By C. M. K.
A train wreck that took place in
Porter, Indiana on the night of February 27th, 1921 affected the
community. This disaster not only
affected the local community, but drew national attention as well. The train
wreck took place at the intersection of the Michigan Central line and the New
York Central line. People aboard the
train were as young as two years old.
Some people were traveling from Ontario, while others were traveling
local from places like Elkhart and Michigan City.[1] Thirty-seven people were killed from this
disaster, as well as over 100 people injured. This included passengers, as well
as railroad crew.
Porter County was founded in 1832,
when the Pottawatomi Indians ceded the land to the government. It wasn’t until
the early 1850s, when the railroad system began to develop, that Porter County began
to develop. According to the Porter County Interim Report, “The Michigan
Central Railroad was completed through the county in 1852, followed closely by
the Lake Shore and Michigan South.”[2] Six rail lines ran through the region by
1880.[3]
Because of this transportation boom,
Porter County became a hub to the metropolitan area of Chicago. Urban dwellers
moved here and Porter County enhanced its position as a resort area.[4]
“Proof of the railroad’s economic impact on the county is evidenced by the fact
that all but one of the county’s remaining depots were built in the early
twentieth century,” stated the Porter County Interim Report.[5]
Transportation, as well as agriculture, impacted Porter County in the early
1900s. Milk production during August of
1920 was an important landmark for Porter County. The ten highest producing cows in Porter
County averaged 1,418.5 pounds of milk, which was the highest milk production
in the state of Indiana.[6]
Because of the development of
railroads, Governor Hanly established the Indiana Railroad Commission in 1905.[7]
According to Indiana in Translation, “Public attention had been drawn to the
need of improved safety measures by a tragic event in November 1906, when a
railroad wreck on the Baltimore and Ohio at Woodville, in Porter County,
brought death to forty-eight persons and injuries to one hundred fifty.”[8]
After this tragic incident, a bill was passed that required the installation of
block signal system to be put in place.[9] Furthermore, in 1911, a long series of laws
affecting both railroads and interurbans were passed. Some of the laws included the installation of
automatic bell ringers, switching signal lights, and reporting accidents by
telegraph or telephone as soon as possible after the event.[10]
The bells were in use during the
train wreck in 1921. Joe Cook, the signal operator on duty, and Charles Whitehead,
the telegrapher in the signal tower, both recall the incident. “Far down the
track in an appliance which rings a bell in the tower when a train hits
it. That night we were waiting for No.
151 the New York Central train. We heard the bell and looked up at the
recorder, seeing it was the New York Central. About thirty seconds later the
Michigan Central bell rang. Joe met the signals against the Michigan Central
and opening the track for the New York Central.”[11]
The Michigan Central train was
heading eastbound, while the New York Central train was heading westbound.
These lines cross in Porter, Indiana. On duty the night of February 27th,
1921 was Joe Cook and Charles Whitehead. Cook “closed the crossing against the
Michigan Central train and opened it for the New York Central train,”[12]
according to the New York Times. Whitehead
regulates the passage of the trains over the crossing where the New York
Central and Michigan Central train interlocks. Whitehead believed Cook had done
the right thing by saying, “the signal system was interlocking so both tracks
could not have been opened at the same time. Closing the tracks to the Michigan
Central automatically opened it to the New York Central, and vice versa.”[13]
Furthermore, trainmen and citizens stood behind Cook. “Trainmen pointed to cuts
in the Michigan Central ties as proof that the train had been derailed by the
automatic derailing switch and then had climbed back on the track, when it hit
the ‘diamond’ at the intersection,”[14]
stated the New York Times.
Town Trustee, R. Huff, was the first
town official to arrive on the scene. He
announced that he “intended to move toward limiting the speed at which trains
could pass the village crossing.”[15]
The wreck had made Porter a country-wide attraction. Farmers lined the streets, foreigners had
driven here from Gary, and there were sightseers from Indiana, Illinois, and
Michigan.[16] Newspaper
articles were being published in papers like the New York Times, Washington
Post, and Chicago Tribune. The Michigan
Central train after the wreck presented what would appear to be phenomenon to
the laymen.[17]
Eyewitness accounts were made directly after
the crash. L.E. Pitner, a purchasing agent of the H. & M. Body Company of
Racine, Wisconsin, was a passenger of the New York Central train in the parlor
car. He exclaimed, “there came a crash that was like a cannon’s roar.”[18] He told newspapers that no one was seriously
injured in his car, so he ran to wreck.
