The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-08-07
CIRCUS WRECKED
Wallace Brothers. Show Meets
Disaster in Michigan.
Rear Train Ran Into the One in
Front of 1t.
TWENTY-FIVE KILLED.
More Than Thirty We're In
jured, Some Fatally.
An Engine and Eight Cars We're
Demolished.
Some of the Animals Killed and
Loss Is Heavy.
AIR REFUSED TO WORE
Engine PlOughed Through Ca
bOose Full Of Sleeping Men.
Elephants in Wrecked Car Be-
haved With Great CalmnesS.

Durand. Mich. Aug An airbrake
on the second section of Wallace~Broth
ers circus train refused to work in the
Grand Trunk railway yards here early
today. causing a collision between the
two sections in which p people were
killed and thirty injured.
THE DEAD.
JAMES MCCARTHY, trainmaster of
the Grand Trunk road. division embrac-
ing Port Huron and Battle Creek.
A. w. LARGE, special officer of the
Grand Trunk, Battle Creek.
JOHN PURCELL, Peru, Ind, boss
canvasman.
LAFE LARSON. Cambridge. o.. dri-
G. THOMAS. residence unknown, Ia
borer.
HARRY ST. CLAIR, residence un-
known, ticket seller.
JOHN LEARY. Springfield. ILL.,, boss
ANDREW ROWLAND, New York
state, canvasman.
FRANK THORPE. Dundee. Mich.
trainmaster of circus train.
ROBERT RICE, residence unknown,
harnessmaker
GEORGE SMITH. residence unknown.
blacksmith.
CHARLES SANDS. Peru. Ind. driver.
JOE WILSON, PittsbGrg.
W. J. MCOY, Columbus. o., canvas
man.
r. UNKNOWN MAN driver.
UNKNOWN MAN. home said to be
in indianapolis, rider in circus races.
UNKNOWN MAN home said to be in
Louisville. driver.
UNKNOWN MAN. driver
UNKNOWN MAN. suffocated to
TWO UNIDENTIFIED MEN at the
hospital
EDWARD YORK. Terre Haute. Ind.
SERIOUSLY INJURED.
James s. Foley. special officer of the
Grand Trunk Detroit shoulder disloca-
ted and badly bruised about body.
Joseph F. Benton. New Milford, Conn.,,
internal injuries.
W. H. Roe, Armstrong, ILL.,, internal
injuries.
frank Tney. Rising Sun. Ind. hip dis
located, bad bruises and internal injur-
ies.
The wreck. according to the statement
of the engineer of the second section,
was caused by the failure of the air
brakes to work.
Bole Abrams. Sandusky, ..
Burt McCirath, Connellsvlle, o.
John w Koons. Bairdstown, o.
George w. Koons. Bairdstown. o.
George BARLEY. Los Angeles, Cal.
W. l. Cone. Dubuque Ia.
Joseph Patterson. Grand Prairie, Ill.
James Coffelmyer OriO. la.
John Collins. Des MOines. Iowa.
J. r. Stewart, Denver Colo.
The circus travels In two trains of
about 80 cars each. After last nights
exhibition at Charlotte. the two trains
left for Lapeer over the Grand Trunk.
the second section leaving a 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 section. Engineer Propst of
Battle Greek. who was running the en-
gine of the rear train saw this light
f1rs frsI,s ,fc h1r
Eor they refused to work He reversed
his engine but the momentum of the
train behind him was too great and
with a crash that aroused all of the
town near the cars the two trains met.
Three cars of the stationary first section
were telescOped and the engine and five
cars of the moving train were demolish-
ed The rear car of the first section
was a caboose in which the trainmeu
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
phants and several camels one of the
elephants and two cameis were killed
outright while the other animals and
their trainer escaped. With the eXcep-
tion of this car, none Of the menagerie
was wrecked, the other demolished cars
containing canvas or wagons.
As soon as they recovered from th'
first shocks the trainers rushed amons
the cages quieting the beasts that Were
excited.
The elephants in the wrecked car
behaved with surprising calmness. anC
We're led out of the wreck withOu
trouble. The escaping steam an
screams and cries of those pinlOned il
the wreck made a horrifying spectacle
in the gray of the early morning whel
the trainmen in the yards. and tn
aroused townspeople first reached tn
scene. Many thought at first that som
of the menagerie had escaped as som
of the animals could be heard crying
The fire alarm was sounded and tn
whole town was aroused. The rescuer
could see unfOrtunates through tn
tangled wreckage A wrecking crew i
kept in the yards here and ii was ol
the scene in very few minutes. Al
the physicians and trained nurses il
town were sent for and the Hotel Rich
leau was converted into a temporar,
hosptalt Scores of volunteers witt
stretchers were soon in readiness L
carry the injured there as fast as tn
rescuers could extricate them. Tn
dead many of them so terribly manglet
that Identification seemed well nigh i'm
possible, were laid on the ground
short distance from the accident Abou
6 o'clock corps of u physicians wa
operating on the injured and dressing