Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1903-08-14
TWENTY-THREE DEAD
BROS CIRCUS TRABl
WRECKED ON GRAND TRUNK
AT DURAND, MICH.

WRECKED ON GRAND TRUNK
At DURAND, MICH.
Airbrakes on the Second Section Fail
to Work and 1t Crashes Into the
First Section, DemoIishing Ca
boose and Two Cars Filled With
Sleeping Employees, Killing and In
jurina Over Two Score.
Durand, Mich, Aug 7.-Wallace
Bros circus was wrecked in the Grand
Trunk yards here at a. m. and seven
teen men, mostly employees of the cir
Gus, including a few of the perform
ers, were killed outright and six 9th
ers died later of injuries. The show
was travelling in two sections over the
Grand Trunk tracks from Lansing to
! Lapere and the accident, it is said,
was caused by the failure of the Sec
| ond section of the train to stop on
| time. The two sections were travel
ing near each other and the second
ran into the first at full speed.
The engine of the second section
and four cars of the first section were
completely demolished. Much valua-
| bic property was destroyed.
Some of those killed and a few of
those injured were employees attached
to the train. These include Train
| master J. Mccarthy of the Grand
Trunk, who was killed.
The scene in the Grand Trunk yards
after the collision was appalling. The
Wreckage Of the engine and four cars
was strewn about and piled high,
while the
shrieks Of the Injured Victims
and the believing of the frightened
| animals could be heard above the hiss
| OF escaping steam and the excited
| shouts of the rescuers. 1t was some
hours before all the injured were res
cued from the wrecked cars. Some of
them were in terrible agony and it is
feared that seven more will die.
The wreck, according to the eng-
neer OF the second section, was caused
by the failure OF the airbrakes to work.
about thirty-fve cars each. After the
exhibition at Charlotte the two trains
left for Lapere 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 Sec
ton. Engineer PrOpst Of Battle Creek,
| who was running the engine of the
rear train, says he saw this light and
applied the airbrakes. To his horror
it refused to work. He reversed his
engine, 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 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 circus employees. The
greatest loss Of life was in the ca
bcose. One of the wrecked cars of
the second section was occupied by
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 cars
containing canvas or wagons.
The escaping steam and cries of
those pinned in the wreck made hor-
| rifying spectacle in the grey of early
morning. The fire whistle was imme-
diately sounded and the whole town
was aroused. The rescuers could see
unfOrtunates
Through the Tangled Wreckage
and went to work with will. A wreck
ing crew is kept in the yards here and
it was on the scene in few minutes
bringing tools and equipment in plenty.
All the physicians and trained nurses
in town were sent for and those in
nearby places We're rushed to the scene
on hand cars. 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 extricate them. The dead, many
of them so mangled that Identification
seemed impossible, were laid on the
green SWdTu, d SHUT Instance from the
scene of the wreck. When the wreck
ing train crews had finished pulling to
pieces the tangled and broken cars
seventeen dead were lying on the grass
awaiting removal to the morgue. A
majority of them were killed while
asleep. Six of the injured died after
being removed to the hospital.
Wallace Bros. say their loss will be
heavy but have as yet given no esti-
mate Of it. This is the second wreck
that the Wallace shows have suffered
within a month.