Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1915-11-25
J.R. CHAPMAN
HAS CLOSE CALL
His Automobile Completely Demolish-
ed by Chicago & North Western
Freight Friday Night.

From the Oshkosh Northwestern:-
Witnesses of the demolition of an
automobile between a freight train and
the gate tenders house of the Chica-
go & Northwestern railroad at Wash
ington street last night hesitated to
look in to the machine, expecting to
find in the mass of wreckage nothing
but lifeless corpse or several corp
ses. Finally two persons mustered
up courage and were about to make a
search out of the debris saying: 81
am the man you are looking for. I
am not hurt"
That man was J. r. Chapman, a
prominent jeweler and president of
the Merchants and Manufacturers as
ISOLATION. Mr.. Chapman's assertion
that he was not hurt true in the main
He found later that he had a slight
abrasion of the scalp and this morn
ing he had slight pain in the chest,
but he attributed it to twinge of plur
isy, rather than injury. That Mr.
Chapman is living to-day, to say moth
ing of being practically uninjured, is
considered miraculous.
The accident happened at about 10:
40 o'clock. A south bound freight
train passed the Washington street
crossing and stopped to back upon
another track and permit a south
bound passenger train to pass it. The
gatetender had no warning Of the
freight train backing up and raised
the gates when the train passed and
was engaged in fixing his fire when
the accident occurred. Mr.. Chapman
noted the train passing and stopped
his machine. Then he started to cross
the tracks. He was alone and on his
way to meet his son Arthur, who was
returning from Omro on the II o'clock
interurban car.
The side curtains were up and the
driver was well enclosed Mr.. Chap
man said no whistle was blown and no
fiagman was on the rear of the train.
It is presumed the fagman was furth-
err up the track to flag the expected
passenger train. Mr.. Chapman said
he was well upon the tracks when he
heard cry of warning. Looking out
through the curtains he saw the rear
of the caboose of the train not more
than ten feet away. Time did not per
nit for the auto to pass over the rails
He applied his brakes and threw out
the clutch, expecting to back up. Just
then the caboose hit the front wheels.
The machine was turned around and
struck, this time squarely in the rear.
1t was pushed along against the
shanty of the gate tender and then
several things happened. The shanty
was pushed about four feet off it's base
and the automobile was crushed like
an egg shell. The caboose went past
and two or three cars followed, before
the train stopped. In the crushing,
Mr.. Chapman was caught about the
waist by the pieces of the broken ma
chine and said he expected it was his
finish, as it commenced to tighten.
But with the stopping of the train the
pressure was released and he was able
to crawl out. He had to get out over
thedOOr and under the top.
The machine was complete wreck |
The body, particularly the rear, was
bent in like so much paper. It was
impossible even to get the robe out |
through the opening between the seats
Providentially there was no one in the
rear seat. Even the front seat on the
side not occupied by the driver was all |
smashed and crushed. The chassis
was bent and twisted, the body was |
crumpled and three wheels were re- |
duced to splinters. The engine of the |
automobile continued to run, however. I
and Mr.. Chapman stopped it before he
left the machine. About all that was
left of the car was one wheel, the mo-
tor ant the windshield, which latter.
peculiarly, was not even damaged.
1t is believed that the rear part of the
train of six or seven cars, was "shunt-
ed" down the track when the train was
broken to open the Waugoo street
So far as could be learned
there was no trainman to give warn
ing and it is claimed the car brakes
failed to work.