The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1913-09-03
WHAT WITNESSES
SAY OF TRAGEDY

OF the Clinton street horror six YER
sfons nre told by many eye wit
nesses who from near and far saw two
human beings caterpaulted through the
mir by powerful passenger engine
that shook the earth over which 1t sped
at little less than mile minute.
WHAT TWO LITTLE GIRLS SAW.
The trembling vcfce of tc,verman J.
T. Wood and the earfuI vaiI of little
Metha Wilhelm, s3I Ann street, recited
identical stories. Little RoseIand Lyon,
45 Douglas street, whose left arm is
missing, sobbed she talked, the orbs
of her big blue eyes bathed i'm tears.
Hen James, a raiIroader, ran from the
scene fast as his legs could carry
him did the towernan who later
returned.
A TERRIBLE SIGHT.
Peter Berwanser, the nagman who
waved and called to the fated men
continued to ntax his arms after the
crash ~ he sha.ieked. saMy God. men,
keep back!v He had shut his eyes to
the sight of the horror. Johnny
o'Hearn. the engineer, cried as he saw
blood ana brainm the pilot of his
engine that waa stopped three blocks
fren ne scene of the accident.
LIKE LIGHTNING OUT OF THE SKY.
The disaster happened In the still
ness of MONDAY when Metha wilhelm
and Ro~cland Lyons were on their way
home from school. both little wirls
who had never before witnessed a
tragic death. One was west of the
crossing and the other enst.
"Look - that automobile therei
there:s cried little RoseIand to Mrs.
Albert dimes who was walking east ON
Clinton street and passing Roseland.
homeward bound. "I heard the crash
and closed m eyes, said the girl after
ward. 'sThen 1 rushed across the tracks
/ to get my mama at home and 1 almost
stumbled over a mans body. 1t was
awful."
RUNS FOUR BLOCKS TO TELEPHONE
Ben James, a raiIroader ON the Erie,
| saw the tragedy from the top of a box
car. He states that the gates were not
down. that the rain was running very
fas, and apparently neither the occu-
pants of the motor car nor the tower
and flag men saw the Monon coming.
Obeying an Impulse to get away James
ran almost TO the heart of Hammond.
GIVES AMBULANCE CALL.
Then he entered the saloon of Hiram
| Green on Sibley street. and said breath
Iessly to the proprietor. 'sFeIIows-
train-am ambulance-Ciinton street-God
man, hurry up. It's nyvfuI.o
! Peter BervanGer, the fagman, and
j. r. Woods, the towerman. old
/ soIdiers ON pension. Woods has oper-
ated gates nearly every Monon
crossing in town as well for other
roads. This he says. is his first mis-
take. He admits that the gntes were
not down.
| TowERMAN ADMITS HIS ERROR.
ssThis hits pretty hard-I'm
through with gates forever he said tG
| n reporter. I'm not supposed to tell
| you very much but 1 wont lie or try
to cover my fault. didn't see the MO-
non passenger and 1T didn't whistle OF
ring u belI.-
/ Then Woods explained the lay of sit
uatfon ms best he could. He fall
| tered as he talked md repeated words
| twice and three times.
| ENGINEER SAW VERY LITTLE.
"Johnny" O'Hern, veteran engineer
stated that he did not the moto
truck until he was upon IT. Box cars
| shut out his view as well as obscurfng
| the viey of the carpenters. "We were
| eighteen minutes Iate,'' he stated, land
/ fConfinued on Page Sd