Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1903-08-14
CIRCUS TRAIN WRECKED
Twenty-Three People Were Killed in the
Collision.
LAYS 1T ON THE BRAKES.
Two Sections Of the Train Came Together
With Fearful Crash-The Victims Suffer.
ed Torture Before Death Relieved Them
Pitiful Condition of the Wounded as They
Were Taken to the Hospital

Durand, Mich. (SpeciaD. An air
brake on the second section OF Wallace
Brothers circus train refused to work
in the Grand Trunk railway yards here,
causing a collision between the two
sections, in which 70 people were kill
ed and about 80 injured.
An official statement issued by the
Grand Trunk road says that the air.
brakes were not applied by the engineer
of the second section, as he had claim
ed
The circus travels in two trains Of
about thirty-fve cars each. After the
nights exhibition at Charlotte the two
trains left for Lapeer, 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 airbrake. To his horror it refused
to work He reversed his engine, but
the momentum of the heavy train be-
hind was too great, and, with crash
that aroused all of the town near the
yards, the second section crashed into
the first
Three cars of the stationary first sec
ton were telescoped, and the engine
ard FIVE cars of the moving train were
demolished
Engineer Propst, Fireman Golfer and
Head Brakeman Benedict, who was also
on the engine OF the second section,
all agree that il the brakes had worked
there would have been no accident.
The escaping steam and screams and
cries of'those pinned in the wreck made.
a horrifying spectacle in the gray OF
the early morning, when the trainmen
in the yards and the aroused townspeo-
pie first reached the scene. Many fear
ed at first that some of the menagerle
had escaped, as some OF the animals
could be heard crying. A fre whistle
was sounded and the whole town was
aroused. The reScuers could see un-
fortunates in the tangled wreckage and
went furiOusly to work without waiting
for tools to extricate them. A wreck
ing crew is kept in the yards here and
it was on the scene in a few minutes,
bringing tools and equipment in plenty
All the physicians and trained nurses
in Durand were sent for and those IN
nearby places were rushed to the scene
on handcars. The Hotel Richelieu was
converted into temporary hospital, and
the injured persons were taken there
as fast as the rescuerS could extrlcate
them The dead, many of them so ter.
ribly mangled that identification seemed
well nigh impossible, were carefully laid
on the green sward short distance from
the scene.
By 6 o'clock a corps of IL physicians
was operating on the injured and dress
ing their wounds in the temporary hos
pital. Four of the injured died at the
hospital before $50 o'clock and fifth at
noon.
When the wrecking-trafn crews had
finished pulling to pieces the tangled and
broken cars II dead men were lying on
the grass awaiting removal to the
morgue. A minority Of them were killed
while asleep.
Wallace Brothers say that their loss
was very heavy, but have given no esti.
mate of it as yet. This is the second
wreck that the Wallace shows have
suffered within a month.