The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1910-08-04
TWO DEAD, TWO INJURED; TRAIN
STRIKES AUTO NEAR { INA GREEN
Wives of NJ R. Brooks of Lima o. and C. H. Thorng, of St
Marys, o. Instantly Killed at $40 last Thursday
Loose Engine Strikes Car at Deadly Ashcrat Crossing
Party Had Been Touring West


visible until we were upon it
The high banks on each side oi
the road. and the fact that the
railroad lay between and at the
bottom of two hills. made it inn
possible 10 see the track. We
proceeded down the hill at a
moderate speed, which could not
be increased because OF the poor
ness of the road. We found our
selves upon the railroad. Over
my right shoulder | saw the
loose engine upon us. Every
person IN the car saw that en-
CINE. We saw the engine while
we were upon the north track,
but knew that we were doomed.
Nothing could prevent the coll
'ision. Not a crv was uttered
The women who were riding in
the tonneau. probably realized
their fate. but were too paralized
to cry out. The next ! knew,
| was aimlesslv crawling from
under the wrecked automobile,
only to see the dead bodies OF
my wife and sister-in-law, and
Mr.. Brooks. whom | supposed al
SO dead. | know THAI shall
carry that scene with me to my
grave. Mrs. Brooks was al
most torn to pieces. Her head
was torn from her body. and was
lying some distance from it.
NV wife was crushed into a mass
Of bleeding flesh and blood.
The automobile which was
struck on the south track. was
hurled in a northeasterly direc-
ton. across the cattle guard and
north track and deposited on its
left side on the north side of the
north track, a distance of So
feet. The machine, which was
new car, was complete wreck
being smashed to a twisted mass
OF steel. The engine which
struck the car, at once set off for
medical help, but before it re-
turned, the accommodation pas
senger train arrived. from the
east and carried the party, in
dluding the dead and injured,
back to Etna Green. Here local
physicians took the people in
charge.
Think Car Escaped.
The second automobile, carry
ing Mr.. and Mrs. H. NJ. Calvin
and Mrs. HaDlie r. Hoover. witt,
the chauffeur. followed the
Brooks car. a few hundred feet,
in order to escape the dust from
the first machine. Mrs. Hoover
talked to the Tribune reporter at
the Etna Green hotel this morn
ing and narrated her vision Oh
the accident, which shows how
a horrible accident dawns on the
mind of its witnesses. We fol-
lowed the Brooks party all of the
way to and from Colorado, ex-
cepting Wednesday coming from
Chicago. when our car, which is
Cadalrac. had much tire trouble
We rode ahead yesterday. SO that
we could be taken care OF. by the
Brooks party. This morning
however. we resumed our regu-
lar mode. following the others
After we had taken the road
which led to the track, about
four miles east of Bourbon. we
discussed among ourselves the
poorness OF the road. and consid-
cred THAT we must be lost How
ever we proceeded. following the
Brooks car. Mr.. Brooks drove
his own car, and is master al
the wheel. He has recently re.
tired from the garage busines:
at Lima. selling his interest to
his partner. We heard the 10
comotive rush by. a hundred fee
in front of lis, and ] remarked tC
| Mrs. Calvin. that we had a lucky
escape from being struck. VIZ
| did not hear the crash OF the en-
gine striking the car. ! thinl
| that we must have been bellint
the hill, which leads down to the
track and thus did not hear the
collision. The first | saw, wa.
a round black object lying ir
front of lis on the track. The
Brooks machine could not BIZ
seen, and my impression was
that it had passed Beyond the
hill on the other side of the track
The black object. ! took to be
a mail sack which had beer
dropped by a train. Suddenly /;
mass of debris was on all side.
Of us. MY" exclaimed "tht
Pennsylvania must have had al
awful wreck here, look at tn,
wreckage" ge"-Then saw. Ths
horror OF it. struck our part,
instantaneously. The SMASHED
car lying beside the track, tn,
crushed. bloody motionless fig
ures of Our friends, the terribl,
lsight seemed like an awfu
dream. | brushed my hand.
before my eyes and looked