The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1910-10-07
20 KILLED IN WRECK |
COACHES WHIRLING DOWN HILL
MEET HEAD-ON AT SHARP
CURVE.
ON ILLINOIS TROLLEY SYSTEM
Accident at Stauntor, ILL.,, Is Laid to
Negligence of One Crew-Vic-
Tins Bound for ST. Louis Buried
In the Wreckage.

Staunton, Illinois. Disregard of
the train dispatcher's orders, and a
sharp bend in the track which hid two
on-rushing trolley cars from each 9TH
er were responsible for the most APP
palling wreck in the history of the
electric railroads of Illinois. Twenty
eight people were instantly killed. one
died on the way to hospital, an
other is not expected to live and 26
other people sustained more or less
serious injury. The collision occurred
on the lines of the Illinois Traction
system two miles north of this place.
One Crew is Blamed.
The blame for the accident Ia laid
by the officials of the road on the
crew of local car No. IA, which was
in charge of M. A. Leonard, conduc-
tor, and John Herman, motorman,
both of Staunton. This car was
northbound, running on its regular
schedule, and had orders to await at
Staunton for two sections of train No.
70, which was bound for st. Louis.
The northbound car. waited until the
first section had passed and then, in
total diregard of orders, pulled out
on the main track and started ahead.
Two miles north of Staunton is
Dickerson's curve, a sharp bend in the
track toward which the ground slopes
both from the north and from the
south. Dense foliage grows on tho
inner side of the curve, and it is i'm.
possible to see for any distance
ahead. Both cars moving at fully 40
miles an hour approached this curve
from opposite directions, both of
them tearing along on down grade.
The motormen did not discern the
danger until the cars were too close
to avoid an accident.
Both Herman and Leonard, of car
No. IA, and Conductor Duncan and
Motorman Young, of car No. 70, real
izing that there was no hope of avoid
ing the collision, shrieked to the pas
sengers to save themselves, and then
leaped for their lives. All four were
badly brushed and scratched, but es-
capped without serious injury.
The northbound car tore into car
No. IS, splitting it wide open, and lit
orally raking the passengers from
their seats. Both cars reared on end
and then fell back into tangled mass
of splintered wood and twisted iron,
which was packed with dead and dy-
ing, and down the sides of which, in
a dozen places, the blood trickled in
streams. Nearly every passenger on
the southbound car as killed or SER
iously injured.
Among the wounded on this car
was ]. E. Berry of Springfield, Ill,
land commissioner for the Illinois
Traction system, who expired just as
he reached the hospital. Mr.. Berry
was travelling with w. w. Street of
Staunton, the assistant trainmaster
of the traction system, D. E. Black of
Springfield, the assistant superinten-
dent of motive power and equipment,
and A. Price, auditor of disburse-
ments of the traction company. All
four of the officials are dead. Street,
Black and Price were killed outright,
while Berry survived his injuries but
a short time.
The passengers of car fourteen
were more fortunate and greater
proportion of them escaped death or
injury.
Word of the accident was immedi-
ately telephoned to Springfield, to
Peoria and to st. Louis and relief
trains were started at once from all
three points, carrying all of the ply
sicians and nurses that were imme-
diately available.
Bodies Badly MangIed.
Many of the dead are so shockingly
mangled that it is possible that some
of them may never be known. Peo-
pie who had friends and relatives up
on the wrecked cars and who had
not seen them since the accident
walked weeping past the rows of dead
and were utterly unable to distin-
guish a feature that would lead to
the identification of those they sought.
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