September 5,1873. On a foggy morning around ten
minutes to five the 29th of August, the Detroit & Mil-
waukee night express going west, lost a drive wheel due
to a broken axle. The train was left standing about one
mile east of Muir. The engine involved was No.1 the
General Cass, a 4-4-0 type built in 1855.
Conductor Knill sent brakeman McNeil to Muir to
telegraph St. Johns to stop the through freight there, but
it had already gone through. There were no night
operators at Pewamo or Fowler so the telegraph was
of no further use. Conductor Knill than sent the bag-
gageman, George Darby and brakeman W.P.Brown to
flag the train. These men went back to the west end of
Stony Creek bridge which later measured to be 2,658
feet from the rear of the express.
Torpedoes were placed on the track some distance
east of the flagmen. The flagmen were requested by
section foreman McMillian to go further back, but they
replied, "Who's doing this flagging?" or words to that
effect.
The freight engineer saw the signal and whistled down
brakes not less than 1,000 feet east of the place
occupied by the flagmen, which would make a distance
of from 2/3rds to 3/4 of a mile in which to stop the train.
The freight train was running at a high rate of speed,
which was only slightly checked before reaching the
express. The engineer and fireman of the freight, after
putting on the brake of the tender, and opening the
sand-box, leaped off the train and escaped uninjured.
There were 30 heavily laden freight cars behind the loco-
motive, Ontario, another 4-4-0 type locomotive,as it
rushed into the rear end of the express, composed of two
emigrant cars placed behind the sleepers.
The Ontario drove into the rear emigrant car clear to the
cab, tearing up the floor, raising the roof and spreading
the sides, but leaving some seats at the forward end still
intact. All the emigrants but two or three at the forward
end, had been alarmed and had cleared the car. Those
few remaining were hurt but not fatally. The next car
ahead, also filled with emigrants was totally demolished. It
was mashed into a space of eight feet between the
sleeping car and the one the Ontario had plowed into.
Fifty-five Germans and Swedes were in that car, about
thirty remaining inside when the collision occurred.
An Icelander, Mrs. Andrus Hed and daughter were
instantly killed. Mrs.Fretchmarick and infant son, emigrant
Icelanders, instantly killed. These were the four killed.
About fifteen injured and of these eight were still in Muir.
The sleeping car was somewhat damaged. No person
remained in that or the car ahead. Half of the material of
the demolished car was driven with teriffic force past the
sleeping car on the north side of it, shooting parrallel to
it and struck three persons who were leaping from the
rear of the passenger car next ahead of the sleeping car.
over the Maple River. This trestle
was built in 1867. Brakeman
McNeil had to negotiate this bridge
to reach Muir Station to telegraph
St.Johns. The village of Muir is in
the background. This photo was
taken in March, 1904 during a big
spring freshet.
Photograph from Lyons Historical
Society.
brakeman McNeil telegraphed
St.Johns to stop the through freight
with no success. Engine No.10,
the St.Johns, is standing at the
station. This locomotive is also a
4-4-0, the same as the Cass and
the Ontario. Photo, Gordon
Leydeksen collection.
bridge. Built of iron and called a
Howe truss, it was built in 1870.
Brown, Darby and McNeil stood
here trying to flag the through
freight. Photo taken March, 1904.
Photograph from Lyons Historical
Society.
testimony of Frank K.Knell, the conductor:
"We broke an axle of a driving wheel, which delayed us
sometime. I telegraphed to Detroit for another engine,
and received a message to take the engine of No.13,
the through freight, which afterward ran into us. As soon
as we broke down, I sent James Brown, a brakeman,
back along the track with a red lamp, with instructions
to stop anything coming. About ten minutes afterward
I got a red flag out of the baggage car, went into the
sleeping car with it, gave it to Mr. Schermerhorn, the
sleeping conductor, and told him to take the flag back
to Brown, while I got some flag signals out of my trunk,
and went back and took the red flag myself. Schermer-
horn went back to the train. I found Brown a little west
of the iron bridge over Stony Creek. Brown was not
half far enough and I told him to go over the bridge and
not let the train run into us. I also told him to take a
stone in his hand and if the engineer didn't see the red
light to throw the stone through the cab window. I
walked a little way toward the bridge, put the signals
down by the track, and spoke to Brown again about
going back further. When I turned back he was crossing
the bridge. I came back to the engine. George Darby,
the baggage man, was passing water to the engine to
put out the fire. I took the pail out of his hand, told him
to get another red flag from the engine and go back and
if anything should happen that they didn't see the red
flag, he might go far enough to stop them with the
second. Brown might have walked back a mile and a
half or two miles. I listen to hear them whistle down
brakes. I heard them whistle, and remarked again it was
all right, for they saw the flag. He whistled four or five
signals go off and judging from the sound I thought he
was coming a great deal too fast, but thought he would
reverse his engine and stop suddenly. Presently I saw
he couldn't stop without striking the train and cautioned a
lot of passengers in the rear of the train to get out of
the way. I than ran toward my engine to put the engineer
on guard. When about halfway along the train I looked
back and saw they were going to strike pretty heavy and
ran down the bank to save myself. I saw the end of
the sleeping car crushed in. My boy was in the end berth
asleep. I then went to see Brown and the others to see
how far they had been back. I saw the engineer of the
freight train on top of the cars about the middle of his
train and made some remarks about his coming so fast.
I saw Brown and asked him how far back he had been
and he said he had been back to the fourth telegraph
pole east of the bridge. I told him he should have been a
damned sight further and supposed he was. From the
time I heard the freight train whistle until the collision
occurred it could not have been more than three minutes.
In my judgement the coming train was not running at less
speed than twenty miles an hour. I didn't notice
whether the engine was reversed or not. The rule is
when one train follows another and the former is
detained to send back a signal not less than 800 yards.
The grade where the collision occurred is light. A train
running at the rate of fifteen miles an hour, when the
brakesmen are at their posts and the engine reversed,
ought to stop within a quarter of a mile. The rails were
wet at the time of the accident, which made stopping
difficult."
This information came from the Ionia Sentinel and the
Railroad Commissioners Report of Dec.31,1873.
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