He dragged out two men and one woman from the Michigan Central day coach,
who was then taken to the hospital. He
began to investigate the crash. He found
that there was likely a misunderstanding between the engineer and his fireman
on the Michigan Central train. The engineer was W. S. Long and his fireman was
George F. Block. Pitner elaborated, according to the Washington Post, “Either
the engineer did not hear him, or he misunderstood him, for he apparently made
no effort to stop. The engine went right ahead, but the block set against him
in time to set the derail. The train bumped along the ties until the engine and
baggage cars were beyond the crossing. The New York Central train plunged right
through the day coach.”[19]
“Full blame of the wreck was placed
against engineer of the Michigan Central train by other passengers,”[20]
according to the Chicago Daily Tribune. As of March 1, the engineer and fireman
of the Michigan Central train had made no public statement. They escaped serious injuries and went to
Niles, Michigan, where they related their stories to operating officers of the
road.[21]
Also on March 1st, the
general manager of the Michigan Central lines, Henry Schearer, declared the
road’s investigation had proved Long and Block were to blame for the
wreck. He stated, “it has been
determined that engineer W. S. Long and Fireman George F. Block on Engine
8,306, Train 20, violated rules and regulations in failing to observe and
properly obey signals indications, and will be forthwith dismissed from the
service.”[22]
By March 4th, they had
issued a formal statement through their attorney. They declared “the signal at
the derail switch, 210 feet from the crossing, gave them a clear track,
although the distance block, 4,500 feet away, showed a yellow light, which
meant that they were to bring their train under control. This was done.”[23]
In the aftermath of the Porter train
wreck, the Interstate Commerce Commission wanted to prevent this kind of
disaster from happening again. According
to the New York Times, “no matter how perfect the system of signals by the side of
the track, if the engineer fails to read a signal of danger, disaster is
inevitable.”[24]
W. P. Borland, Chief of the Bureau of Safety of the Interstate Commerce Commission
released a report of the wreck at Porter.
He said, “This accident again calls attention to the necessity for an
automatic train-control device to be used in connection with existing signal
equipment for the purpose of automatically controlling the speed of a train in
case the engineman for any reason falls properly to observe signal indications
and to operate his train accordingly.”[25] He believed that the responsibility of every
passenger on the train relied on the engineman, and that there needed to be
something else in place in case he makes a mistake.
Something can be learned from this
disaster in Porter County. It, along with other train wrecks in the following
months, helped establish that there needed to be higher safety regulations on
the railroads. Because of the developing
railroad system, more technological advances needed to be taken into
consideration and developed. The bells and signal lights were a good start, but
there needed to be something in place that would right the engineers’ mistakes.
A provision was made by the Commission, stating, “That the commission may,
after investigation, order any carrier by railroad subject to this act within a
time specified in the order to install automatic train stop or train control
devices or other safety devices which comply with specifications and
requirements prescribed by the commission upon the whole or any part of its
railroad.”[26]
Mr. Esch, a member of the Interstate Commerce
Commission during this time period, made a statement regarding the automatic
train control. He stated, “Two other train control devices are now being
installed on the New York Central and the Southern Pacific on selected parts of
these roads. Other installations are to
follow.”[27] Because of disasters like the New York
Central and Michigan Central wreck at Porter, the train control devices were
being put into place to prevent this again.
Many people who lived in Porter relied
on the railroads to take them to the metropolitan area of Chicago. Industries were growing there, but not
everyone wanted to live in the city. People moved to Porter because it was
easily accessible by railroad. The dangers of the railroad system were
prominent, like the wreck between the Michigan Central line and New York
Central line. Communities, like Porter,
wanted a safer railroad and depots.
Bibliography
Davis,
Ann C. Indiana Historical Sites and
Structures Inventory, Porter County: Interim Report. Indiana: Historic
Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, 1991.
"Holds Enginemen in Porter Wreck." The Washington Post (1877-1922), March
05, 1921. Accessed February 10, 2014.
http://ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/145927142?accountid=11620.
"Identified Dead and Injured in Porter Wreck." Chicago Daily Tribune (1872-1922),
February 28, 1921. Accessed February 10, 2014.
http://ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/174718338?accountid=11620.
"Michigan Road Takes Blame for Death." New York Times (1857-1922), March 02,
1921. Accessed February 10, 2014. http://ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/98454137?accountid=11620.
“No-Collision
Railroads.” New York Times (1857-1922),
June 05, 1921. Accessed February 28, 2014. http://ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview98406840?accountid=11620.
