The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-05-04
TRAIN DASHED
INTO A CROWD
From Ten to Fifteen Persons
Killed or Fatally Hurt.
MANY SERIOUSLY INJURED
WAITING EXCURsIoNIsTs HAD
SWARMED ONTO THE TRACK.

n GTROIT, May S.-A day OF merry
making and celebration by 1900
Polish excursionists from Toledo
was brought to close by a frightful
catastrophe at the corner of Garfield
and Dequindre streets at $50 O'Clock
I tonight in which at least seven of the
eXcurslonists were killed. The excur-
sion was given by the Polish I.ancers
of Toledo, over the Lake Shore rail-
road The eXcursiOnists left the train
at the corner Of Garfield and DeQuindre
streets this morning and were greeted
by number of local Poles and Polish
: societies, who escorted the visitors to
St Josephat's church. An entertain
ment was held later at Harmonic hall.
About o'clock the visitors began to
gather again at the corner Of Garfield
and Dequindre streets to take their
! train back to Toledo.
Crowded Onto the Track.
Both the Lake Shore and Grand
/ Trunk tracks run out from the Brush
street station on Dequindre street
/ -Four policemen stood at the corner of
1 Garfield and endeaVOred to keep the
/ excUrsiOnists from Crowding through
( the gates onto the track Despite their
efforts hundreds crawled under or over
! the gates and walked down the dark
| tracks to await the arrival of their
! train, which could be seen coming I'D
! slowly from the station.
: Probably 1 600 persons were scattered
| along the tracks for two blocks, wait
/ ing to board the Lake Shore excur-
| sion train and secure seats. It was
| only a few blocks down the track,
| creeping carefully along.
An Awful Catastrophe.
Suddenly from out of the darkness
came the Grand Trunk Chicago q
! New York express, known as the Pan
/ American flyer. 1t plOWed through the
mass of people, throwing them to both
sides Of the track, bruised and manned.
and grinding number Of them under
| the wheels.
| PatrOlman Fred Schultz. John Syn
da, prominent local Pole, and num-
bers Of others who were at the cross
| ing, assert that the flyers whistle was
not blown nor was the bell rung. No
statement could be secured on this sub
ject at the local Grand Trunk Office to-
night
The flyer was checked and stopped
as quickly as possible and backed to
the scene Of the catastrophe, where for
two blocks the track was covered with
mangled and dying people.
Four Killed Outright.
-Four Of the dead were killed out
! right by the train, and the others died
after being taken to hospitals. The
| tracks are very dark below Garfield
street, and lanterns had 10 be brought
into use to find the victims A neigh
boring coal Office. several neighborina
| houses and the gateman'S shanty al
the crossing were made temporary hos
pitals, and the wounded were carried
into them until the dmbuIances arrived
d few minutes later Every Ambulance
in the city was called to the scene,
and the injured were very soon under
the care Of surgeons in the hospitals
! 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 if was
impossible. There were 15OO excur-
sionists going back to Toledo, anC
twice that number Of local Poles who
had been entertaining them were down
at the crossing to see them off. Those
behind pushed and showed the fore
most ones, and they crawIed under the
gates, which were down properly, OF
jumped over them, despite our bes-
efforts.
No Whistle Blown
There was no warning whatever Of
the approaching Grand Trunk train
No whistle was blown. and the bel
was not ringing I should think that
1000 was a small number for the peo-
pie who were on the tracks for two
blocks trying to be among the first
1DOdIQ the Lake CLlOEG tram, ana Llere-
by secure seats for the HON eward trip.
The Grand Trunk train came out of the
darkness up the track like a meteor,
and was through the crowd almost be-
fore 1 realized what had happened, and
rescuers swarmed down the track The
cries and means of the injured guided
US in the search, and we picked them
up from both sides of the track for
two blocks. Some of the sights were
too sickening TO describe"
George Bardell is the aged gateman
at the Garfield crossing, and he, too,
insisted that his gates We're down prop
erly-
| Following is the crew of the Pan
American flyer as given to the police:
Conductor E. 7. HigusOn, Engineer T.
II. Hart and Fireman Carl Butler No
statement could be secured from the
engineer or fireman as to the asser-
I tiOns of bystanders that the whistle was
not blown for the crossing.
Cry For Vengeance.
The cry for vengeance went up from
the Poles as soon as they realized what
| slaughter the Grand Trunk train had
done A demonstration was started
/ against the engineer of the flyer Some
one shouted. Get the engineer. Kill
him. and a rush was made down the
I track for the cab of the engine The
police had fOrestalled them. however,
and an officer guarded each door Of
{ / the cab The angry Poles stood about
and uttered threats until the flyer re-
sumed its trip into the station.
-S
ARRIVED IN LONDON.
London. May S.-Andrew Carnegie and
/ J. 2. Morgan arrived here today
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