The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1909-06-25
VICTIM BLAMED
FOR TEN DEATHS
Traction Crash Due to Mis-
understood Order.
COULDN'T BACK HIS CAR

Motorman Saw Flash of Danger Speed
ing Toward Him but Finds Some
thing Wrong When He Endeavors to
Make Race For Safety-Passenaer
Who Escaped Says That at the Time
of the Collision the Car at Fault
Was Running at Sixty-MiIe Clip.
Ten persons were killed and forty in
jured in a wreck on the Chicago, Lake
Shore and South Bend railroad in Por-
ter county, Indiana. Two big electric
cars collided.
according to General Manager H. u.
obedience OF orders by Motorman
George A Reed, who was killed. The
heavy cars were east and west bound
and the eastbound car was running
with some speed at the moment of the
crash. Both cars were demolished.
Reed, it is said, received instructions
at Gary to wait at Wilson, short dis.
lance west of Baileytown, the point
at which the disaster occurred. for the
WeStDOund car to pass.
The dead are George A. Reed, Ray
F. Merrilnan, Charles Johnson, Ed
ward Gilbertson, A. Barber, F. T..
Moore, Leon Lyle, F. A. Lake, H. H.
Hutson and Charles Swanson and Emil
Lungren.
Long List of Injured.
The injured are Fred Wusth, Arthur
Johnson, f. G. Schimmel, Charles
Neissen, Delbert e. Kinney, Mrs A. D.
Scholley, Cordius Kline, Donald Brue-
ger, e. C. Calvert, R. Lyle Kelley. Mrs.
Esther Graffenberger, q. e. Brothers,
Meyer Roderick, B. E. Crawford.
Mrs. Guy Stutzman, F. L. Tucker, Mrs.
Rose Hershey, C. A. Simmons, Nan
Larsen, Charles Nice, Edward W.
Burlingame, l.. V. Teto, Albert Pagels
Louis Mantoffel A. C. Phillips, Mrs. A.
C.. Phillips, George Aaron Robertson
G.. H. Barnum, T. w. Luce, T. W.
Louie, Paul Wilson, Mrs. Stella Men
dyke, Fred Reath, Ed Austin, George
Wordine, Name Robertson, Adolph
Erickson, A. Moore, A. LEU and John
f. Miller.
The eastbound car with Reed at the
motor, it is stated, was going at the
rate of fifty miles an hour to make up
lost time In this train were all of the
killed and most of the injured.
David Crawford, chauffeur, tells
this story of the accident:
There were about fifty on our car
Most of those travelling had got on at
Hammond, having been at the auto
races at Crown Point. Tired out by
the long day of excitement, many Of
the passengers were asleep.
Sixty Miles an Hour.
1.-THE car started at fast rate OF
speed and the momentum increased
until l believe we were running be-
tween fifty and sixty miles an hour.
Suddenly there was a terrific crash,
followed by the smashing of timbers
and the creaking of steel. Then sud-
denly everything was dark.
1.-THE stiffness was broken by the
cries of the injured and dying. Shrieks
and groans Mortified the passengers
who had escaped. The forward trucks
of the cars were welded together.
''The accident occurred on straight
away track. There was no reverse
made by the motorman to check the
speed of the eastbound car. | was
told that the westbound car was at a
standstill."
G. A. Schimmel, motorman of the
westbound car. said:
"My car was nearing Dune Park
when / saw headlight flashing in the
distance I realized at once that the
motorman of the eaStbound car had
overlooked his orders. | put on the
brakes and succeeded in bringing my
car to a stop. All this time No. SO,
was rushing toward me. tried to
start my car backward, but the air.
brakes had not released the wheels
and / could not move it,
Baby Escapes Without Scratch.
The New York and Boston fast ex-
press of the Lake Shore here, took
aboard the wounded. who were car
ried to South Bend and Laporte and
placed in hospitals.
One of the heroes was c.. A. Sim
mons of Benton Harbor, Mich. He lost
consciousness after the collision.
When he recovered he was lying in the
sand near ditch. Both of his legs
were broken, but when Dr. Axe OF
Michigan City reached him and tender
ed aid he refused it. instructing the
surgeon to give his time to others
more seriously injured.
my legs are broken he said. s'but
my head is all right, and guess can
| stand it for awhile"
Mrs. Guy Stutzman of Mishawaks.
| whose head was cut badly, was hold
ing one-year-old baby, but the infant
escaped without a scratch.
The South Shore line, as the road is
Ennwn has haan in nnArafiOn for about