The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-08-13
A TERRIBLE WRECK
Two Circus Trains Crash Together
With FrightfuI Force
OVER A SCORE KILLED OUTRIGHT
Engineer of Second Section Found
His Brakes Would Not Work and
Lost Control If His Train.

Durand, Mich, Special.-Two Sec
| lions Of Wallace's circus train were
wrecked Friday morning. Seven Of the
lead are in the morgue unidentified.
/ Over twenty are more or less seriously
injured. Coroner Farrell impanelled a
Jury. which viewed the remains and
adjourned until August IA, when he
| inquest will be held. Following are
the dead:
James Mccarthy, t~rainsmaster,
| Grand Trunk road between Port HUI
on and Battle Creek; A. w. Large,
special officer Grand Trunk, Battle
| Creek; John Purcell, of Peru, Ind,
boss canvassman; LATE Larson, OF
Cambridge, O., six-horse team driver;
G. Thomas, residence unknown, mem
Der OF stake and chain gang; Harry
st. Clair, residence unknown, reserved
seat man; John Laary, Of Springfield,
ILL.,, Dos Of ring stock; Andrew How
land, Of New York State, canvassman;
Frank Thorp, CT Dundee, Mich, train
master of circus train; Robert Rice,
residence unknown, harness maker;
George Smith, residence unknown,
blacksmith; James Toffelmire, OF
Orient, Iowa; Charles Sands, Of Peru,
Ind, driver; Joe Wilson, Of Pittsburg;
W. J. Mccoy, Of Columbus, O.. can
vassman with side show, Edward
York, Of Terra Haute, Ind; unknown
man. driver Of band wagon; unknown
man, home said to be Indianapolis,
rider in circus races; unknown man,
home said to be in Louisville, four
horse driver; unknown man. four
horse driver; unknown man, suffocat-
ed to death. Two unidentified men
are dead at the hospital.
James S. Foley, of Detroit, special
officer of the Grand Trunk, was seri-
ously injured and j. J. Meadows, OF
Anderson, s.. c., was also among the
injured.
The circus travels in two trains Of
about So cars each. After Thursday
nights exhibition at Charlotte, the
two trains left for Lapeer over the
Grand Trunk road, the second section
leaving a 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 sec
ond section. Engineer Probst, OF Bat
tie Creek, who was running the en-
CINE of the real train, says he saw this
light and applied the air brake. He
says it refused to work. He reversed
his engine, but the momentum OF the
heavy 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 stationary first
section were telescoped and the engine
and five cars of the moving train
were demolished. The rear car OF the
first section was a caboose, in which
the trainmen were sleeping, and the
next two were filed with sleeping cir
Gus employees. The greatest loss OF
life was in the caboose. One OF the
wrecked cars of the second section was
occupied by five elephants and several
camels. One of the elephants and two
of the camels were killed outright,
while the other animals and their
trainer escaped. With the exception
Of this car. none of the menagerie was
wrecked, the other demolished cars
containing canvass or wagons, and
there was comparatively little excite
ment among the wild animals. AS
soon as they recovered from the first
shock the trainers rushed among the
cages quieting the few beasts that
were excited. The elephants 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 horrffying
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 menagcr1e
had escaped, as some Of the animals
could be heard crying. The fire wills
tie was sounded and the whole town
was aroused. The rescuers could see
unfortunates through the tangled
wrcckage and went furiously to work
without waiting for tools to extricate
them. A wrecking crew Is kept in the
yards here, and it was on the scene IN
a very few minutes, bringing tools aud
equipment in plenty.