FIVE PERSONS DIE IN FIRE

HUGE GASOLINE TRANSPORT AND AUTOMOBILE CRASH ON HIGHWAY EAST EL DORADO

Victims Are Trapped In Blazing Machines When Driver Of Car Swerves In Front Of Carrier To Avoid Hitting A Cow; Bodies, Burned Beyond Recognition, Are Not Identified For Several Hours

TWO OF THE DEAD RESIDED HERE

In the most tragic automobile accident that ever occurred on a highway in Butler County, five persons were burned to death and one other was slightly injured about 9 o'clock last evening on highway No. 54, 10 miles east of El Dorado.

The dead:

Beach Powers, aged 23 years, of El Dorado
Claude Forshee, aged 18 years, of El Dorado
Evelyn and Dorothy Coalscott, twins, aged 15 years, of Eureka
George Gibson, aged 30 years, of Chanute

The injured:

W. E. McGuire, aged 21 years, of Cherryvale. He was only slightly bruised and cut

Young Powers, Forshee and the two Coalscott girls met death in the automobile in which they were riding when the machine and a huge gasoline transport driven by Gibson crashed almost headon. Gibson was thrown out of the cab of his truck and died almost under the left front wheel. McGuire was riding with Gibson.

The bodies of the five were burned beyond recognition. Only portions of their torsos remain. Because of this it had not been definitely determined this afternoon who was driving the car in which four of the victims were riding, but indications were that young Powers was at the wheel.

The accident occurred as Powers, Forshee and the Coalscott girls were enroute to El Dorado to attend a theater. They are said to have left Eureka about 8:30 o'clock. The last time anyone recalls seeing them alive was just before they started for El Dorado when one of the girls went into a drug store to mail a letter.

The transport driven by Gibson was proceeding east. It had left El Dorado only a few minutes before the crash. Gibson and McGuire are said to have eaten supper here. They had loaded their machine with gasoline at 7:15 o'clock at the Vickers Refinery, at Potwin, and were enroute to Kansas City, Mo. The two men were employed by the J. E. Ketchum Gasoline Company, of Chanute. Gibson was the regular driver and McGuire is said to have been a student driver.

Just as the automobile and car met, a cow appeared on the highway. It was first believed that the car hit the cow and the impact hurled the machine in front of the transport. But McGuire told Walter Covert, maintenance supervisor for the Kansas Highway Department in District No. 5, that the car did not hit the cow, but that the driver of the car swerved to his left to prevent hitting the animal and was unable to cut back to the right again before the car and transport crashed. The cow was seen later to walk off into a field to the south side of the road.

When the two machines collided, the car was carried in front of the transport a distance of about 150 feet before they stopped on a small culvert. Flames broke out in both the car and transport about thirty feet from the culvert. In an instant, both machines were a mass of fire.

McGuire told Mr. Covert that just as the crashed occurred, Gibson yelled, "Lookout." McGuire threw up his hands to protect his face, but he lunged forward into the windshield. McGuire says he then attempted to remove Gibson from the transport, but the heat was so intense he cold not do so. McGuire then turned his attention to the four trapped in the automobile, but was driven back by the flames, which were leaping a number of feet in the air by this time, and the heat. It is believed that the four young people were killed instantly by the crash.

Whether Gibson worked himself loose from the cab and staggered in the spot on the highway where his charred body was found, or fell from the cab after McGuire says he tried to rescue him is not known. The presumption is that Gibson's body finally slipped from the flaming transport.

One of the first persons to reach the scene was Walter Penns, of Chanute, another driver for the Ketchum Company. "Dusty" Rhodes, also of Chanute, and a driver for the Ketchum Company, was on the scene in a few seconds, too. Penns and Rhodes were on their way to Potwin after loads of gasoline. According to Penns, he witnessed the accident through the mirror on his transport. He said just before he met Gibson's transport that he saw the cow in the road. Looking into the mirror a few seconds later. Penns reports that he saw the transport and car in flames.

Neither the car nor transport are believed to have been going at a high rate of speed at the time of the crash. McGuire is reported to have said that the transport was traveling at about thirty miles an hour, or possibly slower.

