Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-06-21
ELEcrRlcs COLLIDE.

South Bend, Ind, June 20.-Ten per-
sons were killed and 40 injured in a
wreck on the Chicago. Lake Shore Il
South Bend Railroad in Porter county.
Ind, last night. two of the big electric
cars coliding nehd on. According to
General Manager H. u. Wallace, the
wreck was due to a disobedience OF
orders by Motorman George A. Reed
of the eaStbound car, who was killed.
Reed received instructions at Gary
to wait at Wilson, q short distance west
of Raileytown, the point at which the
disaster occurred, for the westbound
car to pass The impact of the cars
was 50 great that they We're reduced
to mass Of wreckage.
The dead
George A. Reed, motorman, Michigan
City. Ind. Ray r. Merriman, South
Pend; Charles Johnson, Porter, Ind;
Edward Gilberton, Porter, Ind; a,
Earber Michawka, Ind: A. II. Moore,
residence unknown; William Leon, sec
rotary of the Dowagac Motor Works.
Dowceiac, Mich: f. A. Lake, president
Dowagiac Motor Co., Dowagiac, Mich. !;
II. H. Hutson, Niles, Mich; Charles
Swanson, Porter, Ind.
The eastbound car was going so miles
an hour to make up lost time ana
when the collision occurred was tele-
scopnd and almost demolished In this
train were all of the killed and most of
the injured, the passengers on the
westbound train escaping with bruises
The two cars We're welded together
in mass Of debris in which lay the
dead and dying and 40 injured. me
cries for help caused a scene Of confu-
sion for many minutes. Soon, however,
the coolheaded passengers brought or
dor out of chaos.
Darkness greatly interfered with the
progress of the rescuers and to make
matters worse the nearest telephone
was nearly a mile away. All but one
of the killed were in the smoking de-
partment of the car in the front end.
This space was crowded.
G. A. Schimmel, motorman of the
wcstbound car said that his car was at
a full stop when the eastbound car
struck it. He added
MY car was nearing Dune Park. when
| saw the headlight of the eastbound
| train flashing in the distance. That
| train had been ordered to wait for my
| car at Wilson. some distance west OF
! Dune Park. I realized at once that the
motorman of the car had overlooked his
| orders. | put on the brakes and brought
my car to- a stop while the eastbound
| car kept rushing toward me. / tried to
| back my car. but the airbrakes did not
| release the wheels and l could not move
| before the crash came"
Supt. Walsh of the 1nteruban Line
| was in Michigan City when the accident
| occurred but it was impossible to run
| electric cars to the scene because the
| trolley wire had been broken. Three
| physicians were sent in a gasoline trac-
! ton speeder and three more dispatched
| in an automobile. When the physicians
| reached the scene they found scores of
| farmers and villagers endeavoring to
| care for the wounded and to extricate
| the dead and dying by the light Of a few
| lanterns. Many of the wounded were
| pinoned in the wreckage so that it was
| necessary to use axes
| The New York and Boston fast ex-
| press of the Lake Shore & Michigan
Southern Railroad stopped at Dune Park
| and took aboard the wounded, who were
| carried to South Bend and LaPorte and
| placed in hospitals.