Milford chronicle., 1923-06-01
2KILLED WHEN AUTO
CRASHES INTO TRAIN
Father COmisky OF Dover And His
HOusekeeper Instantly killed
Saturday Near Milford.
MISS CONNOR MAY RECOVER
Driver Of The Wrecked Car Is In
Milford Emergency Hospital.
Her Condition Serious.

Rev. James C. Comisly, pastor of
Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church at
Dover and his housekeeper, Miss Pris-
ella Sherrard, were instantly killed,
and Miss Bernadetta Conner, of Do
yer, was seriously injured Saturday
morning last, when the automobile in
which they were riding crashed into
the southbound passenger train due
at Milford about IL o'clock. The acct
dent occurred at the Haven Lake
crossing, where the du Pont highway
intersects the D. M. & V. Railroad,
about half mile north of Milford.
The accident was witnessed by W.
d. Pearce and his son-in-laW, Benton
Counselman, who were at their gaso-
line service station few yards from
the scene of the accident. The auto
mobile was travelling south on the
boulevard and the train was coming
from Houston toward Milford. The
view in that direction is clear and
there was no apparent reason why the
occupants of the automobile should
not have seen the train approaching
the crossing. Both Mr.. Counselman
and Mr.. Pearce say that the automo-
bile was travelling at rate of speed
Of not more than fifteen miles per
hour. The men yelled at the occupants
of the automobile, but they apparently
did not hear their warning cries.
When the driver of the car, Miss
Connor, did see the train it was too
late to avert the crash. The locomO-
tive and baggage car had passed over
the crossing when the automobile, |
Ford sedan, struck the smoking car |
- tho twain Tho oVJfnV11nI1i1n q fTTTT1.- !
ed completely around and the chassis
landed in a drainage ditch along the
highway. The body was completely de-
molished, and the man and two women
were dragged several feet along the
railroad. Miss Connor was found I'M
conscious about twenty feet from
where the crash occurred. Part of the
seat and gasoline tank we're laying
across her body. The body of Miss
Sherrard was carried about fifty feet
past Miss Conner, while Father Com
isky's body was fully fifty feet distant
from where that of Miss Sherrard was
found. Both Father Comisky and Miss
Sherrard were dead when Mr.. Pearce :
and Mr.. Counselman reached them.
Miss Conner was unconscious.
A call to the Milford Emergency
Hospital brought the ambulance from
that institution to the scene of the
accident in record breaking time. Ex-
actly three minutes from the time Of
the call the ambulance was on the :
scene. Miss Connor was taken to the '
Emergency Hospital, where she part a
" regained consciousness late Satur-
day afternoon. Reports indicate that y
she has chance to recover, although 1
she is in very serious condition.
It is almost certain that Miss Con- $
nor was driving the car when the ac-
cident occurred. She was driving the L
car when it left Dover, and the wit q
nesses to the accident seem to think
hat a woman was driving when the q
crash came, although they are not a
positive of this. The car was owned by L
Miss Conner, and was new machine. S
It is thought that possibly she was a r
lew driver and that she became con- G
used when she saw the train coming, +;
Ind that instead of applying the c
brakes or turning into the ditch at is
he side of the road in her beWilder- n
nent she allowed the car to drift in p
o the train. L
Following the accident William G. "
undertaken, of Milford, took b
harge fthe bodies and had them re- Il
moved to Dover. Funeral services for CT
father Comisky and Miss Sherrard "
we're held on Wednesday.
Persons residing near the scene OF u
he accident, coincide in statements VI
made by Mr.. Pearce, that each week u
here are very narrow escapes from "
ccidents at the crossing at which the II
ccident occurred. Mr.. Pearce states CT
hat only a few days before the crash, m
large touring car was ditched when ~
be driver was compelled to take this CO
lethod of averting a crash with a is
reight train. Persons travelling south er
7ard on the du Pont boulevard have al
n obscured view of the railroad track 81
D the east, because of an apple or su
hard. Persons travelling northward on &c
ne road cannot see the railroad track tr
} the east for any distance because WI
large dwelling house, the old lie.
rier Homestead. Traffic across the WI
abroad at this point is heavy, and it pa
increasing all the time. The Penn Lei
1lvania Railroad Company certainly Tr'
Mould place safety gates or fagman co
this crossing twenty-four hours of pa
lie day. Freight trains are travelling 1T
j night. This method is not as costly be-
the railroad as the loss of life. This
lould be done by all means. 20