There was no explosion when the machines came together. While both the car and transport were totally destroyed, all the gasoline in the carrier was not consumed by the flames. The fire burned at a lively rate for about three hours. the flames shot high in the air most of the time and could be seen at a great distance.

The transport, which was a new one and cost $3,100, weighed 14 tons when loaded. It had four compartments, two of 800 gallons each on the front and rear end and two of 400 gallons each in the middle. The two front compartments were burned dry, while about 100 gallons remained in the other 400 compartment and the second 800-gallon compartment was about half consumed.

It was not until after 2 o'clock this morning that the bodies of the five victims were definitely identified. The body of Gibson was identified first. McGuire, who came to El Dorado after the accident, knew Gibson only by the name of George. W. D. Blanchfield, of Chanute, and F. A. Edwards of Newton, who were also hauling gasoline for the Ketchum Company also knew Gibson only by the name of George. Blanchfield and Edwards are employed by T. A. Clark, of Newton, and loaded out of Potwin about an hour after Gibson did. They were enroute to Kansas City, too. They arrived on the scene of the accident a few minutes after it occurred. It was not until Chanute was reached by long distance telephone well after midnight that Gibson was identified.

Much trouble was encountered in identifying the bodies of the four young people. The car in which they were riding carried state license tag No. 13-4,006, Lyon County's state number. Because of this, it was thought at first that the victims were probably from Emporia.

Officers at that place said that the license tag was issued to the Baldwin Motor Company, of Emporia. C. F. Baldwin, president of the company, was reached and he said the company did not own the car, but that he would attempt to learn to whom it had been sold.

After a delay of more than a half an hour, Mr. Baldwin reported that the car had been sold to Frank Taylor, of Emporia, last February, cash having been paid for it. It was then presumed that the members of the Taylor family were the fire victims. But later, it was learned through the registration bureau at Topeka that the car had come into the possession of the Bush Motor Company, of Eureka, and it had sold it on October 19, last, to R. B. Coalscott, a barber of Eureka and the father of the two girls.

The sheriff's office at Eureka was asked to contact the Coalscott family and others who might know something as to who might have been in the car when it left Eureka for El Dorado. It was reported in a short time that the two Coalscott girls and Strong Beach---the writing name of young Beach---and a young man whose first name was Claude were in the car when it was last seen in Eureka headed for El Dorado.

The family of young Powers was contacted here and it was learned that Powers had been in Eureka working. It also was learned that "Claude" might be Claude Forshee, who had been employed at odd times at the Willis Moore Grocery Store, on South High Street. A call to Mr. Moore's home revealed the information that young Forshee had not worked at the store since Saturday and he said at that time he was going to Eureka. He hitch-hiked to that place on Sunday, it was learned later.

The investigators then went to 218 West Ash Avenue where Forshee roomed and it was found he had not been here since Sunday. With all this evidence, it was determined that the bodies in the car were those of Forshee, Powers and the Coalscott girls.

In the meantime, the report out the Middle West. There were radio broadcasts of it and the Associated Press and newspapers in Kansas City, Wichita and other larger towns in the Southeast stated to call El Dorado for every detail of the crash. The Associated Press reported this story was the biggest of the night.

Mr. Covert reached the scene of the crash a few minutes after it happened. He and a reporter for The Times hurried to the scene. Only a few persons had gathered, but many motor cars and trucks were tied up on both sides of the scene waiting an opportunity to get through. The road was closed for a number of hours, and most of the machines detoured.

It was not until about two hours after the crash that it was possible to take the bodies from the burning car. Shovels, a pitchfork and other tools were employed. The work was directed by Mr. Covert. The bodies were placed in the middle of the highway and later brought to the Byrd Funeral Home here, where they were being held this morning.

When the transport and car stopped in their mad plunge, many gallons of gasoline escaped from the truck and flooded the highway. This burned lively for a number of minutes and turned the mat a white color. The last bit of fire in the car and truck was extinguished by throwing wet dirt on the flames. Some of the clothing of the victims also was put on in this manner, although there was little left when the bodies were taken from the car.

Two of the bodies in the car were in the front seat and the other two in the rear. One of the young men and girls was in each compartment. The bodies in the front seat were burned more severely than those in the rear.

As the bodies were taken from the car, they were designated by writing on pieces of paper, in case an inquest is held later and for other information.

