Hammond Times, Volume 7, Number 25, Hammond, Lake County, 22 June 1918 — Page 1

Frightful Train Wreck

FAIR

WEATHER

VOL. VII, NO. 25.

THE LAKE COUNTY TIMES

JUNE 22 ,1918. EIGHT PAGES.

When You Buy War Savings Stamps You Do Not Give--You Receive

SATURDAY AND WEEKLY EDITION.

46 DEAD; 125 ARE INJURIED CIRCUS TRAIN SMASHED BY EMPTY M.C. TROOP SPECIAL

SCORES MISSING, SAYS MANAGER

DEATH LIST

Sickening Scenes Three Miles East Of

Hammond As Artists Burn To Death

LITTLE JOE COYLE'S LAST

MAY GROW OVER NIGHT

WORDS,

PAPA

HELP ME OUT"

General Manager of Carl Hagenbeck Shows Says that 200 Are Unaccounted for, Including Those in Morgues and Hospitals.

As Father Fights Fire With Bare Hands His Wife and Two Children Perish in Wreck; Sights Drive Men Mad.

SHOW WIPED OUT ONCE BEFORE

Twenty years ago at Durand, Mich., the Hagenbach and Wallace Circus was wiped out by a wreck and a monument now stands on the scene. The wreck today, however is considered the most horrible in the history of circus business in America.

WHO IS TO BLAME ?

"Oh, papa can't you help me out?" This pitiful cry was utter by little Joe Coyle, 6 years old. a he looked up between heavy timbers that pinned him beneath the wreckage of the Hagenbeck and Wallace circus train into the face of his father tearing madly

with bare hands at burning- debris. A

moment later a name swept between them forever hiding- from th man his idol. Beneath the boy was Mrs. Ooyle and another child. Joe Coyle Sr.. one of the best known clowns with the circus, was torn from the place by friends. else he perished. It was these horrible sights that drove temporarily mad.

OYER HUNDRED INJURED

"harles Gollmar. general manager of the Carl Hagenbeck Shows, this afternoon made the following: statement: "There, are 600 people in our organization and of these 250 are performers. We are registering and checking

up and there are 200 who are not accounted or, including; those in the. hospitals. I cannot estimate the num- I of dead. The greater portion of the dead were canvasmen and laborers. I believe. I am not in a position to make a statement at this time as to the loss of life because I have no. means of knowing. The train was in two sections and the first section had six passenger coaches and the second four. There was only one coach of performers in the second section which was the one struck. Mrs. Gollmar and myself were in

our stateroom at the front end of the first passenger coach of the second section. We were in our bed when we awoke The roof was gone and a man was thrown through the roof into our room by the force of the collision. The engine of the troop train had plowed through three coaches and to center of the fourth. Those in the staterooms on our coach were uninjured." It is believed that fire which consumed the wreckage was started ( Continued on page three.)

Startling developments are

breaking as to the cause for the wreck horror and the snuffing out of two score of human lives and the injuring of a hundred others. Why did the engineer and fireman rush by three sets of warning

signals the block, the flagman and the fuzee flares? Coroner H. C. Green has begun an investigation. The engineer of the troop train is in the hospital

at Gary. The fireman escaped and is in custody. No one can clear up the mystery until the engineer can talk. Michigan Central officials are unable to explain it. The fireman is said to have told Hagen- beck employee that the engineer

must have been asleep.

INJURED AT HAMMOND HOSPITAL [BULLETIN] Twelve more charred bodies have been brought to Williams' morgue at Gary. One has been identified as that of a performer named Jessup. [BULLETIN] Two men and one woman died shortly after reaching St. Margaret's hospital. One of the men was Arthur Diereck, strong man act; his partner, Joe Diereck, was burned to death under the train and his other partner, Max Diereck, is thought to be burned also, as he is missing. The men were all brothers. ---- The injured at the Hammond hospital are: John Collins, Bernard Carman, bareback rider: Jim Lelo, prop man: W. H. Curittes, head canvas man: Mrs. W. H Curittes, Billy Warde, areal performer; Gus Werner, animal trainer; Fred Ledgette, head wardrobe man: Eddy Ward, aerial performer; Mrs. Mamie Ward, aerial performer; Marrial Ward, aerial performer; John Miller, Frank Miller Frank Dilleu, William Davis, usher; Reno McCree, bareback Rider; Mrs. Hattie McCree, bareback rider; Gary Donohue, aerobat; Mrs. Vernie Cooer, bareback rider; Joe Coyle, clown and mail man. At least five these will die.

Yesterday evening when they retired to their berths the six hundred and fifty official, performers and laborers of the Hagenbeck show were a happy

contented family. With the charity characteristic of the people of the sawdust ring, they had given a performance that afternoon before the convicts at the Michigan City penitentiary, adjacent to the show grounds in that city. They were on their way to Hammond where the show has been seen many times in the past. In the second section, which was the one struck by the speeding empty troop train, there were four sleepers con-

taining a hundred and fifty members of the show, including thirty perform - ers and Manager Charles Gollma and his wife. Gollmar was only slightly injured and his wife sustained a brok-

en arm. Bud Gorman, stage manager.

escaped with slight hurts.

Among those reported killed were

Mvs. Alec Todd. wife of one of the Fly-

and Jennie Ward, of the Flying Wards, (Continued on page two.)

HORRORS ENACTED ON RELIEF TRAIN

Indescribable Doom of High Salaried Circus People When Wrecked Sleepers Blaze and inmates Burn Before The Eyes of Those Unable to Saie Them, M.C. Engine Crew Disregard

BURNING FUSEES.

