The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-08-08
TWENTY-THREE
DEAD AND THIRTY
INJURED IN WRECK,
Disastrous Results Follow
Collision on Grand
Trunk Near Do
rand, Mich.
AIR BRAKES FAIL TO WORK.
Wallace Brothers Circus Being
Transported in Two Sections
When Trains Collide.
MANY KILLED OUTRIGHT.
Engine and Five Cars Demolished
and Much of Show Com
pany's Property Dam
aged.
Wallace Brothers Circus Being
Transported in Two Sections
When Trains Collide.
MANY KILLED OUTRIGHT.

Durand, Mich, Aug. Am air brake on
the second section of Wallace Bros circus
train refused to work In the Grand Trunk
Railway yards here early to-day, causing
collision between the two sections in
which twenty-three persons were killed and
thirty were injured.
The circus travels In two trains Of about
thirty-five cars each. After last nights ex-
hfbition at Charlotte the two trains left for
Lapeer over the Grand Trunk road. the
second section leaving half hour after the
first.
1t was S:l 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. Engineer
Bropst Of Battle Creek, who was running
the engine Of the rear train. says he saw
this light and applied the air brakes. To
his horror they refused to work He re-
versed his engine. but the momentum of
the train behind him was too great, and
with crash that aroused all Of the town
the two trains met
Three cars OF the stationary first section
were telescoped and the engine and five
cars OF the moving train were demolished
The rear car Of the first section was a
caboose. in which the trainmen were sleep
ing. and the next two, were filled with
sleeping circus employees The greatest loss
of Life was in the caboose
ONE ELEPHANT KILLED.
One Of the wrecked cars of the second
section was occupied by five elephants and
several camels. One of the elephants and
two eamels were killed outright, while the
other animals and their trainer escaped
With the exception Of this car. none of
the menagerie was wrecked, the other de-
molished cars containing canvas or wagons
As soon as they recovered from the first
shock, the trainers rushed among the cages
quieting the excited beasts. The elephants
in the wrecked car behaved with surpris-
ing calmness, and were. led out OF the
wreck without trouble.
. The escaping steam and the screams and
cries OF those pinned in the wreck made q
horrifying spectacle in the gray of the early
morning, when the trainmen in the yards
and the aroused townspeople first reached
the scene.
Many feared at first that some of the
menagerie had escaped, as some of the AMI
mails could be heard crying. The fire whis-
Tie was Immediately sounded and the whole
town was aroused The rescuers could SEQ
unfortunates through the tangled wreck
age. A wreckihg crew is kept in the yards
minutes. Ali the physicians and ' trained ned
nurses In town were sent for, and the Ho-
tel Richelieu was converted into q TEN.
porary hospital
soon In readiness to carry the injured there
as fast as the rescuers could extricate them.
Inc dead. many of them SO terribly man
impossible. were laid on the ground a short
distance from the scene.
BY o'clock corps Of twelve physicians
their wounds. -Four of the injured died at
the hospital before $50 o'clock.
SEVENTEEN INSTANTLY KILLED.
When the wrecking train crews had fin-
ished pulling to pieces the tangled and
broken cars. seventeen dead men were lying
on the grass awaiting removal to the
while asleep, The circus performers were
on the rear Of the moving train and escaped
injury.
very heavy. but have given no estimate
Of It as yet. This is the second wreck that
the Wallace shows have suffered within q
month.
Engineer. Bropst. Fireman. Golfer and
Head Brakeman Benedict, who was also
ON the engine of the second sectiSn, all
they should have worked when the en-
g'neer tried to use them there would not
have been collision.
when they saw that collision could not
NAMED at his post: vainly trying to get
within less than a hundred feet of train
No. l. Then he. too. jumped when he was
within but a very few seconds of sure
death. He was shaken up. as were the fire.
man and brakeman, but not badly. None
OF the members of the train crews was
hur..
At the time the crash occurred. train No.
2 was running probably fifteen miles an
hou:
General Manager F. H. Michigan of the
Grand Trunk system. was on his way from
Chicago to Montreal and arrived at the
Immediately took charge Of the work of
clearing the track and caring for the in
jured and dead.