Step right up, Step right up! The show is about to begin as we explore the world of the circus and those who made and make a magical place to visit. The tradition of the circus has a long incredible history as we learned from last week, but that history lesson is not over today as I will make it point of how history and even film has influenced the circus.
For years now we have explored the world of the circus and the life of those performers, but one area that often gets overlooked is the tragedies of those who have been seriously injured or died whether as a performer or a spectator, we will now get into those stories but if you interested in knowing more about specific people and performers and want to go down the rabbit hole, please read below. Some of these tragedies there may not be a great deal of information in and that is probably by design as why who circuses want people to remember those terrible events, ruining the good name of the circus.
There are so many performers that have been forgotten or their stories go untold because of little or no real information other than a picture and some history, but they existed. Some of the so called freaks were not freaks at all, but unusual in their appearance all human beings of course, but it’s sad that we as society exploited that to make money and bring fame.
The Freak Show Compilations
Circus Tragedies :
- Providence Hair-Hangers
2. Flying Wallendas
3. Dessi Espana
When we think of circus tragedies, we often associate that with fires and deaths of performers, but there is also another category it seemed common with circuses and that was Train wrecks. One is the 1918 Circus Train Wreck. One of the worst disasters in circus history was when a military transport train collided violently with a circus convoy train occupied by the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus.
The Cause
In the early morning hours of June 22, 1918, engineer Alonzo Sargent was at the throttle of a Michigan Central troop train pulling twenty empty Pullman cards. Sargent, who was aware that his train was closely following a slower circus train, had slept little if at all in the preceding twenty-four hours. The effects of a lack of sleep, several heavy meals, some kidney pills, and the gentle rolling of his locomotive are taught to have caused him to fall asleep at the controls.
Having stopped on the tracks between Gary and Hammond, Indiana to cool an overheated axle. Sargent had missed at least two automatic signals and warnings posted by a brakeman of the 26-car circus train, which had made an emergency stop to check a hot box on of its flatcars. Plowing into the caboose and four rear wooden sleeping cars of the circus train at an estimated 35 miles per hour.
Death and Damage
The damage horrific, since the circus cars were wooden, easily crushed to splinters and the kerosene lamps that lit them quickly ignited a conflagration and killing dozens of people. Five cars heaped on top of each other and at least 187 people were injured and 86 killed. The fire proved to be devasting that is was impossible to identify the remains and somewhere between 53 and 61 unrecognizable bodies buried in a mass grave near Chicago. Large elephant statues mark the plot as a monument to all the performers buried on the spot. All the Hagenbeck-Wallace animals were on an advance train, and none were hurt in the collision or fire.
Most of the eighty-six who were killed perished in the first thirty-five seconds after the collision. The fire so intense that many of the victims were assumed to be some of the African American porters on the train, until further investigation revealed they had been severely burned. Among the dead were Arthur Dierckx and Max Nietzborn of the Great Dierck Brothers, a strongman act, and Jennie Ward Todd of The Flying Wards.
First days later, fifty-three of those killed were buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. Most of casualties are in marked graves “Unknown Male” or Unknown Female”. One grave is marked “Smiley”, one “Baldy” and another “4 Horse Driver”.
The Arrest
Sargent, who was under arrest, refused to testify at any of the hearings on the advice of his counsel. In his report to the accident to the officials of the railroad company, he made the following statement:
I was called shortly after 8 p.m. June 21, for deadhead equipment west, engine 8485, for 10.15 p.m., and left Kalamazoo, Michigan at 10.35 p.m. Had been up since 5 a.m., June 21, dead heading from my home in Jackson on Train No. 41, and had had little or no sleep during the day. Had had a couple of heavy meals before going out, realizing that I would not get anything more to eat until some time the next morning. Leaving Kalamazoo, followed freight train to Michigan City yard and stopped at signal near Center Street. Got proceed signal from some one on ground, pulled up to Michigan City, stopped at standpipe and took water. While following this freight train, we stopped first between Dowagiac and Pokagon on account signal at danger. Stopped again at Pokagon and Niles for same reason, this freight train being ahead.
Leaving Michigan City, had clear track to East Gary and there caught block of train ahead, reduced speed, but did not have to stop, as block cleared before I reached it. Reduced speed going through Gary to comply with rules, and saw no more signals at caution or danger until approaching curve east of Ivanhoe, where I found second signal east of wreck at caution. Was going about 25 miles per hour at this point, but did not reduce speed, as I expected that the next signal would probably clear before I got to it, or that I would see it, if at danger, in time to stop. The wind was blowing very hard into cab on my side and I closed the window, which made the inside of cab more comfortable. Before reaching the next signal I dozed on account of heat in cab and missed it. Not realizing what had happened to me until within 75 to 90 feet, I awoke suddenly and saw the tail or marker lights showing red on a train directly ahead of me. Not realizing that the rear end of this train was so close. I started to make a service application, but before completing it placed brake-valve handle into emergency position. We struck almost instantly after making the brake application. Don’t know whether I closed the throttle or not, but think I did. Looked to see where the fireman was and saw he was running toward the gangway. Did not see a fusee, hear a torpedo, or see any other warning signal up to the time I saw the red tail lights. Wreck happened at about 4.05 a.m., June 22, and I stayed there for an hour or more assisting in getting people out of the wreckage. I have been in the service of the Michigan Central Railroad Co. for approximately 28 or 29 years, the last 16 of which I have been continuously employed as an engineer. I am in perfect physical condition, as well as mental condition, and have had no illness within 25 or 30 years requiring the service of a doctor. There was nothing defective about the air brakes or other mechanism of the engine or train that I was operating, nor was there any defective condition of any of the signals or track upon which I was operating to the best of my knowledge. The accident was due solely to the fact that I accidentally fell asleep, and I had no intent to injure any person, nor was same done with malice, but solely through an accident, as aforesaid.
The ICC report concluded, “This accident was caused by Engine-man Sargent being asleep, and from this cause, failing to observe the stop indication of automatic signal 2581, and the warnings of the flagman of the circus train, and to be governed by them.” The report was also critical of the older wooden cars, whose oil lamps ignited the fire immediately after the collision.
Michigan Central troop train engineer Sargent and his fireman, Gustave Klauss, were criminally charged in Lake County, Indiana for their part in the Great Circus Train Wreck of 1918 catastrophe. The jury found itself deadlocked after a trial, and a mistrial was declared.
The Aftermath
The train wreck occurred on a Saturday, and its effects caused the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circuses show in Hammond and another in Monroe, Wisconsin on June 24th to be cancelled. However, the circus performed on June 25 in Beloit, Wisconsin with other circuses providing some of the acts.
Reference : https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hammond-train-wreck-disaster-1918-killed-dozens-circus-performers-180969428/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/ct-ptb-circus-train-wreck-st-0119-20200117-zu3ubisywrftfah6rdsmckvqvi-story.html
Sadly, this is not the only tragedies, more to follow bringing light to this horrible and sad events.
