The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1921-08-18
TRAIN HITS TRUCK
TWOAREI INJURED
City Employees Have Mi
raculaus Escape at Sci
ma Crossing.
TRUCK IS WRECKED
Edward Schmitt and John Sbar-
key Taken to Hospital but
Not Seriously Hurt.

Two employees OF the street depart
ment of the city had an all but miracu-
lous escape from death just after nine
o'clock this morning when one of the
big Quad trucks in the service Of the
street department was struck by south
bound train number 1852 at the Selma
avenue crossing of the Northwestern
line. The truck was thrown over
against the fence which protects the
crossing and the two men who were in
the back climbed out from under the
wreckage, badly cut and and bruised,
but both conscious. The two men were:
Edward Schmitt, driver Of the truck,
bruised about the arms and shoulders
and cut in several places.
John Sharkey, his assistant, cut and
bruised about the head and face and
badly shaken up.
The injured men were taken to the
Kenosha hospital in an automobile and
an hour later after their wounds had
been dressed they were able to leave
the hospital and 60 to their homes.
1t was declared that neither Of the men
had serious injuries.
Big Truck Near a Wreck.
The big truck. which was valued BY
the city at something like two thousand
dollars, was nearly wrecked Superin-
tendent Of Public Works Hurtgan after
an investigation said that he thought
that the truck had been damaged to the
amount Of thousand dollars but that
it was insured.
u don't care so much about the
truck said Hurtgen, "but / am mighty
glad that the boys escaped. I don't see
how they got out of it without being
killed or manned for life. Usually we
carry three men on this truck and the
third man rides behind The fellow
who rode behind did not come to work
this morning He must have had a
bunch, as the train strucl, the truck
just where he would have been riding.
and can't see how amy miracle could
have saved him from being killed"
Truck Hauling Cinders.
The big truck under the charge of
schmit5 was used for hauling cinders
and it had Just unloaded q load of Gin
ders on Chicago street. 1t was on its
way back to the Brass Mill when the
accident occurred. A north bound train
had just gone over the crossing and
Schmitt failed to see the south bound
train coming at q good rate Of speed.
The truck had nearly cleared the cross
ing when the engine struck the rear Of
it. turning it over and throwing it clear
Of both the railway tracks Gchm.tt
and Sharkey were riding in the cab Of
the truck and they were thrown free
Of the truck. Both were conscious
when they were picked up. Engineer
Van Buskirk, who was running the
train which hit the truck, and Conduc-
tor II NJ. Garwood were among the
first people to reach the scene Of the
accident
Passengers Help in Work.
The train was stopped within a hun
dred yards Of the crossing and fifty
passengers from the train aided in get
ting the two injured men off to the
hospital Engineer Buslirk said that
he had sounded his whistle and that IL
appeared that the driver Of the truck
was confused and did not see the APP
preaching train
we could not stop in time to pre-
vent the truck being struck" said the
engineer. People in the neighborhood
were insistent that the whistle had not
been sounded by the crossing but their
statements were denied by passengers
on the train. Half a dozen Of them
declared that they had jumped from