The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1910-09-22
JOS. SzUNANSKI BADLY HURT
Trolley Pole Crushes Through the Top
of Crowded Car and Causes Conster-
nation Among More Than One
Hundred Passengers.

Sixty Kenosha people who had at
tended the state fair in Milwaukee on
Wednesday afternoon had an exciting
time on the return trip when trolley
pole CT shed through the, top of one
OF the cars On the Chicago and Mil
waukee Electric railway and Joseph
Szumanski a Kenosha saloonkeeper was
very seriously if not fatally injured. A
dozen other passengers on the car were
cut or bruised by portions of the brok.
en- car, the worst hurt of this mum
Der being Mrs. Oliver Hoye of Congress
street who had one Of her thumbs
mashed and was also badly cut about
the face by the flying splinters of the
car.
Szumanski was taken to the emer-
gency hospital in Milwaukee immed-
lately after the accident and late this
morning he was still alive but it is
declared that his condition is serious.
Szumanski was sitting directly under
the place where the trolley pole crashed
through the roof of the car and the end
of the pole struck him in the groin
pinning him to the floor of the car. AS
soon as possible he was taken out of
the car and hurried to the Milwaukee
hospital. An examination revealed the
fact that one of the smaller intestines
had been punctured.
The condition Of SzumansIki was such
that the physicians in charge of the
case did not think it best to operate
on him but the operation may be decid-
ed on this afternoon.
Szumanski was widely known among
the foreigners of the city. He has liv-
ed here for number of years and has
been prominent in many societies,
II is regarded as miraculous that
other members of the party on the car
escaped unhurt Frank Runals a wen
known resident of the town of Somers
was sitting in the same esat with
Szumanski but he escaped without
scratch. The trip had been a tiresome
one for the party. In the first place the
register in the car showed that it was
carrying LIT passengers while it's ca
pacity was about sixty. The car was
being hauled as a trailer and the troll
ley had broken when the car was on the
high tresle about five miles out of
Milwaukee and the passengers had
something of a squeamish time awaiting
for this trouble to be repaired. The
car had started again and just after it
left the trestle the crowded passengers
were thrown into a panic when the
trolley pole on the front end of the
car crashed through the roof. There
was no warning Of any danger and the
people were panic stricken. The car
stopped when the trolley pole dropped
and the passengers went in mad rush
for the doors. The falling debris of
the car struck many of the passengers
The breaking of the trolley pole did
not put the car out of commission and
later the pole was repaired and the
train run into Kenosha. Nearly all
the passengers on the car were from
Racine and Kenosha and the broken car
was dropped here.
1t is supposed that the breaking Of
the pole was caused by the wheel catch
ing on one of the small cross pieces on
the trolley wire. The car was very
heavily loaded and it is possible that
this fact was in part to blame for the
accident.
Amonk the Keonsha people on the
car were Mr.. and Mrs. G. E. Dewey,
Mr.. and Mrs. James E. English, Mrs
Oliver Hoys, Mrs. John O Donnell,
Miss Alice Quigley, Mr.. and Mrs.
Thomas Dale, Mr.. and Mrs. John G..
Karnes, Mrs. Eta Lugar and Jacob
Stern.