The Detroit times., 1910-09-22
FICIALs Ph0n
WRECK N WHICH
40 WERE KILLED
Will Fix Blame for Crash Detwocu
Two Traction Carr at Sharp Cuzve
In Indiana-Ann Arbor Nan
Among the Dead.
Trolley Official Says Motormaa's NJ,
regard Of Orders Il Responsible
For Disaster.


>. L. sTUCkEH, Vera Crun.
WILLIAM ,. BEERS, Blu9ton,
LLOYD BROWN, Dhu9ten. - =
l.. Q. JUSTUS, BluMton. u
8. II. ROBINSON, BisKtsn. -
X. ID. COOK, Biunton. -
ERNEST GROUSE, Blu9ten.
slLAs THOMAs, Wares. }sn
RALPH WALsER, BluRtss.
w. ID. BURGAN, hluntOn. 81
OSCAR ZlMMEH, Blu8tOn. :.
MISS PEARL sAYLER, BluRtsn.
IL. +. FOLK, WashingtOn, Ina.
JACOB sWARTZ, UnIondals.
II. u. TAMM, Warren, lnd.
MRS. GARRETT MAXWELL, Gers
CHAIR les HEBER, u-sonAsls.
BLANCHE ARCHBOLD, Ossian.
THOMAS GORDON, BIu6ton.
son OF LLOYD brown, Bluatsn.
HAROLD NELSON Blu9ten.
JOHN JOHNSON, Markie.
JESSE HOFFMAN, Marion.
ID. w. THOMPSON, Am Arb~rS Mich
MRS. MYRTLE HALEY, 6augAtes
MARY DAUGHERrY, Bi.ate.-
DANIEL DEBACH, Petroleuun, Ind.
,. E. sWARTZ, Biu6tOn.
JOSEPH SAWYER, Blunton.
JOHN SMITH AND WIFE, Montpes
JOSEPH EDENs, Hartford City, Ina.
GEORGE sEMTHURsT, Wares, InGs
BEN CRAMER, Frankfort, had.
JOHN Il. ROBBINS, Concordia, kas.
JOHN REED, Battery 4. Fifth arttl-
iery, New York.
FATALLY INJURED.
A. Eilenberg, Ellen, Ind.
SERIOUSLY INJURED.
James snowelI Porter, Mansnelds lee
Mrs. ). stoIIey and two children, Dsn-
yer, internal injuries.
Mrs. James Cone, Msnistee, Mich, m
MINT. M.r,o~ am. hrore~.
Robert sadier, Los Angeles, right lee
Levi. Kidder, Little sioux. saaly
Jacob Kipeine, Prospect, O., hip frae-
tured, internal injuries.
M. Bitusch, south sharon, Pa, arm
Charles Ball, Decatur, Ind, bruised
l. p. PiumstesS. Marlboro, n. W knee
Cecil Ekro., blair, wis, head badly
+. r.. Ferraii, Buffalo, slightly cut.
Mrs. =. r. Ferraii, back broken, nay
Hay Gordon, Ceiunbia, Pa, had sash
ON head, may lose eye. -
Elisabeth Wilson, Belle Center, o.
hand crushed, hurt On head.
FORT WAYNE, Ind, Sept. 22.---
The authorities OF Wells county and
officials OF the traction company to-
day are making a rigid investigation
to ascertain the cause OF and attach
responsibility for the collision OF two
traction cars on the Button line or
the Fort Wayne and Wabash Valley
Traction company yesterday In which
forty persons were killed and eight
injured. Early today Frank I. Hardy
superintendent of transportation OF
the traction company stated that dis
regard of orders caused the wreck
and that B. T. Corkwell, motorman OF
the southbound train probably Is
one to blame.
The disaster, the worst In all inter
urban history, occurred at a sharp
curve near Kingsland, six miles from
Bluffton. The line Is operated under
block system and until the railway
makes public the orders issued the
crews 1t will not be definitely known
which motorman was negligent It II
said that Corkwell was to walt at
Greensboro, a station beteen Kfngs-
land and Ossian for the northbound
train. but that instead Of doing this he
tried to meet the other car at Kings-
land.
The southbound car. the one COINS
to Bluffton, was manned by Conductor
Del Wilson, of Ossian and Motorman
B. T. Corkwell, of Fort Wayne. The
ncrthbound car which was crowded
to the steps with sightseers, was In
charge OF Conductor K. A. Spiller and
Motorman Charles Van Dyne, both OF
Bluffton. The four trainmen are
alive with good chances for recovery.
The crash came within a movement
after the northbound car had left
Kingsland. The collision occurred al
most exactly at the certer Of the
curve. The cars were telescoped al
most their entire length.
Out OF the forty-five or fifty persons.
passengers and trainmen, but one man
has SO far been discovered who es-
capped entirely unhurt. Most OF the
deaths were instantaneous.
The spot where the wreck Is occur
red is particularly isolated and II was
an hour and a half after the collision
that physicians arrived on the scene
from Button and Fort Wayne and the
actual relief work began. The dead
were laid In rows in a grove nearby.
The bodies were horribly mangled.
Legs and arms were severed and
heads gashed and in some cases near
4
the dead arriving at the prove cried
heartbrokenly and Historically, max
ing the work of the sorrow-hardened
doctors almost impossible.
The Identification was slow. Tne
dead were loaded into two cars and
taken to Bluffton. the wounded TO
Fort Wayne.
Conductor Spiller OF the Button
local was practically uninjhred and
was enabled to perform a deed or
heroism which probably averted an
other accident OF even larger proper
tions When Spiller saw the extent
OF the catastrophe he ran back TO
ward Kingsland and tagged anu stop
ped the Indianapolis Limited. which
was coming at full speed. In a few
seconds. had II not been stopped. IL
would have crashed into the strug-
Cling and dying mass OF humanity
which was left In the wake or tne
crash.
John r. Boyd, OF Marion, Ind, was
probably the only passenger aboard