Sheriff Lark Snodgrass and Deputy Sheriff Roy Enright were on the scene early and sided in the investigation. Dr. G. E. Kassebaum, county coroner, and Stanley Taylor, assistant county attorney, also were on the scene.

Mr. Covert was assisted in handling the situation by E. E. James, Ross Godfrey, "Red" Tompkins and Bill Knapp, all of whom are employed by the Highway Department here. Mr. Tompkins and Mr. Knapp guarded the scene all night. A number of persons who gathered also assisted in handling the traffic and aiding in the rescue work.

Kermit Powers, a brother of Beach, was at the scene early, but he did not realize that one of the victims was his brother. It was not until Mrs. Powers was informed shortly after 2 o'clock this morning by The Times that an accident had befallen Beach that Kermit knew of the death of his brother. While the residents of the place where young Forshee roomed had heard of the accident earlier in the evening, they did not know either that the youth had died in the fire until informed by The Times.

This morning Mr. Covert had a number of pictures taken at the scene of the accident by C. O. Boston. They will be retained in cast litigation should arise over the crash, it was said.

Dr. Kassebaum said this afternoon it was likely no inquest will be held.

No funeral arrangements had been made this afternoon for any of the fire victims. It was expected that the bodies of Gibson and the two girls would be taken to their homes later in the day.

Young Powers has been at Rutherford, W. Va. He had resided in El Dorado for about twenty years. In recent years he had made quite a name for himself by writing plays and stories and directing amateur productions. He had been in Eureka about two months where he put on a play for the Lions Club. He was considered a most talented young man. He had visited in El Dorado only a few days ago. He was a member of the Methodist Church.

Young Powers is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. D. E. Powers, four brothers, Albert, of Wichita; and Berl, Kermit and Dixon, all of El Dorado; and one sister, Mrs. Una Murphy, of Keighley.

Forshee was 18 years old. He was born on May 22, 1917, at Patosa, Mo. He had resided here for 10 year. He had worked at various jobs recently. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church. The youth is survived by his father, Martin I. Forshee, who works out of El Dorado; and one brother, Stanley Forshee, of El Dorado, and three sisters, Mrs. Curtis Lamb, of Oil Hill; Mrs. Ed Johnson, of El Reno, Okla.; and Mrs. J. E. Lewis, of El Dorado.

The two Coalscott girls were born at Junction City on August 3, 1920, but had resided in Eureka most of their lives. They were enrolled in the High School at that place where Evelyn was a Freshman and Dorothy a Sophomore. Evelyn had been keeping company with Powers, it was said today, and if Powers was driving last evening it was probably her body that was found in the front seat.

In addition to their parents, Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Coalscott, the girls are survived by a sister, Mrs. Robert Downing of Long Beach, Calif. The girls were members of the Christ Lutheran Church at Eureka.

Little could be learned today of Gibson. He was not married. He is reported to have an aunt in Sweetwater, Texas. Efforts were being made to get in touch with her and also find other relatives, if there are any.
(El Dorado Times ~ Tuesday ~ November 5, 1935 ~ Submitted by Lori DeWinkler)

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DIE IN FLAMING WRECKAGE

RITES FOR FOUR TO BE TOMORROW

Quadruple Service To Be Held For Young Couples Killed In Crash Monday

TRIO MINISTERS TO HAVE PART

Cow, Which Figured In Accident, Is Located On Farm Near Scene of Accident

NO MARKS ARE FOUND ON BEAST

A quadruple funeral, probably the first ever held in El Dorado and one of the few conducted in this section of the country in many years, will be held tomorrow afternoon at the El Dorado Methodist Church for four of the five persons who lost their lives in the automobile-transport crash on Highway No. 54, 10 miles east of here, Monday evening.

The services will be conducted over the bodies of Beach Powers and Claude Forshee, two El Dorado youths, and the Misses Evelyn and Dorothy Coalscott, 15-year-old twins, of Eureka. No funeral arrangements had been made this afternoon for George Gibson, the fifth victim of the crash.

