The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-05-20
Fire Chief Miller's Injuries
Not Serious, but Fireman
Brusher Received Criti-
cal Hurts.
RECKLESS DRIVING
CHARGE SOME MAKE
Witnesses Say Truck Was
Running IS to 40 Miles an
Hour, but Firemen State
Rate Was 20 Miles.

fire truck, the curiosity of a street
crowd, the unfortunate appearance of
rig just as the truck made the turn
at Eighth and North e street, and the
wet surface of E street, which caused
the truck to skid, are the reasons as
signed today for the tragedy Saturday
which caused the death of Isaac Parry
and the injuring of John Forbes, dri-
yer of the rig which was demolished,
Fireman John Brusher and Fire Chief
Ed Miller Forbes suffered critical in
juries and is not expected to live.
Brusher had his groin badly injured
and Fire Chief Miller had his left
shoulder badly mangled an. a rib bro
ken.
Answering a call TO North Thir-
teenth and Fl STREETS, at $3.50 Saturd rday
afternoon, the new truck came down
Ft. Wayne avenue at speed of about
thirty-fve miles an hour. To turn ca st
on e street, sharp cut across the
southeast corner of the street was
necessary. At this point I. crowd of
perhaps thirty people gathered and
rushed into the street in front of the
oncoming truck. They refused to give
ground when the gong rang out a
warning. On the other side of the
street John Forbes was driving in a
buggy.
Tried to Avoid Rig.
August Fielder, the driver, tried to
turn in between the crowd and the
rig at a speed estimated at twenty
- har 0f ha ht1t coi n
by other witnesses to have been about
thirty-five miles an hour. North e
street was covered with mud, caused
by the street being sprtnkled short
time before The rear trucks of the
machine skidded, hitting Forbes bug
gy, throwing Forbes out and wrecking
the vehicle. The shock caused the big
machine to swing half way around
facing south on E street. The machine
slid east in this manner for a. short
distance until dry spot in the street
gave the big wheels grip and with
spurt 1t started for the sidewalk in
front of the Shannon saloon. The ma
chine climbed on to the sidewalk and
hit the building a glancing blow. Isaac
Parry, stepped from the doorway of
the saloon just as the machine hit the
edge of the sidewalk.
A bartender at the saloon had his
arm on Parry's shoulder when the ma
chine swept up. Parry was struck by
the front fender and knocked down,
and the unfortunate man was then
dragged to the front of the Grubbs
wholesale grocery store His head was
crushed, scattering his brains over the
sidewalk.
The rear step was broken when it
struck the side of the building and H.
Heinrich, fireman, was knocked to the
sidewalk, receiving slight bruises on
his legs. Homer Hammond of the
board of works was standing on the
north side of the step. He was caught
in the wreckage of the step and held
fast, unable to extricate himself until
after the machine hit the brick wall
at the Pennsylvania sation bringing
the truck to a stop
Before hitting the wall the machine
tore down telephone pole at Ninth
and E streets.
Pole Hits 6rusher.
The pole with it's burden of high
power wires and big transformer
came down across the truck John
Brusher, standing on the chemical
hose basket putting on his rubber coat
received the full force of the pole
when it fell Fire Chief Miller and dri
yer Fielder were each bruised by the
pole. which fell between thems
After the car stopped, Fielder
climbed out and started the engine
again. and with burst of speed soon
reached the scene of the fire. small
roof blaze. The machine, after the
fire was put out, returned to the scene
OF the tragsds. At the fire. Chief Mil
Ter became deatSly i'll. and was taken
home In an automobile. Carl Wadman
of the crew alone escaped injury He
stood at the left of Fire Chief Miller
on the left front step. His escape
from death was miraculous Not un
til the truck returned to the scene OF
the wreck did Fielder and other mem
bers of the truck crew learn of the de,
struction and death meted out by the
machine. John Brusher. fireman, was
sitting on the curb in agony. Parry
d lifeless, headless mass, was laying
on the sidewalk, and Forbes was
grooming on the sidewalk After