The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-05-14
Motorman McCrosky is Fa-
tally Injured.
WRECK At PROSPECT
Z. d. & M. Express Car
Completely Demolished.
Air Brakes Failed to Work and the
Car Left the Rails on a Sharp
Curve.

Robert H. McCrosky of this city
was perhaps fatally Injured. A. w.
Smith of Delaware sustained serious
bruises, an interurban express car
was crushed into kindling wood and
several thousand dollars worth of
express was destroyed, in one of the
most horrible disasters which has oc-
Cured in the history of the G. ID. &
NJ. traction company.
Because Of the failure of the air
brakes to work properly, an interur-
ban Wells Fargo express car, crashed
into the sharp curve at Eighth street,
Prospect, shortly before IL o'clock
Thursday night. The train was run
ming at speed of about twenty five
miles an hour. When the car struck
the curve it leaped into the air like
a live thing, fell about twenty feet
from the rails, then plowed through
trees, telephone poles over sidewalks
and piled up in a heap within five
feet of a residence.
| Motorman II. IL. MCcrosky was
managing the power, while Conductor
A. W. Smith was checking freight at
the time Of the incident. There is a
grade on the south side of the curve
and the motormen always let's the
trains out at this point and depend
upon the air to slack up for the
curve. McCrosky was allowing the
car to coast along at the usual speed.
AS he neared the curve he applied
the air but the brakes did not set
He seized the lever desperately, shook
it several times, thinking perhaps
that he might loosen the valves. The
brakes however, refused to respond
and the car increased it's speed as it
crashed down grade towards the
curve. McCrosky was still desperate
=, ly working at the air brake when the
heavy car leaped from the rails.
The train leaped clear of the tracks
and fell several yards from the rails
The car seemed to toppIe on it's sides
skating across the road where it first
cut off a small tree and finally came
in contact with larger tree and q
|
bent almost to the ground as the
heavy steel trucks crashed into them
Motorman McCrosky stuck to his
post He was pinioned beneath the
wreckage and when the residents OF
= Prospect visited the dark scene, al
they could hear was his pitiful groan
Harry Thomas, Of this city, who
happened to be near the scene of the
wreck, was the first to arrive at Tho
spot. He Immediately secured {
lantern and after telephoning the cen
tral offices to summon all of Tho
: Prospect physicians, he returned t
: the wreck.
For fully twenty minutes a dozer
men worked in desperate effort Il
rescue McCrosky, who was apparentl!
; slowly dying IN the wreck. They lift
: cd a heavy money vault from nj
chest, a fifty pound stove was re
moved from his limbs, other debri
was pulled from the body of the in
jured man. And all the time the vic
tim was conscious and was bravel.
i coaching his rescuers. When tn
: men lifted the moturhan from tn
debris, he seemed to realize his con
dition. Tell my wife goodbye,
can't live" he exclaimed, and thel
tainted.
k McCroslSy was placed on the l
: O'Clock passenger car and removed t
5 this city. He was taken TO the Saw
s iyer sanatorium and was examine,
by Drs. A. Rhu, G. e. Sawyer, A. r
: Cast, b. W. McNeal and A. Shuey
a 1t was disclosed that the youn
y man had sustained probable fata
$ injuries. His stomach was bruises
0Ihnd crushed, his hips were seriousl