THREE MINISTERS

The services here will be started at 1:30 o'clock. They will be in charge of Rev. J. W. Abel, pastor of the Methodist Church; Rev. R. M. Truesdale, pastor of the Presbyterian Church; and Rev. W. Wilbur Klover, pastor of Christ's Lutheran Church, at Eureka. Powers attended the Methodist Church, Forshee the Presbyterian Church and the Misses Coalscott the Lutheran Church.

Following the services here, the bodies of the two girls will be taken to Eureka, where a second service will be held at the Lutheran Church. Burial will be made in the Greenwood Cemetery. The bodies of Powers and Forshee will be interred in the West Cemetery here.

The selection of the music and pallbearers had not been completed this afternoon. Mr. Abel will preach the main sermon, it was announced. A throng that will tax the capacity of the church is expected to attend the service.

The caskets for the four victims of the crash will be alike. They were made a special order and will be orchid color.

CAN'T LOCATE RELATIVES

Efforts to locate relatives of Gibson had been in vain early this afternoon, it was announced at the Byrd Funeral Home, where the body is being held. It is likely if no relative is found that the body will be taken to Chanute for burial within a day or two.

Hundreds of persons have called at the Byrd Home to view the bodies, but they have been denied the right. Scores of inquiries also have been made as to when the funeral services will be held. The caskets will not be opened at the church, either, it was said this morning.

The cow that figured in the crash of the automobile and truck was found late yesterday afternoon in a barn on the Jack Johnson farm, about a half a mile east of the scene of the crash by Walter Covert, maintenance supervisor of the Fifth District for the Kansas Highway Department. He and a number of others spent several hours yesterday trying to locate the animal. It was known after the crash that the cow was seen to enter a pasture west of the Johnson home.

FIND SINGED HAIR

Late yesterday afternoon some singed hair from a brute was found on the ground just below a fence at about the place the cow is reported to have been last seen Monday evening after the accident. An investigation also showed that the staple in the bottom wire of the fence had been torn loose. The wire also showed that it had come in contact with some singed hair. It was determined this was the point where the cow entered the pasture.

A large piece of hide from a red-colored brute also was found on the north side of the road, a short distance east of the scene of the crash. It was fresh. Mr. Covert brought this and the singed hair to El Dorado.

Last evening, Mr. Covert, Stanley Taylor, assistant county attorney and a reporter for The Times, went to the Johnson home to see if the cow had any marks, which might have been caused by being hit by the motor car, to which Powers, Forshee and the two Coalscott girls were riding. Not a mark could be found, but much of the hair on the cow's back was found to be singed, and some of the hide covering the back bone was raw. The latter is believed to have been caused when the cow crawled through the fence after the crash.

The singed hair was caught by the fire, which broke out immediately after the crash, the cow being only a few feet from the burning car and transport.

McGUIRE STORY TALLIES

W. E. McGuire, who was in the transport with Gibson, said after the crash that the car in which the four young persons were riding, swerved to one side to avoid hitting the cow, and before it could be righted again the impact with the transport occurred. He was emphatic in his statement that the car did not hit the cow. In view of the investigation made so far, it appears that his story is correct in every instance.

The point where the car was swerved to avoid hitting the cow was at exactly the place where the transport and car stopped after skidding on the highway for about 150 feet. The cow could not have moved more than a few feet before the flames broke out. This would have put the cow in the path of the first flames, which shot high in the air, as the cow was on the north side of the road, the flaming machines were on the south and the wind was from the southwest.

It also was announced today that despite the examination made of the cow last evening, Dr. A. H. Gish, veterinarian, was to examine the cow this afternoon for injuries.

JOHNSON TELLS STORY

Mr. Johnson said last evening the last time he saw the cow on Monday was when he milked her in the evening and turned her into the land that runs to the pasture. He said the cow was next seen Tuesday morning when he did his milking. He has no idea how she got out of the pasture and no place has been found in the fence where she might have left it. The cow weighs about 1,100 pounds and is red-colored with a white face.

Mr. Johnson did not learn of the accident Monday evening until some time after it occurred. He said he heard that some persons had been burned in it and as he did not care to see the bodies he did not go to the scene.

