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THE TM 911 Franklin Street Weekly Newspaper Michigan City, IN 46360 Volume 33, Number 4 Thursday, February 2, 2017 Chance & Happenstance Tragedy Struck Michigan City 70 Years Ago by Matthew A. Werner Onlookers and investigators crowd the wreckage site at Andry crossing. “I still remember the thud sound today.” stop as debris fl ew through the air and tumbled into the adjacent fi eld. It was Feb. 17, 1947, and Jane (Shippee) Lind- Lou Perschke was in the same classroom. The borg was sitting in her eighth-grade classroom in sound of the collision is etched in his memory, too. the old Springfi eld Township School. The time was “They shoveled us into another room on the north 3:05 p.m. Students waited for the fi nal bell to dis- side of the school so we couldn’t see the mess,” Per- miss them to board the buses and head home. schke recalled. That’s when she heard it. An eastbound South Shore train traveling 60 BAM! miles per hour struck a bus carrying a driver and The noise startled her so much, she jumped up 26 South Shore track workers. Thirteen men were from her desk and glared out the window to see what killed. It was the worst accident in La Porte County it was. There, she saw a passing train grinding to a Continued on Page 2 THE Page 2 February 2, 2017 THE 911 Franklin Street • Michigan City, IN 46360 219/879-0088 • FAX 219/879-8070 In Case Of Emergency, Dial e-mail: News/Articles - [email protected] email: Classifieds - [email protected] http://www.thebeacher.com/ PRINTED WITH Published and Printed by TM Trademark of American Soybean Association THE BEACHER BUSINESS PRINTERS Delivered weekly, free of charge to Birch Tree Farms, Duneland Beach, Grand Beach, Hidden 911 Shores, Long Beach, Michiana Shores, Michiana MI and Shoreland Hills. The Beacher is also delivered to public places in Michigan City, New Buffalo, LaPorte and Sheridan Beach. That night, he made his rounds, calling on surviv- Chance & Happenstance Continued from Page 1 ing family members of the men who died that after- since 1893. No accident has reached that level since. noon to prepare his story. He knocked on the door The Springfi eld students were ushered onto wait- of one dark house at 10:30 p.m. He didn’t expect a ing school buses that all drove north, away from the response, but then a light came on and a little wom- railroad crossing, and set about alternate routes to an came to the door. Without asking the reporter’s avoid the accident scene. business, she said, “I wonder what’s wrong with my “Everybody was late (getting home),” Perschke husband. He hasn’t come home for supper. He never said. “My mother was excited when I fi nally got comes home late. I don’t understand it.” The reporter home. She had heard news on the radio that a bus couldn’t bring himself to tell Mrs. Mioducki exactly was struck by a train, but nothing else.” why he was there. He told her there had been an ac- He and his parents got cident, and that her hus- in the family car and drove band might be at the hos- to the accident scene. They pital. But Frank Mioducki couldn’t get close, but the wasn’t at the hospital. He damage was visible. had the misfortune of sit- “It was a mess — pieces ting at the front of that thrown everywhere,” Per- bus, which bore the brunt schke said. of the train’s impact. Later, a reporter spot- “It was a sad time in ted one of the men aboard Michigan City,” Genny the bus sitting in shock at (Kaletha) Schepanek said. the hospital. The report- She was 19 at the time. er asked him what hap- She and her fi ancé, Joseph pened. Schepanek (who Ameri- “I just don’t know,” the canized the spelling of his man said. “I was sitting on last name), were sched- the back of that bus one uled to be married that minute and I was fl ying summer. Everything had through the air the next. I been planned. They only just don’t know what hap- needed to send the invi- pened! But it sure was a tations to the 500 guests powerful somethin’.” they expected. That’s A powerful something, when news of her father- indeed. in-law, Frank Szczepi- A shell of the bus sat Debris litters the ground near the accident site. anek, arrived. Frank was empty on the railroad a Polish immigrant who tracks. The motor of the bus was on the south side spoke with a thick accent. He settled in Michigan of the tracks. The frame