"Passenger Who Rescued Three Tells of Wreck.” Chicago Daily Tribune (1872-1922),
February 28, 1921. Accessed February 20, 2014.
http://ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/174718404?accountid=11620.
Phillips,
Clifton J. Indiana in Transition, The
Emergence of an Industrial Commonwealth (1880-1920). Indiana: Indiana
Historical Bureau & Indiana Historical Society, 1968.
“Seen
and Heard in Indiana.” Denver Tribune,
October 07, 1920. Accessed March 01, 2014.
http://access.newspaperarchive.com.ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/denver-tribune/1920-10-07/page-12?tag=porter-county&rtserp=tags/?psi=38&pci=7&ndt=by&py=1920&pey=1921&pep=porter-county&psb=relavance&pr=30.
“Train Wreck Dead Now Put at 37.” New York
Times (1857-1922), March 01, 1921. Accessed February 10, 2014.
http://ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/98344107?accountid=11620.
"Wreck Death List 35 to 37, Indiana Coroner Declares.”
The Washington Post (1877-1922), March
1, 1921. Accessed February 10, 2014.
http://ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/145934395?accountid=11620.
“Wreck Toll Doubtful.” Los
Angeles Times (1886-1922), March 1, 1921. Accessed February 10, 2014.
http://ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/160949297?accountid=11620.
[1] "Identified
Dead and Injured in Porter Wreck," Chicago
Daily Tribune (1872-1922), February 28, 1921, accessed February 10, 2014,
http://ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/174718338?accountid=11620.
[2] Ann C. Davis, Indiana
Historical Sites and Structures Inventory, Porter County: Interim Report.
(Indiana: Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, 1991), xiii-xv.
[3]
Davis, Indiana Historical Sites, xiii-xv.
[4]
Davis, Indiana Historical Sites, xiii-xv.
[5]
Davis, Indiana Historical Sites, xiii-xv.
[6] “Seen and Heard in Indiana,” Denver Tribune, October 7, 1920,
accessed March 01, 2014,
http://access.newspaperarchive.com.ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/denver-tribune/1920-10-07/page-12?tag=porter-county&rtserp=tags/?psi=38&pci=7&ndt=by&py=1920&pey=1921&pep=porter-county&psb=relavance&pr=30.
[7] Clifton J. Phillips, Indiana in Transition, The Emergence of an
Industrial Commonwealth (1880-1920) (Indiana: Indiana Historical Bureau
& Indiana Historical Society, 1968), 250-262.
[8]
Phillips, Indiana in Transition, 250-262.
[9]
Phillips, Indiana in Transition, 250-262.
[10]
Phillips, Indiana in Transition, 250-262.
[11] "Wreck
Toll Doubtful,” Los Angeles Times
(1886-1922), March 1, 1921, accessed February 10, 2014,
http://ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/160949297?accountid=11620.
[12] “Train Wreck Dead Now Put at 37,” New York Times
(1857-1922), March 01, 1921, accessed February 10, 2014,
http://ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/98344107?accountid=11620.
[13] "Wreck
Death List 35 to 37, Indiana Coroner Declares,” The Washington Post (1877-1922), March 1, 1921, accessed February 10,
2014.
http://ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/145934395?accountid=11620.
[14]
“Train Wreck Dead.”
[15]
“Wreck
Death List 35 to 37.”
[16]
“Train Wreck Dead.”
[17]
“Train Wreck Dead.”
[18] "Passenger
Who Rescued Three Tells of Wreck,” Chicago
Daily Tribune (1872-1922), February 28, 1921, accessed February 20, 2014,
http://ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/174718404?accountid=11620.
[19]
“Wreck
Death List 35 to 37.”
[20]
“Passenger Who Rescued Three.”
[21]
“Train Wreck Dead.”
[22] "Michigan
Road Takes Blame for Death," New
York Times (1857-1922), March 02, 1921, accessed February 10, 2014, http://ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/98454137?accountid=11620.
[23] "Holds
Enginemen in Porter Wreck," The
Washington Post (1877-1922), March 05, 1921, accessed February 10, 2014,
http://ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/145927142?accountid=11620.
[24] “No-Collision Railroads,” New York Times (1857-1922), June 05,
1921, accessed February 28, 2014, http://ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview98406840?accountid=11620.
[25] “No-Collision Railroads.”
[26]
“No-Collision Railroads.”
[27]
“No-Collision Railroads.”
