Nearly 50 people descended upon the Walter L. Main Circus Train Wreck Memorial yesterday morning to honor the six individuals killed in the tragic accident that occurred nearly 110 years ago.
The memorial service was organized by the local expert on the matter. Susie O’Brien has been studying the accident for many years and often gives speeches and demonstrations on the occurrence.
“The circus did a memorial service every year from 1895 to 1939,” she said. “After that, Walter L. Main’s circus had disbanded. There were different circuses and people who would stop and do a memorial service, because it was important for the circus employees to honor their own.”
So, again, it’s the community’s turn. This was the third such service since the one held in 1959 at the Grandview Cemetery. The Tyrone Area Historical Society and the Adam Forepaugh-Barry Lubin “Grandma” Tent No. 2 Circus Fans Association of America worked jointly in developing the service.
O’Brien opened the ceremony with a detailed history of the six men that died as a result of the accident. Three of the five individuals who died in the accident were employees of the circus.
Frank Traine was a ticket agent who O’Brien said wasn’t killed immediately in the crash, but died as rescue workers attempted to free him from the rubble. Train was from Indianapolis, Ind.
Barney Multaney and William Thomas Lee were both laid to rest right here in Northern Blair County. These men worked as canvas men, or laborers, with the railroad. Both, thanks to a generous donation of grave sites by a local businessmen, were buried in Grandview Cemetery.
William Heverly was a brakeman who also died in the crash. He worked for Pennsylvania Railroad.
O’Brien also told of young John Strayer, a 13-year-old boy from Houtzdale. She said Strayer and a few of his young friends decided to runaway from home and join the circus. The boys jumped the train in Osceola Mills, but Strayer later found himself alone on the train after his friends got cold feet and went home. He died in the accident.
O’Brien also mentioned William M. Gates, a laborer for the wrecking crew, who died the day after the crash while helping to clean the rubble.
“We’re here to honor these individuals for what they meant to their profession,” said O’Brien. “It’s nice to see that so many people care about the events that took place near here and they want to share some of their time to remember what happened.”
Those in attendance included representatives from the Circus Fan Association David Orr, Jim Ridenour and Pete Adams; District Magistrate Fred Miller; Blair County Judge candidate Bill Haberstroh; Frank Fedeli, representing Rep. Larry Sather; and the Snyder Township Supervisors.
Following short presentations by Orr, Ridenour, Adams, Haberstroh and Miller, Rev. Norman Huff offered a memorial service. He completed the service by singing “Near My God To Thee,” a hymn O’Brien said was sung when Frank Train’s body was being loaded for transport back to his home state of Indiana, while members of CFA placed a wreath in front of the memorial.
After the service, O’Brien recognized the grandparents of Altoona resident Greg Wenzel, who is currently with the Marine Corps in Iraq. Wenzel used the Walter L. Main Circus Train Wreck of 1893 Memorial as his Eagle Scout project and spent last May and June making improvements to the area. As a gesture of thanks, all those attending signed a “Thank You” card for Wenzel, which will be shipped to him overseas.
“The Circus Fan Association are proud to be here and support this,” said Orr. “It’s been one of our projects here locally, to tie in here with Tyrone Historical (Society).
“I think you can see by the crowd today – and we have people here from Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio – that a good number of people are still interested in the circus. And we’re the people that believe in the true America circus, a circus with animals.”
And speaking of animals, when Traine was laid to rest at Grandview Cemetery, two circus elephants scaled the hill to get to the burial grounds, then, using their trunks, lowered wreaths onto each grave site.
“That what I want to do someday here at this memorial,” said O’Brien. “It’s something I’ve been working on for a long time. Someday, we’ll have an elephant here to honor these great people.”
