The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1910-10-06
THIRTY DE IN
TROLLEY CRASH
Awful Result of Collision
on Illinois Road.
ORDERS ARE DISREGARDED

Disaster Due to Alleged careIeasness
of Crew of One of the Cars, Who
Failed to Wait at Station as In
structed-Crash Occurs at Bend in
Road When Trains Are Going at
High Speed.
Staunton, H., Oct 6.-Thirty-six
persons dead and thirty-one injured is
the record of casualties resulting from
the collision which occurred between
two electric cars on the Illinois Trac-
tion system at Dickerson's curve, near
here
The blame for the accident is laid
BY the officials of the road on the
crew of local car No. IA, which was
In charge of M. A. Leonard, conductor,
and John Herman, motorman, both OF
Staunton. This car was northbound,
running on it's regular schedule, and
had orders to wait at Staunton for
two sections Of train No. 73, which
was bound for St Louis. The north
bound car waited until the first sec
ton had passed and then, in total dis
regard of orders, pulled out on the
main track and started ahead.
Two miles north CT Staunton is
Dickerson's curve, sharp bend in
the track toward which the ground
slopes both from the north and from
the south. Dense foliage grows on
the inner side of the curve and 1t is
impossible to see for any distance
ahead. Both cars, moving at fully
forty miles an hour, approached this
curve from opposite directions, both
of them tearing along on down
grade. The motormen did not dis
Germ 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. 73, realiz-
ing 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 bruised and scratched, but es-
capped without serious injuries.
No Chance for Passengers.
For the passengers shut in the two
cars there was no chance. And in
another second they came together
with a splintering crash. The north
bound car tore into car No. 73, split
ting 1t wide open and literally raking
the passengers from their seats. Both
cars practically reared on end and
then fell back into tangled mass OF
splntered wood and twisted iron
which was literally packed with the
dead and dying, and down the sides
of which, in a dozen places, the blood
trickled in streams. Nearly every pas
senger on the southbound car was
killed or seriously injured.
The passengers of car No. IA were
more fortunate and greater proper
tion of them escaped death or injury
Word of the accident was immedi
ately telephoned to Springfield, tt
Peoria and St Louis, and relief train!
were started at once from all three
points, carrying all Of the physician'
and nurses that were immediatel.
available BY the time the first re
lief car had reached the scene of th'
wreck the farmers of the neighbor
hood and the citizens of Staunton hat
practically cleared the wreck OF tn
dead and injured. The bodies Of tn
dead were Immediately placed upon
car and sent to Carlinville, ILL.,, wher
they were laid In rows in an under
taking establishment.
Many OF the dead are so shockingl
mangled that it is possible that som
Of them will never be known.