Durand Union Station
P.O. Box 106
200
Railroad Street
Durand, MI 48429
Office Hours:
Tuesday to Friday
9 AM to 5 PM
Telephone:
(989)288-3561
Fax:
(989)288-3494
Email:
Durand Union Station
Master of Transportation X.H. Cornell,
of the Grand Trunk, and Undertaker George W. McLain,
assisted by the village authorities, have kept the
telegram and telephone wires busy trying to locate
relatives or friends of the deceased in the morgue.
Twelve bodies lie in caskets ready for shipment or
burial. Of this number three have been positively
identified and instructions received as to what disposal
to make of them. Of the remaining nine, names have been
affixed to three but their homes or relatives have not
been located.
The bodies will be held in the morgue until Tuesday, when
the unknown will be buried side by side. The caskets are
covered with bouquets purchased with money sent to the
village authorities by the bosses of the John Robinson
Circus. The officials of Shiawassee County, such as the
prosecuting attorney, sheriff, coroner and others, have
been heard from and they are indignant because some of
the state newspapers are roasting them. [8/9/03]
The bosses with the John Robinson
Circus sent $45.00 to the sufferers in the Wallace
wreck at Durand, Michigan.
The Wallace Show turned people away noon and evening at
Bay City, Michigan, the first Stand after the wreck.
C.B. Wallace has not yet made public the estimate he
places on his loss. The actual damage to the circus is
figured at $20,000.00, but this does not include the
loss due to two cancelled dates in Lapeer and Caro.
[8/22/03]
This exhibit features photographs and written accounts of the 1903 collision of two circus trains near the Durand Union Station. Text is from a brochure compiled in 1999 by Margaret Zdunic from archival holdings.
Others May Be added to the List By Night
Some of the Injured Taken to Detroit Hospitals
Harrowing Sights at the Scene of the Wreck
Said That the Disaster Was Due to Failure of Air Brakes to
Work
Wallace Brothers Train Wreckage
The Wallace show exhibited at
Charlotte yesterday and after loading started
for Lapeer, where it was billed to appear today.
The trains were run in two sections, the first
containing 22 cars and the second 16 cars. As
the first section was nearing Durand a flag was
sent out by a stock train ahead which was
holding the main track, to hold the circus train
until the track was cleared. This held the first
section of the train fully a half mile west of
the station.
After the first section of the circus train came
to a stop a flagman with a torch was immediately
sent back to protect the first train, but the
flagman had not gotten back far enough before
the second section came in sight, and as they
were running very fast, and the air brakes did
not work well,it was impossible to stop the
train before reaching the caboose of the first
section.
The first section was struck by the
engine of the second section with great force,
completely demolishing the caboose and the
sleeper next to it. The engine of the second
section was thrown into the ditch on one side of
the track and the tender on the other, both
badly wrecked.
The first section consisted mostly of wagon
cars, and at the rear were two sleepers and a
caboose. It was in the last sleeper that the
majority of the victims were killed. The light
caboose between the sleeper and the engine of
the second section crushed like kindling, and
did little to stem the speed of the on rushing
engine. The occupants were all asleep and knew
nothing of the danger which confronted them
until the crash came, and in an instant the
killed, dying and wounded were hurled in the
mass of wreckage. The news of the awful wreck
soon reached the village and the railroad men,
together with all the physicians and many
citizens of Durand were soon on the scene
rendering every possible assistance.
The Hotel Richelieu was turned into a hospital,
and those who were severely injured were carried
on the mattresses on which they had been
sleeping in the cars in the dining room and
other rooms, and the house is filled with those
who were victims of the wreck. Every possible
aid and attention is being bestowed upon them.
Some of those who were injured the worst, begged
to be shot, that their sufferings might be
ended.
It is reported that the death list numbers twenty-three. Among the killed are Trainmaster James McCarty and Detective Large, both well known officials of the Grand Trunk. The work of identifying the dead, is being carried on with some difficulty. Most of those killed were performers. The second section of the train consisted mostly of animal cars, and the cars next to the engine of this section were badly damaged. Among the valuable animals killed were three camels, one elephant and a dog said to worth $1,000. The second section was in charge of Engineer Probst and Fireman Coulter, of Battle Creek, both of whom were slightly injured in jumping from their engine just before the collision, which occurred at 4 o'clock.
Recovering the Dead
As near as can be learned the number of wounded is about forty, some twenty of whom are badly injured. Several of the less seriously injured were able to make their own way to town, where they were given such medical attention as was available. At 10 o'clock it was stated that eight bodies had been taken from the wreck, and it is now believed that these are all the fatalities resulting from the disaster.
* News
from Harper Hospital *
Raymond
Stevenson Collection *
* A Predawn Disaster *
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