The Pere-Marquette Train Crash of 1907

Submitted by Sally
 

I went to the Grand Rapids Library today to look up the newspaper article about the Pere Marquette Train crash that killed 33 Ionia residents. and injured over 100!

The pictures were pretty awful and the articles lengthy.  I did print out the list of those who died and the injured.

The train was an excursion train and hit head on with another freight train near Salem MI (by Plymouth)  Reason for the crash was that the paper that had the time schedule had a wrinkle by the time and the freight train operator thought it was a different time.

The dead:

WILLIAM GOTT  IONIA
JOHN TAFEL, 17 IONIA
NED GALLAFHER 18  IONIA
JAMES VISSARD 27 IONIA
ALBERT TRAUTWINE IONIA
HENRY REYNOLDS 42 IONIA
CHARLES MCALLEY 50 IONIA
W J CORNELL 48 IONIA
FRANK DOUSE 21 IONIA
WILLIAM EVANS 20 IONIA
CHARLES HESS 51 IONIA
HERMAN HESS 15 SON OF CHARLES
PAUL HESS 18 SON OF CHARLES
FRANK LATHAM 18 IONIA
MRS. EDDIE 50 IONIA
BEN DURLING 48 IONIA
MRS DURLING  DIED NEXT DAY
E JONES ADDRESS UNKNOWN
WILLARD STAGER 30 YEARS KANSAS CITY MO
CHARLES FENTON FIREMAN OF FREIGHT GRAND LEDGE
HARRY WILLIAMS 17 FATHER WAS ENGINEER ON PERE MARQUETTE
L K MERRILL 50 PHOTAGRAPHER
DON ROGERS 19 **
FRED FITZGERALD 20 LOWELL
WILL SMITH 18 SOUTH IONIA
CHARLES BOARD 19 IONIA  **
ALBERT HURBURT 45 IONIA
E J PIXLEY  CONDUCTOR OF THE PERE MARQUETTE  (worst injured in death)  God bless his family  for the suffering they must have endured!!)
ED COWAN  BRAKEMAN GRAND LEDGE
H A KNOWLES FIREMAN OF PM
BANNER HUGGINS 28 CARSON CITY
MRS PERRY TURNER 45


DON ROGERS GOT OFF THE TRAIN FOR JUST A SECOND IN SALEM AND PURCHASED A
POSTCARD, WROTE ON IT AND STUCK IT IN HIS SHIRT POCKET TO MAIL.  IT SAID "HERE TODAY AND AWAY TOMORROW"
Don was one of a quartet (he, Slyvester Denney, Charles Board and Fred Spectrum) who were singing on the train.  Just before the crash they had sung  the song "Farewell"  Don and Charles died in the crash.

The injured:
Mrs. C V Kelchum
Mrs. Mary Majinski
Mrs. Anna Majinski
Mrs. Guy Fuller
Myron Hannah
Glen Crawford
Herman Holtz
Leo Kalkofen
Mrs. John Kalkofan
John Welton
Mrs. Charles Dolson
William Beals
Fred Armstong
Cecilia Kennedy
James Eddy
Edith Shepard or Schipper
Emil Hacker
Frank Smith
glen Crawford
George Brown
May Avery
Mrs. F W Peck
Mrs. Corelt
August Richter
Jerry Cizzard
Arthur Randall
L G Herry
Mrs. Clancy
Ed Poole
Fred Armstong (listed twice)
Frank Melzow
E G Correll
Maggie Cobb
Alfred Cobb
Noble Mix
Mrs. Ray Wood
Mrs. Whitlock
Fred Boardman
John Nolan
Mrs. M Durling
Coa Durling
Andrew Erickson
Mrs. J Terry Dolin
Mrs. John Nichols
Nelllie Syble
Fred Priest
John Blasin or Blasoon
Anna Cornell
Mrs. Fred Ostrum
Miss. Lotus Bartlett
Misss. Ona Campbell
Mrs. Fred Armstrong
C F Haight
Anna Hickey
Cecilia Durling
Mrs. F. Taylor
Mrs. Katherine Selbeck
Miss Louise Endres
Eddie Bingham
Nelse Jensen
Mrs. Jensen
Mrs. George Vanaburg and two year old son
Hugh Brook
Mrs. A C Fuller
Mrs. Jennie Smith
Mrs. Kate Smith
Leo Kelkosan
James Kenny
William Beals
Marian Dulley
Mrs. Charles Dawson
Mrs. Floyd Wiers
Mrs. George Taylor
Joseph Feeney
George Van Amburg
Mrs. David Otto
Milo Snell
Mrs. Harvey Towns
Mrs. Charles Dolson
Edward Bender
Eugene Hannah
Leo Benedict
Richard Jones
James Boole
Unidentified man (later identified and listed in dead)
Myron Hannah
John Walton
Frank Malewitz
Mrs. Frank Malewitz
John B Anderson
Hilda Anderson
Olice Turner
Mrs. C R Wheeler
L G Perry
Mrs. Nick Swenter
Mrs. E W Booth
Mr & Mrs Robert Reynolds & daughter
Mrs. Frankenburg
Arthur Woodward
E G Carol
Mrs. E G Carol
Michael McIntyre
John Blesereck (not certain on spelling of this) 246 Colby Street

Most of these list their address and their injury if anyone wants more information I will send that to them.  The copy is quite dark so hopefully I copied the names correctly.   There were two lists of the injured.  I think that I have all the names listed and not sure if they may be listed twice (other than the one I mentioned)


Information was taken from the Grand Rapids Herald, July 21, 22, and 23,
1907 issues pages 1, 2, 3.

I had thought that a relative of mine was on this train (Lewis Rowe) but he wasn't listed.   He died in a train wreck also in the same year and I had had July 28, 1907 as his death date.  I thought perhaps he may have died later, but was not among the listed injured.  Another relative said she thought that he had died in September 28, 1907 in a train wreck in Kalamazoo.
His father Robert Rowe and grandfather Joseph Rowe lived in Danby of Ionia county and then later moved to Oceana county. 
If anyone has information about another train wreck in the same year near Kalamazoo, please let me know. thanks
Sally

Last update 1/5/2008