The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-06-23
Fireman's Shivery Story.

III CllIdh SAhNSiy SNSky'
Michigan City, Ind, June r.
Emil Klauss, fireman on the troop
train, was arrested here this after
noon on request of the coroner OF
Lake County. He will be taken
Monday to Gary to testify at the
inquest over the victims of the cir
Gus train wreck.
Klauss is "a years old and lives
here with his wife and two children.
He came here shortly before noon
after fleeing from the scene of the
wreck with Al Sargent, engineer OF
the troop train. Sargent left this
afternoon for his home in Kalama-
zoo, Mich. Authorities of that city
have been asked to arrest him.
I'VE were running along at good
rate of speed between Hammond
and Gary, and ! did not see the cir
Gus train on the siding until we
were nearly on top of it, said
Klauss.
He Grew Dizzy.
81 saw that a collision could not
be avoided and | grew dizzy and
sick in my stomach at the thought
of what was certain to happen. |
did not notice the engineer and !
do not know what he did. ! crawled
down from my seat in the locomo-
tive cab and dragged myself onto
the tender, where | fell face down
ward on a pile of coal. That is the
last thing l remember. ! must have
been unconscious when the collision
came. as | do not remember feel
ing it.
"My mind was a blank for long
time. The next thing ! remember
| was on a train bound for Michi-
gan City"
Gary. Ind, June 22.-The known
death list in the collision between
an equipment train and a Wallace
Hagenbeck circus train was increas-
ed tonight to 81 with the recovery
OF eight additional bodies and the
death of one of the circus troupe
at a hospital.
Gary, Ind, June "a total of
81 persons are known to be dead
and l79 in hospitals as 4 result OF
a collision at dawn today between
equipment train and Wallace-Ha-
genbeck circus train on the Michi-
gan, five miles west of Gary. Wiz
tually all victims were members OF
the circus.
Twenty-nine bodies, all except
one charred beyond recognition,
had been placed in Gary undertak-
ing establishments tonight. Twenty
three bodies have been taken to
Hammond. Identification of all
except a few corpses was not at
tempted today.
Identified Dead.
The identified dead at Gary are {:
Mrs. Alex Todd. Bloomington. ILL.,.
at Hammond. John Collins, prop
crty man; Arthur Derrix, Belgian
strong man; Mrs. Joe Coyle and
two sons. ages 9 and 2 IL years.
Search of the wreck for bodies |
continued tonight. The troop train
of Fl empty cars travelling straight
track. totally demolished three of
the flimsy circus coaches and bad
" damaged fourth.
According to reports to local au-
thorities, the circus train pulled part
way into a switch, and stalled there
on account of hot box. The flag
man went back on the main track |
and set fuses as a warning of dan
ger. The circus train was in this
position when the equipment train
plowed into its four sleepers. re-
ducing them to a pile of tangled
steel and timbers. Fire engendered
by the gas lighting system of the
circus train, broke out almost i'm
mediately. and when rescuers
reached the scene the entire wreck
age was in flames.
Clowns, bareback riders, trapeze
performers and acrobats, many Of
them veterans in the game, perished.
Other victims were suffocated and
burned.
No Water Available.
Attempts of the Gary FIRE depart
ment to curb the flames failed for
lack of water.
Survivors struggled about the
wreck, screaming for relatives and
friends, and only force prevented
lCon.;o,ed N, oar. a.