The Organized Farmer

RESULTS IN DEATH OF FIVE
WHEN BUS STRIKES TRUCK

Bus Driver Dies In St. John's Hospital From
Fatal Burns And One More Victim Is In
A Critical Condition

One of the worst accidents in the history of northwest bus transportation happened on Monday morning at about 10:30 when the Chicago to Twin Cities bus collided with a truck of the Minnesota State Fish Hatcheries laden with cans containing fish fry. According to testimony heard by the coroner's jury the driver of the bus kept well to the left in negotiating a slight curve and on account of the slippery pavement was unable to get back to the right in time to avoid a collision with the truck. The two collided head on and witnesses say that flames burst forth enveloping the driver and four men sitting well to the front in the bus.

No sound was heard from any of the victims and it is thought that they were stunned by the terrible impact. The driver was pulled out of the cab by W. R. Pickard of St. Paul who, after getting out himself kicked open the door of the blazing motor coach and dragging Mrs. C. F. Edwards of Chicago and W. J. Gardner of Minneapolis and Walter E. Meyer, Wayzata, bus driver from the flaming bus.

The bus driver was hysterical and burned seriously. Pickard rolled him on the ground and beat out the flames on Meyer's clothes with the shirt he had torn from his own back. Then Pickard pulled the unconscious Gardner from the ruins and beat out his blazing clothing.

The story of the accident as told by Mr. Pickard to a reporter of the Red Wing Daily Republican was as follows:

"As the bus approached the ill-fated curve in the highway, I watched the approaching line of state trucks and thought what an ideal setting it was for an accident. Just as the bus rounded the turn, it began skidding on the slippery pavement, and I saw the driver frantically endeavoring to prevent the bus from crashing head on into one of the trucks headed toward Red Wing.

"Try hard as the driver did to avert the collision, he could not, and the bus and truck met head-on with a terrible crash.

"I was sitting in the center of the bus and was hurled against the seat ahead of me by the impact. By throwing up my right arm I shielded my face and prevented more serious injury. I hit the seat so hard that it fractured my right wrist and bruised the arm and shoulder badly.

Muffled Explosion Follows

"There was a muffled explosion when the collision broke the gas line in the engine of the bus, and the motor burst into flames. The coach toppled onto its side, a raised embankment preventing it from turning over.

"I scrambled to my feet and dashed to one of the doors. I tried frantically to kick and break it open, but couldn't.

"Seeing that two other men and colored woman had made their escape thru the other door they had succeeded in breaking open. I crawled out.

"Then I saw a woman (Mrs. Edwards) shrieking hysterically in the bus, and I pulled her out before her clothing caught fire.

Yanks Out Driver

"The bus driver was crumpled up in his seat, his clothing ablaze, and I yanked him out, tore off his shirt, and by rolling him on the ground and beating the flames with my shirt, extinguished the fire in his clothes.

"The man who had sat nearest the driver (Gardner) was lying unconscious on the floor and was burned fearfully. His clothing was a mass of flames. I pulled him out and then beat out the flames on his clothing.

"By that time the bus was a seething inferno and it was impossible to rescue any of the four remaining men in the bus. They were left to their death," Pickard continued.

"Not until I had been taken to a doctor's office did I know that I had singed my hair and burned my face slightly. I knew that my wrist and arm had been hurt in the impact," he concluded.

Pickard's story was related very modestly. The youth passed over the details of the thrilling rescue as rapidly as he could, taking as little credit for his heroism as he possibly could.

The youth was returning from
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TERRIBLE ACCIDENT ON NO. 3

(Continued from page one.)

Youngstown, Ohio, where he had appeared in several boxing bouts.

Three of the dead have been identified as follows:

Robert Hendricks, dental student of St. Louis who was on his way to attend a convention of dentists in Minneapolis. Caleb Olson of Flint Michigan and Alfred L. Bovaird of Atlanta Georgia. The identity of the fourth victim has not yet been determined. The death of the driver.

Walter Meyer of Wayzata at St. Johns Hospital on Wednesday at 5:10 p.m. increases the list of fatalities to five.

William H. Gardener of Minneapolis was fearfully burned and his condition is regarded as very serious.

The verdict of the coroner's jury was as follows:

"That the four unidentified bodies taken from the Fageol bus of the Interstate Bus Co., about five miles west of Red Wing on Highway No. 3 came to their deaths by reason of a collision of the said bus with a Mack truck owned by the Minnesota State Game and Fish commission, which collision took place about 10:30 a.m., Aug. 20; that their deaths were caused by fire, shock or impact, due to the collision; that the collision was caused by said Fageol bus skidding on wet pavement on a curve, thus caused the collision, which was unavoidable."

Walter Pickard, St. Paul, who rescued three people from the burning bus, first to be called, testified that the driver had been at the wheel of the bus during the entire trip from Chicago and had received only a 10 minute rest on the whole trip.

Tells of Crash

He declared the bus skidded while attempting to negotiate the curve in the road, and then crashed almost head-on into the state hatcheries truck. He said the driver had applied the brakes just before the collision.

Pickard expressed the opinion that if Meyer had had control of the bus, he could have passed the truck safely.

He told the jury that Meyer had told him there were two relief drivers available at Chicago, but that they were both inefficient.