One of the most appalling train wrecks ever known in the county took place shortly before dawn this morning at Ivanhoe, on the Michigan Central railroad, three

An extra west-bound troop train running light, carrying 24 coaches, going at a fearful rate of speed, tore into the rear end of the second section of Hagenbeck-Wallace's show train and plowed through four tourist Pullman sleepers filled with high salaried circus artists of international renown.

An estimate that may show still greater death results places the number of dead

at 40, dying 30, and 80 wounded.

Never-to-Be-Forgotten Scenes. Scenes of indescribable horror that beggar all de-

In the gray dawn the four Pullman coaches bearing more than a hundred of the injured circus folk were pulled away from the scene of burning debris and charred bodies. The train went slowly to Gary. Faces covered by blood burns and scars peeped from every berth. Men with fractured skulls. broken backs; some unconscious and others crying out in agony, lay in the aisles. Calls for water some exhausted the supply in the coaches and left little for the rescuers icher; and loft little, for the rescuers to do. Lon Moore and Art Adair, clowns, sat on the arms of berths in the last of the coaches, exhausted from their exertions. They were two o of the heroes of the

catastrophe.. Buried beneath the wreckage of a coach they had used superhuman strength to extricate themselves.

driven to the greatest efforts by the heat of threatening flames. Once free they battled the fire and dragged to (Continued on page two. )

scription were enacted before the horror-stricken eyes of

EIGHT OF DEAD AT GARY MORGUE Of eight dead at Gary morgues only one had been identified up to noon. She was Mrs. Jennie Todd

1201 Emerson street, Bloomington, Ill., a performer. The others were men, believed to be circus laborers.

set fire to the wreckage and the poor unfortunates pinned in the frightful debris saw the hungry flames creep toward them. Those who got out to safety were absoappalled and frenzied at the sight before them. Awakened to their doom their companions burn-

ed to death before their very eyes.

Ill., a performer. The others were

men, believed to be circus laborers.

burning wreckage

From Under This Engine Twenty Bodies Were Taken

They shrieked and screamed for aid.

Beg Rescuers to Kill Them. In some cases half of their bodies were out of the coaches and their appalling cries to be killed, as the flames slowly burned them bit

by bit, made spectators half crazy. When help came from Gary and Hammond the four sleepers were a mass of flames. Heroic efforts to at least drag out some of the corpses were made without avail. Charred torsos of what had been as fine physiques of both young men and women as there were in the world were put on stretchers and covered with fragments of canvass to be taken to the undertakers' wagons.

Who Is Responsible?

The cause of the horrible catas-

trophe is a mystery and may never be reared up in its entirety. The

circus train was stalled on the main track, just ahead of where it crosses the E. J. & E . A broken axle on the show train, which had about 20 flat cars bearing tractors,

circus cars and paraphernalia,

ahead of the four Pullman tourist sleepers and a caboose, had caused a stoppage. While the crew of the circus train were making repairs

four coaches were a mass of flames. The banks on each side of the ditch-lined double-tracked right of way were literally covered with wounded. Fearful screams rent the air and strong men turned faces away from the scene of horror. Cream of Profession Killed. The four burning coaches contained the cream of the circus profession. There were artists there from all over

the world. They were high-salaredT marvels who had grown blase before the

plaudits of admiring millions. They traveled on suite-the deluxe of circusMen and wives and children, all happy circus families, plunged from slumber to a grapple with death. Among the performers were such stars as the Cottrells, one man and two sisters, bareback riders: the Meyers horse ridone man and two women; the Rooneys. aerial performers; the Dertwo strong men. brothers; Rosie Roseland, the queen of bareback riders; Mrs. Donovan, the elephant trainer; Bob Ennis and wife, aerialists. In these cars also were the bosses of the circus. Charles Gollmar and wife, Gollmar is the manager of the show and once own-

flaemen were sent back to light;

warning fusees. They did so and

the fusees, according to survivors,

lit up the heavens. Fuzee Signals Disregarded. In the Pullman coaches the tired employes slept profoundly. They had exhibited last night in Michigan City and got away late. According to the best reports available there were between 275 and 300 . people in them. Suddenly bearing down on them, the train flagmen saw the monster Michigan Central engine with its 24 empty troop coaches. It was going at

such a high rate of speed that it split through the caboose and five coaches like a man shoves his finger through butter. The sleepers with their human freight were shot up into the air telescoped, crushed and then horror reigned. Help Summoned From Cities Rob M. Rae of Chicago, assistant boss canvassman was one of the men in car No. 5 next to the caboose who escaped. He ran to the tower with his appeal for help. The towerman called up both Hammond and Gary. The police and fire departments were both notified. Doctors were summoned and a rescue hegira to the wreak scene began. Scores of autos, police patrols rushed to the scene of horror it was is writ to their minds for all time to come. Appalling Spectacle Greets Rescuers When the Michigan Central mogul after piling up the human freightage stopped, burning embers

Clowns with an international reputaEd DeVore, H. Lapearl, Joe Coyle and Art Adams. Many of these are ashes in the wreckBy a fortituous circumstance Ed Ballard, owner of the shows, of French Lick Springs, had come to Hammond last night from Michigan City. He had ordered a new top sent to Hammond and came to see about it. Otherwise he would have been on the wrecked train. Gollmar and wife were two who were lucky enough to get out of the wreckAmong the missing men are Fred Ladgett, boss wardrobe man; Jim Counor, boss hostler, and Zeb Canterboss electrician. When the troop train hit the circus (Continued on rage two.)