The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1908-12-15
FREIGHT WRECKED;
ENGINEER IS
KILLED
ACCIDENT ON SHORE LINE IN
RIVER ROUGE DUE TO ATTEMPT
TO RUN oERAlLER-vlcTIM A
TOLEDO MAN.

One man was killed, a locomotive
and half a dozen freight cars wrecked,
and several rods OF track torn up as
the result of a wreck at an early hour
Tuesday morning on the Detroit *
Toledo Shore Line railway. recently
purchased by the Grand Trunk
and USED exclusively as freight
line. The dead man Is Engi'
peer August Van Clan. living In Syi'
Nania. suburb OF Toledo. He was
crushed under the engine and killed
instantly. Van Clan was married and
leaves a wife and fee children.
The train. consisting OF thirty freight
cars, left Toledo nj IL o'clock Monday
night and was due in Detroit AT 1880
o'clock Tuesday morning 1t was
about this time that the accident oc.
Cured. while the train was running
at a speed, according - Conductor e.
j.. Allen, of Toledo Of from 20 10 -
miles an hour. Twenty miles an hour
IS the limit allowed by law at this
Iart!cula, point.
The engine left the rails about a
quarter Of n mile west of River Rougc
bridge. and but a few rods west or
the Michigan Central crossing. The
embankment is Is feet high there
and the engine turned turtle and rolled
into the ditch. Ten cars LETT the rails.
and eight OF them went into the ditch
On either side OF the track Van Clan
was thrown between the boiler and
the cab, and there crushed so that
death must have been instantaneous.
Several hours work was necessary be-
. ha no A
was then removed To the county
moregue by County Undertaken Cree
don or Coroner Parker's order.
Justice Burke. of River Rouge was
Oh the scene early. securing names OF
witnesses and making a partial invcs.
tigation preparatory To an inquest
which he will probably hold next Tues
day. A jury was sworn in over the
body before IL was removed TO the
morgue. Coroner Parker was alsC
summoned and is cooperating with
Justice Burke In the Investigation
which will Ire thorough. The place
where the wreck occurred is in Oak
Nood. and is within almos; a stones
throw of the Oakwood shaft OF the De
troit Salt Co. where six men recently
lost their lives
Failure OF the engineer TO see or
heed semaphore appears to have
caused the wreck. as near as the OF
ficials OF the road have been able to
learn thus far. The indications a'e
that the derailer was set against the
train, as the signal board, after the
wreck, was found 20 show a red light.
II would have been impossible for the
leverman in the tower, near by 20
have thrown the semapEore in this
position after the accident, as the
mechanism which operates II was put
completely out of commission. The
Gerailer itself was found open, as IL
would be if the track were clear. but
the officials say II Is possible that the
car wheels showed it over when they
left the track. Besides, when the
semaphore is set against a train the
Gerailer must almost be set OF neces
sity. unless il is out OF order. for the
Two are interlockinS.
J. a. Hellems, the night leverman
on duty In the tower at the time OF
the wreck, tells ,he following story:
1t was the duty Of the engineer to
stop and get his signal that the track
was clear before he reached the de-
railer. They usually whistle, but |!
heard none last night The first
knew that anything was wrong was
when the lever operating that derailer,
No. IS. gave a little click. Then /
lnew that the train must have gone
off the track. for the derailer was set
against 1t and the semaphore was In
position, indicating that the derailer
was set.
Supt ]. A. Main, who was on hand
early. was strongly OF the opinion that
the engineer must have run the de-
railer, regardless Of the signal.
In the cab of the engine. besides the
engineer. were Fireman VIM. Smith and
Brakeman Ralph Beard, both of To-
iedo neither of whom will discuss the
accident When the engine came -
n stop at the bottom of the embank-
ment. Smith picked himself out of the
wreckage and assisted Beard in ex-
Treating himself Then both crawled
out to safety.