Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1910-09-23
CARS CRASH TOGETHE NEAR TT.
WAYNE WITH TERRIBLE
RESULTS.
SOME ONE BLUNDERED AGAIN
Of 60 Passengers Aboard Few Escape
Death or Injury.-Cause of Dis
aster Seems to Be
Mystery.

one seems to know. At 1850 a. M,
If the train left on schedule, a regular
train consisting of one car and a trail
Ter left Button for Fort Wayne. At
practically the same hour a single
motor car left Fort Wayne for Bluff
ton, empty, to pick up a load of pas
sengers to bring back to Fort Wayne
for the county fair in session at Fort
Wayne. Some one made a mistake.
At Kingsland, IS miles south of Fort
Wayne, the cars met.
Those who were in the accident can
tell little of what actually occurred.
In the extra car were no passengers.
In the regular local were probably 55
to 60 persons. OF these, few escaped
death or injury.
One Binding Crash.
John r. Boyd, of Marion, Ind, was
probably the only person aboard the
Inflated cars who escaped without
bruises from the wreck.
81 decided to avoid the crush" said
he, Gin the crowded car and got down
on the steps. After we had passed
Kingsland and were rounding a curve,
/ saw the limited bearing down on us
about 200 yards away at a terrific
speed. We were going at about Is
gave a lurch forward Our speed in
creased to fully Is miles an hour al
most in a moment. The limited, bear.
ing down upon us at 40 miles an hour,
was now not 100 feet away. / saw
what was coming and jumped Off
There as a splintering crash and
dull grinding. The big local car
seemed to climb on the trailer and
heavier loaded car and, from its pilot
to within six feet of the rear, swept
over the coach, taking it almost clean.
That anything alive could have sur
vived that terrible sweep of splintered
and twisted steel is a miracle.
Following the crash there was
period of appalling stiffness and then
arose the shriecks and groans of the
wounded. We who survived and had
got out of the wreckage, set about to
do what we could for the wounded.
The dead were taken from the wreck
and cared for on the ground, which
was the best that could be done under
the circumstances.
"The big car had completely tele-
scoped the smaller. Blood dripped
from the cars and formed pools be-
h. Tho nnndIotnT'S
open safety box had become wrench
ed and it was filled with human blood
that had dripped into it. The corpses
taken from the wreckage were terri
bly, mangled.
II watched one young man who had
been brought to the scene by news of
the disaster to loved ones. He was
taken to where lay the body of young
woman. 1t was that of his sister He
looked on with dry, fixed eyes. They
told him that his mother was yet to
be found, and forthwith he began to
dig into the charnel heap to find her
body"
Time Is in Doubt.
Even the time of the accident is in
doubt. Probably it was about half
hour after noon. Out of the ends OF
this short curve near Kingsland, Is
miles south OF Fort Wayne, came the
two cars. 1t was only flash;
breath. The cars were together. The
southbound car seemed to take the
right of way. Like a giant missile 1t
ploughed it's way through the traffic
packed coach, coming in the opposite
direction It's heavier frame cut like
a keen knife pathway half the length
of the opposing vehicle. 1t cut OFF
seats an inch above the floor and
smashed and packed in one CHASTITY
mass the whole interior of the cars,
seats, overhead baskets, lighting fix
lures, luggage and the bodies of two
score passengers.
In the north bound car there were
only few capable of giving aid to
the dying. They did what they could
and from fields came the farmers who
either had witnessed the accident or
who had been summoned by neigh
bors. Word was flashed by telephone
to Button and a special car was load
ed with all the physicians available
and sent to the scene. At nightfall
all the dead and injured had been
removed and the wrecked cars were
lying beside the right of way, bon
fire to illuminate the spot of the great
est electric traction wreck in the his
toy of the country.
Around each of the Bluffton under
taking establishments there is group
of mourners, keeping back the idly
curious from the rooms where lie the
torn bodies. The schools and the local
courts will be closed for the rest of
the week No official of the Fort
Wayne and Wabash Valley Traction
line would venture an opinion on who
was to blame for the accident.
W. 20