Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-05-07
DISASTER At DETROIT.
Flyer From Chicago Dashes Into a
Party of E~xcursionists
From Toledo.
TEN KILLED AND MANY INJURED.
Victims Scattered Along the Track
for II Distance of Two Biocks-
Horrible scenes Revealed by the
Light of Lanterns-AH Ambu-
1ances in City Rushed to Scene.

Detroit, Mich, May 4.-Grand
Trunk Pan-American flyer from Chi
cago ran into a crowd of a thousand
people at the corner of De Quinder
and Garfield streets at $3.50 Sunday
evening, killing ten to fifteen men and
seriously injuring about thirty more.
The majority of the killed and wound
ed are from Toledo.
Fifteen hundred Polanders from
Toledo came up 10 Detroit, Sunday
morning, on Il special Lake Shore
srain to celebrate q holiday. They
eft the train at the corner of De
Quinder and Garfield streets and went
over to St. Joseph's church, where
hey spent the day with that congre-
cation.
The Lake Shore tracks run out De
Quinder street, and a special train
was to stop for the Toledo excursion
lists at Garfield avenue at $50. Ac-
rompanied by hundreds of their local
friends, waiting for the train, the
eXcursionists jammed Garfield avenue
some time before the train was due,
in readiness for it. When the train
was sighted the crowd pushed across
the track and onto the Grand Trunk
tracks, which adjoins those of the
Lake Shore just as the Grand Trunk
Pan-American flyer came laundering
in from the west. The people were
thrown into the air and dashed to
either side of the track. Many of
them We're ground under the wheels.
The police Immediately We're notified
and all ambulances in the city were
rushed to the scene. The victims were
scattered along the track for a dis
lance of two blocks.
Lanterns were procured and the
work of rescue began Immediately.
The scene reflected by the light of
the lanterns was horrible. Gradually
the mangled and crushed bodies were
recovered and sent to the hospitals
when there vas a flicker of life left
and to the morgue when there was
none.
Train Came Like a Meteor.
Patrolman Schultz, who was one of
the officers on duty at the crossing,
said: "We made every effort to keep
"
the people off the tracks, but it was
impossible. There were 1900 eXcur-
sionists going back to Toledo and
twice that number of local Poles who
had been entertaining them were
down at the crossing to see them off.
ones and they crowled under the gates
which were down properly, or jumped
over them, despite our best efforts.
There was no warning whatever of the
approaching Grand Trunk train. No
whistle was blown and the bell was
not ringing. ] should say the number
of those killed was small, considering
the number of people who were on
the track for two blocks trying to be
among the first to board the Lake
Shore train and probably secure seats
for the homeWard "trip. The Grand
Trunk train came out of the darkness
up the track like a meteor and was
through the crowd almost before l
realized what happened. A terrible
cry went up from those who had wit
messed the accident and the reseuers
swarmed down the track. The cries
and means of the injured guided us
in the search and we picked them up
on both sides of the track for two
blocks. The sights were too sickGn-
ing to describe"
George Bartlett is the aged gateman
at the Garfield crossing, and he, too,
insisted his gates were down.