The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-05-04
Day of MsTfinent Ends With
 Horrible Disaster
SEVEN KILLEOi MANY INJURED
Fifteen Hundred Poles Laugh and Talk and Joy is Suddenly Turned to Sorrow as Train Ploughs
 Through Humanity.

Detroit, Mich, May a.--While 150O Poles tonight were waiting to board an excur- sion train for their homes In Toledo, after a holiday spent in Detroit, a fast passen- ger train on the Grand Trunk railroad crashed into the crowd and killed at least seven persons and injured many others.
 The day had been spent merrily by the members of the Polish Lancers of Toledo and the hundreds of men, women and children were packed in close quarters at Garfield and Dequiner streets shortly af- ter dark. While the people laughed and talked of the pleasant day enjoyed, the heavy train turned curve and bore down on the human mass in the darkness.
 The headlight gave momentary warn- ing, but tho people were crowded and So frightened by the rumble of the wheels the screeching of escaping steam and the grinding of the expeditiously applied air brakes. that escape from the track was precluded.
 Piouqhed Through Humanity.
 With a thud smothered by the human obstruction and supplanted to a degree by the screams of the dying and injured the huge locomotive pioughed through the throng, throwing men, women and children to either side of the track The very density of the crowd saved many lives, 1t is said. because the victims were hurled on to human cushions. | The engineer brought his train to a stor md he ff remove the dead and injured. All tho dead and injured are thought to live ir | Toledo.
 The death list includes four men, ono | woman and two boys.
 Walter Sidwick and Frank Rosinski arc l the only dead persons thus for identified About o'clock the visitors began tc gather at the corner of Garfield and De. quinder streets to take the train for Tn. ledo. Both the Lake Shore and Crane Trunk tracks run out rom the station on Dequiner street. Four policemen stood on the corner of Canfield and en- deavored to keep the excursionists from l crowding through the gates onto the | tracks to await the arrival or their trair which could be seen coming slowly uT from the station. Probably 1500 persons were scattered along the tracks for two blocks waiting to board the Lake Shore 
 It was only few blocks down the track creeping carefully along. Suddenly out from the darkness came the Grand Trunk, Chicago and New York express known as the Pan-American flyer Il ploughed through the mass of people throwing them to both sides of the track bruised and maimed, and grinding mum Der of them under the wheels.
 Four of the dead were killed by tho fvaf fs, 1a nf1 Had off 1at,,r taken to the hospital.
 The tracks are dark below Garfield ant lanterns had to be brought into use tC | find the victims.
 | neghboring coal office, several neigh boring houses and the gateman's shanty at the crossing were made temporary hospitals, and the wounded were carried into them until the ambulances arrived I a few minutes later
 Every ambulance in the city was called | to the scene.
 | Patrolman's Statement. l Patrolman Schulte, who was one of tho | officers on duty at the crossing said:
 "we made every effort to keep the peo. pie off the tracks, but 1t was impossible | There were 1500 excursionist8 going Lack | to Toledo and twice that number of De troit Poles who were at the crossing tc l see them off. Those behind pushed and | showed the foremost ones and they crawl | ed under the gates which were properly down, or jumped over them despite oui best efforts. There was no warning what ever of the approaching Grand Trunl train. No whistle was blown and tho bell was not ringing I should think thai one thousand was a small number for tho 1 people who were on the tracks for two blocks, trying to be among the first l aboard the Lake Shore train and there by secure seats for the homeward trip l The Grand Trunk train came out of tn, 1 darkness up the track like a meteor ant l was through the crowd almost before realized what had happened. The cries and moans of the injured guided us in the search and we picked them up from both l sides of the track for two blocks. Some of the sights were too sickening to de- l scribe"
 l field crossing, insists that the gates were down.
 l The Dead. Mrs. Helen Paliki, Toledo; Frank RosIn | ski, Toledo; Walter Sedgwick, Toledo | young woman, unidentified; man. uni dentifed two boys, unidentified. List of Injured. Severely injured;
 | Michael Broski, fractured shoulders James Rowlaczk, back injured; Peter Orghorske shoulder broken; Mrs. Or 1 ghorske, cut about face; two children Of l the Orghorskes', cut about head and body; Mary shafrainskL cut about body l John Malkoski, fractured left leg; Joseph | Vakrski, cut about the head; Joseph l Picard, compound fracture of leg; Joseph | shrafrainski, injured about the head