1926 – Sep 2, two Interurban Trolleys collide head-on, 1 mile north of Monroe, MI — 10
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 3-13-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
— 10 Interstate Commerce Commission. File No. 1284, October 9, 1926.
Narrative Information
U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission: “On September 2, 1926, there was a head-end collision between two passenger trains on the Detroit, Monroe & Toledo Short Line Railway, Detroit United Lines, near Monroe, Mich., which resulted in the death of 9 passengers and 1 employee, and the injury of 32 passengers and 4 employees…
“The Detroit, Monroe and Toledo Division is an electric line which extends between Oakwood, Mich., and Toledo, Ohio, a distance of 51.13 miles, and in the vicinity of the point of accident is a single-track line…The collision occurred at a point approximately 3/4 miles north of Monroe…. Trees bordering the right-of-way and a line of poles on the inside of the curve restricted the range of vision of both motormen to a distance of about 1,000 feet. The weather was clear at the time of the accident, which occurred at about 1.24 p.m.
“Northbound passenger train No. 223 consisted of motor car No. 7529, of wooden construction, in charge of Conductor Leatherman and Motorman Schlegel. It left Toledo at 12.25 p.m., on time and was approaching the siding known as Pine, its time-table meeting point with train No. 224, when it collided with that train at a point about one mile from Pine Siding.
“Southbound passenger train No. 224 consisted of motor car No. 7096, in charge of Conductor Adams and Motorman Owens…. This train left Rockwood at 1.11 p.m., on time…passed Pine, its schedule meeting point with train 223 at about 1.23 p.m., still on time, without stopping, and collided with train No. 223 while traveling at a speed estimated to have been about 15 miles an hour…
“Motorman Owen, of train No. 224, stated… At Rockwood he received the orders to meet train No. 221 at Newport and train No. 15 at Pine, and at the time he passed the siding at Pine he saw the motorman of train No. 15, but did not remember seeing the car number. He admitted that he had entirely forgotten about train No. 223, and said what added to his confusion was the receiving of orders to meet the northbound trains, which were late, at other than their scheduled meeting points. At the time he first noticed train No. 223, his own train was traveling about 45 miles an hour, and he immediately applied the brakes in emergency, opened the sanders and reversed the motors, reducing the speed of his train to about 15 miles an hour when the collision occurred. He estimated the speed of the approaching train to have been greater than the speed at which his own train was traveling. Motorman Owen further stated that on the morning of September 1 he was relieved from duty at 5.45 a.m., after 10 hours on duty, and after getting something to eat he visited a dentist, returning to his home at 11.00 a.m., and after again eating he went to work at 1.54 p.m., without having had any rest while off duty, and was in continuous service until 11 p.m. the same day. He went to bed at 11.30 p.m. and on the date of the accident ho got up at 5 a.m., going on duty at 5.50 a.m., and he said he was not feeling good being in a nervous condition due to a continuous toothache; he continued on duty up to the time of the accident. He said that if his rest had been regular he probably would not have forgotten train No. 223….
“The records indicated that Motorman Owen had been on duty 16 hours and 26 minutes in the aggregate during the 24-hour period prior to the accident. Car House Foreman Duvall, who has charge of calling trainmen for duty, and is responsible for their hours on duty said the error was due to the fact that he did not notice that Motorman Owen had not been on his regular run on the preceding day, resulting in his failure to go off duty at the end of the day as early as would otherwise have been the case.
Conclusions:
“This accident was caused by train No. 224 over running a time-table meeting point, for which Conductor Adams and Motorman Owen are at fault.
“Both Conductor Adams and Motorman Owen are experienced employees, yet according to their testimony they both completely overlooked their scheduled meeting point with train No. 223. The evidence indicated that Motorman Owen had been on duty more than 16 hours in the aggregate in the 24-hour period prior to the accident; this constituted a violation of the Federal hours of service law. On account of having had dental work performed, and continually suffering from toothache, he had had very little rest when actually off duty, and as a result he felt nervous and depressed. There did not appear to have been any excuse, however, for Conductor Adams’ oversight other than becoming confused by receiving orders to meet a northbound train at Pine; having met that train, he then overlooked the fact that his train had a time-table meet with another train at the same point.” (ICC {W.P. Borland}. File No. 1284, October 9, 1926.)
Newspaper
Sep 2, AP: “Monroe, Mich., Sept. 2 – (AP) A death toll of eight has resulted from a head-on collision of two Detroit, Monroe and Toledo shore line interurban cars near here this afternoon and additions to it are feared from the list oof 26 persons injured.
“The Dead:
Elizabeth Burns, 18, Blissfield, Mich.
- A. Rooney, Sandwich, Ont.
Ben Smith, Detroit.
Jack Ferguson, Toledo.
Jacob Huber, Toledo.
Dr. Charles T. Southworth, 54, Monroe, Mich.
Joseph Rosenthal, 38, Dundee, Mich.
A.W. Hebner, switchman for D.U.R. Highland Park, Detroit.
“The cars crashed on a curve and telescoped a third of their length.
“The southbound car from Detroit to Toledo was said to have run ahead of its schedule by which it should have met the northbound at a siding. The line here is single track. The injured were brought to Monroe hospital and the dead taken to undertaking establishments here. Every available physician in Monroe hurried to the scene….” (Associated Press. “8 Dead, Many Hurt in Trolley Crash,” The Escanaba Daily Press, MI. 9-3-1926, p. 1.)
Sep 3, AP: “Detroit, Sept. 3 – (AP) – Full responsibility for the head-on collision of two interurban cars one mile north of Monroe late Thursday which resulted in the death of nine persons and injury to 25 others was admitted today by Willis Owen, motorman, and Homer G. Adams, conductor of the southbound var, according to officials of the Detroit United Railways. Owen and Adams jointly admitted that they had forgotten the scheduled arrival of the northbound car at Pine Siding, the officials said.
….
“Already behind schedule, Owen said he speeded the car to 50 miles an hour shortly before the northbound appeared around a curve, also running at a high rate of speed. Owen jumped and escaped with minor injuries. Adams was not seriously hurt.
“The list of fatalities was increased to nine today when George H. Hartell, New York City, a passenger on the Detroit-bound car, died in a Monroe hospital. All but ten of the remaining injured were released from the hospital during the day….” (Associated Press. “2 Blamed For Trolley Crash.” The Escanaba Daily Press, MI. 9-4-1926, p.1.)
Sources
Associated Press. “2 Blamed For Trolley Crash.” The Escanaba Daily Press, MI. 9-4-1926, p.1. Accessed 3-13-2025 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/escanaba-daily-press-sep-04-1926-p-1/
Associated Press. “8 Dead, Many Hurt in Trolley Crash,” The Escanaba Daily Press, MI. 9-3-1926, p. 1. Accessed 3-13-2025 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/escanaba-daily-press-sep-03-1926-p-1/
United States Interstate Commerce Commission File No. 1284. “Report of the Director of the Bureau of Safety in RE Investigation of an Accident Which Occurred on the Detroit, Monroe & Toledo Short Line Railway, Detroit United Lines, Near Monroe, Mich., on September 2, 1926.” ICC, October 9, 1926, 4 pages; reproduced by DOT Library, Special Collections, I.C.C. Historical Railroad Investigation Reports (1911-1994). At: http://dotlibrary.specialcollection.net/