While it had not been definitely determined today who was driving the car that crashed into the truck, it is believed that young Powers was at the wheel. A fairly authentic report reaching El Dorado from Eureka was to the effect that R. B. Coalscott, father of the twins, had turned the car over to Powers for the evening, so the two young couples could come to El Dorado to attend a show.
(El Dorado Times ~ Wednesday ~ November 6, 1935 ~ Submitted by Lori DeWinkler)

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HUNDREDS OUT FOR SERVICES FIRE VICTIMS

Methodist Church Is Packed To Overflowing For Rites This Afternoon

USE FOUR HEARSES

Bodies Of Sisters Are Taken To Eureka Late Today For Interment

The Methodist Church was filled to overflowing this afternoon for the quadruple funeral service for four of the five persons who lost their lives Monday evening in a collision of an automobile and gasoline transport ten miles east of El Dorado on Highway No. 54. The funeral was one of the largest held in El Dorado in many years and one of the few quadruple rites ever conducted in this section of the country.

The services were for Claude Forshee and Beach Powers, El Dorado youths, and the Misses Evelyn and Dorothy Coalscott, 15-year-old twins, of Eureka. No funeral arrangements have been made for George Gibson, the fifth victim of the crash. His body is still at the Byrd Funeral Home. No relatives have been located.

The bodies of the four for whom services were held this afternoon were taken to the church shortly after the noon hour. The bodies of Powers and Forshee were placed in hearses of the Byrd Home and those of the two girls in carriers of the Baird Funeral Home, of Eureka. At the church, the four hearses were lined up abreast.

OPEN WITH SONG

The service was opened with the singing of "There Will Be No Dark Valley." This was followed by Rev. R. M. Truesdale, pastor of the Presbyterian Church, leading in prayer. Rev. W. Wilbur Klover, pastor of Christ's Lutheran Church at Eureka, then read the scriptures. The song, "Nearer My God To Thee," followed. Rev. J. W. Abel, pastor of the Methodist Church, then delivered a brief sermon. This was followed by the song, "Lead Kindly Light." The organ was played by Miss Frances Ambrose and the singing was by a mixed quartet, which included the Misses Jean Lawrence and Mary Elizabeth Shelden and William Lang and Lee Webster.

At the close of the services, the bodies of the four young persons were placed in the hearses. The bodies of Forshee and Powers were taken to West Cemetery for burial. The families of all the victims accompanied them. Leaving the cemetery, another procession was formed back to the church. The funeral cortege then started for Eureka with the bodies of the two Coalscott girls. Short services were to be held at that place before interment was made in the Greenwood Cemetery. The families of all the victims also accompanied the bodies to Eureka.

THE PALLBEARERS

Pallbearers for the four follow: Powers, Keith Allen, Otis Wrench, Jack Jenkins, Kenneth Ramsey, Bob Hull and Lyle Ralston; Forshee, Harold Blankinship, Roy Hanney, Lester Adams, Ted Mathers, Jack Stark and Phil Mollohan; Evelyn, Helen Stockton, Mary A. Outmeyer, Helen Confer, Frances Boone, Billie Booth and Dorothy Burke; Dorothy, Coaline Soverern, Georgia Mae Nichols, Nancy Lewis, Margaret Smith, Jane Campbell and Virginia Lee Shade.

The public address system of the Byrd Home was employed to bringing the services to the overflow crowd.

COW HAS BRUISES

It was said this afternoon at the Highway Department shops here, that Dr. A. H. Gish, veterinarian, who examined the cow found on the Jack Johnson farm, a half a mile east of the scene of the accident, had reported that the cow showed evidence of having been in the accident.

The crash occurred when the cow appeared in the highway. W. E. McGuire, who was riding in the transport with Gibson, said the car, which is believed to have been driven by Powers, was swerved to avoid hitting the cow and ran into the transport. McGuire was emphatic in his statement that the car did not hit the cow. First reports after the accident were that the car hit the cow, which left the road and entered a pasture west of the Johnson home.

Some hair on the back of the cow also is singed. This was caused by the fire, which broke out immediately after the crash. The cow was not more than a few feet from the flaming machine at one time.
(El Dorado Times ~ Thursday ~ November 7, 1935 ~ Submitted by Lori DeWinkler)

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A CRASH, A FIRE AND FIVE DIE

(El Dorado Times ~ Friday ~ November 8, 1935 ~ Submitted by Lori DeWinkler)