Alonzo Sargent
Encyclopedia
Alonzo Sargent was an American locomotive
engineer from Jackson, Michigan
who was found to be responsible for one of the worst circus train
wrecks in U.S. history, the Hammond circus train wreck
near Hammond, Indiana
on June 22, 1918, a tragedy which killed 86 persons and injured another 127.
troop train pulling 20 empty Pullman
cars which plowed into the caboose
and four rear wooden sleeping car
s of a 26-car circus train
near Hammond, Indiana
at an estimated speed of 35 miles per hour. Sargent, an experienced man at the throttle, had had little or no sleep 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 apparently combined in some form and made him drowsy.
The circus train held 400 performers and roustabouts of the Hagenbeck-Wallace circus. Most of the 86 who were killed in the train wreck perished in the first 35 seconds after the collision. Then, the wreckage caught on fire. There were also 127 injuries.
An Interstate Commerce Commission
(ICC) report following an investigation concluded
The report was also critical of the older wooden-type circus train cars, whose oil lamps may have ignited the fire immediately after the collision.
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
engineer from Jackson, Michigan
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...
who was found to be responsible for one of the worst circus train
Circus train
A circus train is a modern method of conveyance for circus troupes. One of the larger users of circus trains is the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus , a famous American circus formed when the Ringling Brothers Circus purchased the Barnum and Bailey Circus in 1907.In 1872 the P.T...
wrecks in U.S. history, the Hammond circus train wreck
Hammond Circus Train Wreck
The Hammond circus train wreck occurred on June 22, 1918, and was one of the worst train wrecks in US history. Eighty-six people died and another 127 were injured when a locomotive engineer fell asleep and ran his train into the rear of another near Hammond, Indiana.-Circus train wreck:In the early...
near Hammond, Indiana
Hammond, Indiana
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....
on June 22, 1918, a tragedy which killed 86 persons and injured another 127.
Circus train wreck
On June 22, 1918, at approximately 4:00 am, Sargent was operating a Michigan Central RailroadMichigan Central Railroad
The Michigan Central Railroad was originally incorporated in 1846 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada...
troop train pulling 20 empty Pullman
Sleeping car
The sleeping car or sleeper is a railway/railroad passenger car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds of one kind or another, primarily for the purpose of making nighttime travel more restful. The first such cars saw sporadic use on American railroads in the 1830s and could be configured...
cars which plowed into the caboose
Caboose
A caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
and four rear wooden sleeping car
Sleeping car
The sleeping car or sleeper is a railway/railroad passenger car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds of one kind or another, primarily for the purpose of making nighttime travel more restful. The first such cars saw sporadic use on American railroads in the 1830s and could be configured...
s of a 26-car circus train
Circus train
A circus train is a modern method of conveyance for circus troupes. One of the larger users of circus trains is the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus , a famous American circus formed when the Ringling Brothers Circus purchased the Barnum and Bailey Circus in 1907.In 1872 the P.T...
near Hammond, Indiana
Hammond, Indiana
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....
at an estimated speed of 35 miles per hour. Sargent, an experienced man at the throttle, had had little or no sleep 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 apparently combined in some form and made him drowsy.
The circus train held 400 performers and roustabouts of the Hagenbeck-Wallace circus. Most of the 86 who were killed in the train wreck perished in the first 35 seconds after the collision. Then, the wreckage caught on fire. There were also 127 injuries.
An Interstate Commerce Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
(ICC) report following an investigation concluded
The report was also critical of the older wooden-type circus train cars, whose oil lamps may have ignited the fire immediately after the collision.
See also
- Showmen's RestShowmen's RestShowmen's Rest in Forest Park, Illinois is a 750 plot section of Woodlawn Cemetery where a mass grave of 56 employees of the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus were interred...
- Kidney Pills Wreck a Train