The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1908-01-03
TRAINS IN HEAD ON
COLLISION
WRECK ON THE LENox "Y'
CAUSED BY AN OPEN SWITCH
KILLS FIVE MEN.
DEAD WERE TRAINMEN
Passengers Escape Injury Owing to
Strength of cars-Scene Was Fright
ful-Bodies in the Wreck All Night.

ful-Bodes in the Wreck All Night.
A Christmas aftermath of grieving
homes is in the midst of holiday cheer
in Detroit as the result OF the head
on collision Friday night OF Grand
Trunk passenger train No. 5, going
from Montreal via Port Huron to De-
troit. with double-header freight, on
the North Air line "Y," just outside of
Lenox. Five trainmen were killed and
two injured. The only passenger in
jured was a baby thrown from its
mothers lap over several seats.
The freight train had backed into
the "Y" to allow the passenger train
to pass, but the crew failed to close
the switch. The "Y" connects the
LenoX-Jackson line with the main line
of the road. The heavy fog was thought
to be partly responsible.
When the panic-stricken passengers
emerged from the coaches, which did
not leave the tracks, and rushed for
/ ward, frightful sight met their eyes.
! The engines were an unacceptable
mass of twisted and bent steel and
| from the wreck came mingled the
cries of the injured and dying and the
hiss of great volumes OF escaping
! steam.
The passenger locomotive tossed the
forward freight locomotive into the
air and plowed under il, standing the
second locomotive on end.
After three hours rescue work by
the passengers and surviving train
men, the bodies of Engineers Bennett
and Bohusky and Fireman Bought
ner were still in the wreck. They were
removed Saturday morning after the
wrecking crew had got to work. The
bodies were terribly mangled and
burned by steam.
Fireman Albert Mccall, of Port HUI
ron, was conscious when rescued, al
though his right leg was severed, left
leg broken and his whole body crushed
and bruised. He died three hours later
in LenoX. where he was Immediately
taken.
Engineer Fred. Howe and Fireman
Washburn, of the second freight loco
motive, escaped practically unhurt.
! Washburn caught a glimpse of the
headlight of the passenger locomotive
rounding the curve at the "Y" and
jumped. Howe was pinned in his cab,
but his cries attracted the rescuers
and he was released while in immi-
nent danger of death from escaping
steam.
Doctors and nurses hurried to the
scene, but the victims were beyond
help. The passengers walked to Len
OK. There were 20 of them and they
soon filled the two lodging houses.
| The rest were accommodated in pri-
vate homes.
Willard J. Tyler. head brakeman on
the freight, who was killed, is unOf-
ficially blamed for the wreck. When
the freight pulled into the "Y," Engin-
eer Bohusky yelled to him:
you close the switch"
The switch was not closed. Immedi-
ately after the wreck the switch was
inspected and found to be open.
A special train had just preceded the
passenger, and it is conjectured that
Tyler thought the special was the
train fer which he was to close the
switch.
Tyler was a new man on the Grand
Trunk. He is an experienced railroad
man. but just recently came to the
Grand Trunk and was learning the
road preparatory to taking a run as
conductor
The passenger train was in charge
Of Conductor Harry Harris, of Detroit,
and the freight in charge of Conductor
Claude Haggerty. of Detroit. AS soon
as possible both conductors went to
the switch, which they found open.
"Tyler must have thought that the
special that went by just before our
train was due and Just after the
freight got onto the ~ was the train
that the freight was sidetracked to
let by" Conductor Harris remarked
as he viewed the open switch.
The dead were brought TO Detroit
and from there sent to the homes of
relatives. The steel passenger coaches
having great strength of resistance, il
is thought, prevented loss of life and
injury to passengers.