TYRONE – On a road running along a former railroad track a crowd gathered to witness an annual memorial service. This memorial was for a circus train that wrecked at the site 116 years ago.
On May 30, 1893 the Walter L. Main Circus train jumped the tracks when coming down the hill four miles north of Tyrone. The train, like others who frequented the Pennsylvania Railroad, used cars double the length of average cars to take advantage of the Pennsylvania Rail Road’s policy to charge per car rather than weight. Between this and the track supervisor not understanding the request for a second engine to help with the load the train wrecked, killing five people and releasing its animals into the area.
The survivors were able to get though what was one of the largest circus train wrecks in the United States with the assistance of the local citizens.
Over the years the memorial has been hosted at different locations, and at the current location since 2000.
This year was the first ever that elephants were used to lay the wreath at the memorial stone.
The Jaffa Shrine Circus elephant holds the wreath before the memorial marker for the train wreck. A moment later the elephant dropped the wreath into the flower bed below. (Steven McDole)
The two Jaffa Shrine Circus elephants, Lulu and Chang, were only able to participate because they were in the area on layover. Susie O’Brien, descendant of the property owner of the site and member of the Tyrone Area Historical Society, explained that it is impossible to expect even trained elephants to come right from a performance for the ceremony and to be ready to perform again the next day. So if not for the layover the pachyderms would not have been a part of the ceremony this year.
After the ceremony the elephants were taken across the street to feast on a meal prepared just for them.