The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1917-02-02

hsion, that John Schaffer was burned
alive. Jos. Venderber. and Henry
Loske, the two friends mentioned,
both Of whom were injured, told the
Sentinel editor soon after the accident
that the three were seated together in
lthe smoking car at the time Of the ac-
cident. That when the cars collided,
they discovered Schaffer pinned under
meath the stove and flames shooting
Ipp all around. They made one ef-
&ort to extricate him but to no avail
md had barely time to escape them
selves. Schaffer's screams were heard
1or a great distance until silenced by
death.
Il The three men were from Cleve-
land and were on their way to stop 65
y spend Sunday with friend.
A pitiful circumstance following the
zDllision was the crazed actions Of
M. G. Pease, conductor of the local.
Regarded as one Of the most popular
ind coolest headed conductors on the
inc, when he realized the tragic fate
If his motorman he became tempor-
Arily deranged and rushed frantically
south for mile or more to flag linn
ked--the one northbound conveying
The doctors. He was taken aboard
md opiates administered to quiet him.
d II Is the consensus Of opinion Of
those aboard the local that It was not
Iunning at an excessive speed at the
Nme of the accident, although q sud-
den grinding sound immediately pre-
Seding the collision indicated that the
snotorman had thrown on full brake,
he car suddenly seeming to slide rath-
" than run on its wheels.
The crew Of the freight car escaped
without injury. This is accounted for
BY the car being about a third larger
than the passenger car, heavily load
Eed with freight and the floor being
several inches higher than that Of the
lpcal, allowing it to cut into the latter
Ike knife into a cheese, and ram
ming its way completely through the
hotorman's compartment, the baggage
apartment, and well into the smoking
Toom of the car. Singuarly the
trucks Of both cars remained on tht
racks.
Z That both cars should have beer
consumed so quickly was a source o1
|Nonderment and is only explained al
having been the result Of q short cir,
emit wire, which caused a general ans
intense heating of the pipes that en-
ssilAIs The base AZ The ears and which
] Il iii gvsy igmige bisg lAstAx sai
parts at about the same time. Thii
seems to have been borne out from The
fact that the rear of either car was
being consumed as rapidly as the front
end.
Soon after the accident became
known, auto loads of people from Me-
dina and surrounding towns hastened
to the scene, in time to witness the last
flames of the burning cars and the
transfer of the injured passengers to
a special car in charge of General
Manager Schneider and Supt. Tatum
which conveyed them to Cleveland
from whence they were taken to St
Johns hospital.
Eater in the afternoon Undertaken
Waite removed the body OF G. F. Muir
dock and the charred remains Of Kem-
cry and Dawson to Medina, where they
were prepared for burial. Sunday
morning M. F. Murdock Of Akron
came to Medina and identified the re-
mains of his father, which were con-
yeyed forthwith to Akron by Under
taker Waite, as was also those OF
Schaffer to the latter's home in Cleve-
land. In the afternoon the rel
mains of Kemery and Dawson were
taken to their homes in Seville by
Undertaken NOVEL; of that village.
The local contained sack of mail
for Medina, which with numerous
packages of daily papers were des-
troyed. Report of the destroyed mail
was promptly made to the national de-
partment.
Frank Steeb of Medina, who with his
brother Emil was seated midway OF
the local. states that he knew nothing
of approaching danger until he found
himself suddenly upset and feeling his
way out of the car. In fact he did not
realize that he had been injured until
ne had emerged from the car. Soon
after he got out Mr.. Steeb returned to
the car to secure packages he had lost
and says that while there he could
hear the frantic screams of the one
who was burning alive and who sub