One Dead Elephant: The 1903 Durand Circus Train Wreck

It’s a piece of Michigan History that a good handful of people are familiar with, but for those who aren’t, here are the details.

It happened in the Shiawassee County town of Durand on August 7, 1903. A horrific circus train wreck killed 23 people, two camels and one elephant... and injured many other people and animals.

What could have caused this to happen?
The circus company traveled in two trains with a total of 70 cars; the head train was stationary on the tracks when the second train crashed into it at 15 miles per hour. 15 MPH doesn’t sound as if it wasn’t fast enough to cause damage, but it sure did, killing most who were riding in the caboose.

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The engineer of the second train claimed the air brakes didn't work while the railroad superintendent says the brakes weren't applied at all, even though the first train had hung a red light in the back to signal them to stop.

According to an article in the 08-08-1903 edition of the New York Times: "The dead, many of them so mangled that identification seemed well-nigh impossible, were carefully laid on the grass a short distance from the scene. By 6 o'clock a corps of twelve physicians was operating on the injured and dressing their wounds in the temporary hospital."

The article continued, "Engineer Probst remained at his post, vainly trying to get the brake to work, until his train was less than a hundred feet of the section ahead. Then he, too jumped when he was within but a very seconds of sure death in the crash."

Knowing more about the tragic details surrounding this incident makes it even more meaningful when you visit the memorial obelisk in the Lovejoy Cemetery just south of Durand. Some of the names are getting hard to read but you can't miss this monument. It's on your left as you enter the drive on the right end of the cemetery.