The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-08-14
5A 4 nAILRO 9 a D II HOt.ROH,
Two Trains Carrying A Big cifodhd
Come Together.
rWENTY-THREE PEOPLE KILLED
As Many Moro Badly Injured; SOME
Of the Animals Killed Also.
Horrible Spectacle In
the Grey Dnyn.
the Grey Dawn.

Wallace Brothers. was wreck
ed In the Grand Trunk yards at Der
rand, Mich, Friday morning and
twenty-tllrec men mostly employees of
the circus, including few Of the per-
formers, were killed outright. Twenty
more were Injured, some fatally. The
show was travelling in two Sections
over the Grand Trunk tracks from
Lansing to Lapere, and the accident t
1t is said, was caused by the failure Of
the second 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. III Q
loss to tho circus people will be heavy.
Some Of those killed and injured
we're railroad people attached to the
train, including Trainmastcr J. Nc
Carthy or the Grand Trunk. The
wreckage of the engine and four cars
was Strcwn about and piled high,
while the shricks OF the injured and
the believing OF the fright encd ami
mails could be heard above the bliss of
escaping steam and the excited shouts
Of the rcScucrs. 1t was hours before
the injured were rescued from the
wrecked cars. Some or them are in
terrible agony and it Is feared that
seven more will die.
The wreck according to the state
ment Of the engineer Of the second
section, was caused by tic failure Of
the air brakes to work. 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 OH
the rear car t1 stop the second sec
titn. Engineer Propst of Battle
Creek, who Was running the engine or
the rear train, says lie saw the light
and applied tic air brakes Io his
borrow they refused to work. lie re-
vcrscd his engine, but the momentum
vi the train behind was too great and, !,
with crash that aroused all the town
near the yard, the two trains met.
Three cars Of the stationary first
section were tclescopcd, and the en-
CINE and five cars OF The moving train
were demolised, the rear car OF the
flrSt section, the caboose in which the
traInmen were sleeping and the next
two, filled with sleeping circus en-
ployccS. The greatest loss OF life was
In the caGooSe. One Of tile wrecked
cars OF the second section was occl-
pied by five elephants and several cam
els. One elephant and two cancls
were killed outright, while the other
animals and their trainers escaped.
| With the exception Of this car, none
OF the menageric were wrecked, the
other demolished cars containing can
vas or wagons and there was compare
lively little excitement among the
wild animals. AS soon as they recoy-
cred from the first shock the trainers
rushed among the cages, quieting the
few beasts that were excited.
The escaping steam and the screams
and cries of those pinned in the wreck
made Il horrifying situation in the
gray Of the early morning, when the
trainmen in the yards and the aroused
towns people first reached the scene.
Many feared at first that some of the
mcnagcric had escaped as some OF I'll G
animals could he heard All available
drays and wagons in the vicinity were
used for ambuanccs, and for several
hours after the accident there was a
steady procession Of the extemporiZcd
ambulanccS from the scene OF the ac-
cident in the railroad yards to the
Hotel Richelicu. The dining room Of
the hotel was Used as an operating
room by the surgeons. A score of
wives and daughters OF rcscuers vol
untcered as nurses and worked with
The surgeons all the morning.
| More than twenty OF the injured
| fS,,. 49,, y q y
wreckage, SO that they had to be
chopped and pricd out. 1t was late in
the morning before all had been cx-
trlcatcd and removed to the hospital
All OF the animal cars we're unloaded,
and the cages removed to neighboring
held, where the animals could get air
and quiet down after the excitement.