and rear axle sat on the City in 1922 and worked as an assistant foreman north side of the tracks 100 feet away. Two bus seats for the South Shore Railroad. He was sitting in the were still intact 50 feet from there. One seat was front of the bus when the train struck. thrown another 100 feet in one direction; parts of The task of identifying Frank’s body was left to other seats lay in the fi eld. The drive shaft rested Joseph, and nothing could have prepared the young near the tracks. Papers, clothing, sheet metal and man for his visit to the city morgue. Despite the ef- bodies were strewn about the scene. The disas- forts of city morgue employees, the ferocity of the ter drew a crowd of police offi cers, an ambulance, accident couldn’t be hidden. Joseph took it hard and hearses and curious gawkers. that night couldn’t face his newly widowed mother. Amid the melee, some important tasks were over- Instead, he slept in the house of his fi ancé’s grand- looked, as a Chicago Tribune reporter discovered. mother and returned home the next morning with THE February 2, 2017 Page 3 news of what he witnessed. The following day, the local newspaper identifi ed the victims and the injured. SAVE MONEY NOW WITH Thirteen men aboard the bus, including six Michigan LAST YEAR’S PRICES! City residents, died. The other 14 passengers were injured. Two people aboard Purchase a Brand New the train suffered minor injuries as well. Michigan City residents turned out in large numbers to support the surviving family mem- bers, including the one for Frank Szczepianek. “It was the biggest fu- Furnace at 2016 Prices neral I’d ever attended Frank Szczepianek in my entire life,” Genny Schepanek said, “and I’m 90 years old now.” STOP worrying about your What exactly happened that day? old furnace breaking down. It was cold, but the ground was free of snow. Don’t be stuck in the cold with The sky was cloudy, the air was clear, there were no physical obstructions at the intersection and the expensive repairs. bus windows provided the driver, 28-year-old Glenn ■ Save money on the cost of a new Morris, with a good view of the track. furnace At 3 p.m., the 27 track workers completed their day’s work. They boarded the bus that was parked on Andry Road (County Road 300 West), 60 feet ■ Save money on your monthly gas bill north of the railroad tracks. John Steinhagen oper- ated a dump truck and had been working with the ■ Save with 0% fi nancing men. Steinhagen was walking along the right-of- way and saw the train approaching. He waved to ■ Take comfort knowing your new Morris and was convinced Morris also saw it. Stein- Lennox furnace is backed by a 10-year hagen turned and walked the other direction. manufacturer’s parts warranty and our “Then I heard the crash,” Steinhagen told report- exclusive 2-year labor warranty. ers that day. “And when I looked around the air seemed to be fi lled with fl y- Act Now... once our remaining ing debris and bodies.” inventory is gone, we will be The mo- torman who forced to buy at higher prices operated the train sound- ed a whistle as he ap- proached the intersection in compliance with the law. The last blast of the train’s whistle was being sound- ed when the train entered 219-874-2454 the intersec- Part of the bus is visible at the railroad crossing. www.MichianaMechanical.com Continued on Page 4 THE Page 4 February 2, 2017 tor pedal stick? Did a shoelace get caught in one of Chance & Happenstance Continued from Page 3 the pedals? Did the clutch or the brakes on the bus tion. He noticed the bus at 3:05 p.m. when it started malfunction, making it impossible for Morris to stop to move south toward the tracks at an estimated the vehicle? The last one is a reasonable possibility; speed of 3 mph. The motorman thought the bus however, the bus was destroyed. There was no way would stop before it reached the crossing, but when to inspect the clutch nor the brakes to determine if the train was 30 feet from the road, the bus was either one failed. still moving — it never stopped. The motorman ac- Chance and happenstance can have big impacts tivated the emergency brake right before the colli- in life. Eldon Keeler was a track foreman for the sion. The impact broke the train’s air brakes, and South Shore. On Feb. 17, he didn’t feel well and left the motorman used a hand brake to stop the train work early.