The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-08-14
WALLACE BROS.
CIRCUS IN WRECK
Two Sections Of the Show
Train Crash Together in
Michigan Town.
FEARFUL SCENE ENSUEs
Believing Of Frightened Animals and
Cries of the Injured Made Bed
lam of lt-Circus Has Big
Financial Loss.

l0Vt " lI-\lICuS I1dS DI9
Financial Loss.
Durand, Mich, Aug. 8. = Wallace
Bros circus was wrecked in the
Grand Trunk yards here early today
ployes, were killed outright. Twelve
more were injured, seven fatally.
Among the dead are ]. Mccarthy.
train master Of the Grand Trunk, and
A. w. Large Of Battle Creek, special
agent of the Grand Trunk.
The show was travelling in two sec
lions over the Grand Trunk from
Lansing to LaPere. The accident, 1t
is said, was caused by the failure Of
the second section to stop on time, so
that it ran into the first section at full
speed.
The engine Of the second section and
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 We're killed.
The scene after the accident was ap-
palling. The shrieks of the injured
and the believing Of frightened ami
mails could be heard above the hiss of
escaping steam and the excited shouts
Of the reScuerS.
It was some hours before all the in
jured We're rescued.
The Dead and Injured.
The dead:
JOHN PURCELL, Peru, Ind.
LAFE LARSON, Cambridge, o.
G. THOMAS.
HARRY ST. CLAIR, residence un-
known.
JOHN LEARY, Springfield, III.
ANDREW ROWLAND, New York
state.
FRANK THORP, Dundee, Mich.
ROBERT RICE.
GEORGE SMITH, residence un,
known.
CHARLES SANDS, Peru, Ind.
JOE WILSON, Pittsburg.
w. J. MCCOY, Columbus, o.
SEVEN OTHER SHOWMEN, names
and residences unknown.
The seriously injured:
oPSSAtLi
Grand Trunk, Detroit.
Joseph. F. Penton, New Milford,
Conn.
w. H. Roe, Armstrong, III.
Frank rilley, Rising Sun, Ind.
Bole Abrams, Sandusky, o.
Burt McGrath, Connellville, o.
John W. Rooms, Bairdstown, o.
George Barley, Los Angeles, Cal.
The wreck, according to the state
0P no Of no
ton, was caused by the failure Of the
air brakes to work.
Early Morning Horror.
1t 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-
ror the air refused to work. He re-
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-
scoped the engine, and five cars of the
moving train were demolished. The
rear car Of the first section was a ca
boose, in which the trainnnen were
sleeping, and the next two were filled
with sleeping circus 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
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 menagerie
was wrecked, the other demolished cars
%,s,. VI,
was comparatively little excitement
among the wild animals.
Elephants Behaved Well.
The elephants in the wrecked car be-
haved with surprising, calmness. They
were led out Of the wreck without
trouble. The escaping steam and the
cries of those pinned in the wreck
made 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 wreckine
minutes bring tools and equipment in
plenty.
All the physicians and trained nurses
in the town were sent for, and those /
nearby places were rushed to the seen
on handcars. The Hotel Richelieu was
converted into 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-
LITIGATION seemed well-night impossible
were carefully laid on the green
sward a short distance from the scene.
Many Physicians at Work.
Ry G o'clock a. corps Of twelve ohvs;-
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 We're lying
on the grass awaiting removal to the
morgue. Four others died in the hos
pital. The majority We're killed while
asleep. The circus performers were on
the rear of the moving train and es-
capped injury.
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