killed while
asleep. The circus performers were on
the rear Of the moving train and es-
capped injury.