Kalamazoo, Michigan
Train
- Trolley Wreck
May 17, 1889
HURLED TO DEATH
An Engine Runs Into a Street Car Killing Six
Ladies
A shocking accident occurred about 5:30 o'clock
in the evening at the West Main street crossing
of the Michigan Central Railroad in Kalamazoo,
Mich. A street car containing eight ladies and
two gentlemen was crossing the track when a
switch engine dashed down upon it from the east
side at a high rate of speed, and the driver
being unable to get the car out of the way the
helpless passengers were hurled to a terrible
death. It was but the work of a moment.
The street car was carried almost to Academy
street, the pieces flying in all directions, and
the human freight being mangled in a frightful
manner.
Those in the car were:
MRS. ALEXANDER HADDOCK, MRS. M. E. WATLES, MISS
GERTRUDE TILLOTSON, MRS. GEORGE SMILEY, MRS.
MIDDLETON, MRS. VAN ANTWERP, MRS. S. A. GIBSON,
MRS. JOHATHAN BARNES, MR. L. C. LULL and DR.
SUTTON. The first-named six were killed, two
being found dead in the cattle guard, one in the
creek near by, two on the track and MRS.
MIDDLETON died an hour later. She was thrown in
the roadway.
MRS. GIBSON was injured in the head and side and
MRS. BARNES was bruised badly. The two male
passengers escaped. The driver of the car
escaped by jumping.
The switch engine was running at a high rate of
speed. The gates at the crossing where the
accident occurred are not used between 5:30 and
6:58 P. M., the gatekeeper going home at that
time. This custom probably deceived the driver
of the street car, who was a new man and
probably supposed that the gates would of course
be down if an engine were coming.
The Cranbury Press New Jersey 1889-05-17
Submitted & transcribed by Stu
Beitler Thank you,
Stu!
 Search
for more information on the Kalamazoo Train -
Trolley Wreck
and other disasters in the Historic
Newspapers Collection. Search
over 1000 different newspapers at ancestry.com. Use this
Free trial to search for your ancestors.
Search for ancestors in
Kalamazoo, MI among billions of names at ancestry.com. Use this
Free trial to search for your ancestors.
Michigan
Marriages, 1851-75
Searchable database at ancestry.com. Use this
Free trial to search for your ancestors.
|
