The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-08-29
ONE WOMAN is BADLY HURT
Passengers Thrown From Seats When
Extra Running from Merchants Pic
mic Collides With North Bound Reg.
ular at Lake View Switch.

There was an added feature for the
merchants picnic on Thursday night
when two trains on the Milwaukee,
Racine & Kenosha Electric Railway
met in a head on collision at the
Lake View switch just north of the
St. George cemetery and as a result
of the collision there are number of
people in the city today nursing bad
bruises and sprains. Only one person
was seriously injured and that was
Mrs. Louis Petersen, residing at SIS
Fifteenth street, Racine. She was
thrown so violently against one of the
seats in the car that one of her teeth
was knocked out and in addition she
was badly bruised.
Details of the accident are not so
full as could be desired. Local man
ayers for the railway company are
either hopelessly ignorant of the facts
in regard to the collision or they de-
sire to conceal the details as far as
possible. At the Public Service build
ing it was declared that only one per-
son was injured and the local manager
declared that he had not been able to
ascertain who was to blame for the
accident. He asserted that there was
no serious damage done to the rolling
stock Of the company and that one
Of the cars in the collision had gone
into Milwaukee under it's own power.
The head on collision occurred Just
after IL o'clock. Extra trains were
being run between Kenosha and Cen
trail Park to take care Of the big
crowd at the merchants picnic and
the service on the line seems to have
been considerably disorganized as a
result Of the operation of these extra
trains. The train going north had
left the Public Service building Just
before IL O'Clock with few passen-
gers and it had run onto the switch
just north of the cemetery. It was
running or standing on the west track
and was in charge Of a Milwaukee
motorman by the name Of Wollenzein.
He asserted that he had strictly fol-
lowed orders and had stopped on the
west track of the switch. The ex-
ira train had two cars and it came
from the north in charge of Motor
man Ira Tower of Kenosha. 1t also
went on the west track and second
later there was crash. The few
people in the north bound car escaped
without injury, but those in the extra
train were thrown violently from their
seats. In the excitement several
people were trampled on when TIE pas
sengers made a grand rush to get out
of the cars. The train from the north
was running at a low rate of speed as
the operation Of the cars had been a
little uncertain during the evening on
account Of the extra trains. At first
it was thought that many people had
been injured in the collision, but when
the lights had been turned on again it
was found that Mrs. Petersen was the
only one who was in need of the SER
vices of physician and she was plac-
ed in an automobile and hurried to
the city and her wounds were dressed
by DR.. P. P. M. Jorgensen. A wrecker
was ordered from Racine at once and
the tracks were cleared by morning.
The north bound car appeared to be
badly wrecked, but the agents of the
company said this morning that it
had simply been pushed from the
trucks. AS both of the cars were on
the west track of the switch it was
possible to get cars past the wreck,
but at that the operation of the cars
was such that it was long afer mid
night before some of the people who
had attended the prcnic could get
back to Kenosha.