The Tragedy at the Loomis Street Crossing After five years of intense research, Author Chuck Spinner has written the definitive story of the Naperville Train Wreck of April 25, 1946. He has uncovered the histories of the 45 victims of the tragedy, intervi The Tragedy at the Loomis Street Crossing By Chuck Spinner AuthorHouse Copyright © 2012 Chuck Spinner All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4685-5594-3 Contents Dedication......................................................................vIntroduction for: The Tragedy at the Loomis Street Crossing.....................ix1 Tracing the Path of the Railroad to Naperville................................12 The Road Not Taken............................................................113 Boarding the Train............................................................154 The Crash.....................................................................325 Naperville Train Wreck - Why?.................................................816 Epilogue......................................................................887 Appendix......................................................................98List of Fatalities..............................................................98List of injured.................................................................99Naperville Police Report........................................................101Interstate Commerce Commission Report...........................................114Acknowledgments.................................................................124 Chapter One Tracing the Path of the Railroad to Naperville Naperville High School Fight Song All hail our school our NHS We'll sing your praises, NHS With all our might we will always make a fight to keep our standards high for Naperville, so give us a rousing cheer for Naperville Our records must be fair and bright, fair and bright! So let us win today the good ole way It's up to you to fight, team, fight! – Koerner arr. Kaiser The history of the growth and development of cities, towns, and villages in the United States can be generally traced to visionary pioneers and entrepreneurs, the community's accessibility to transportation systems, the genius of inventors, the growth and development of government documents and policies, and the determination of settlers focused on bettering their circumstances. Naperville, Illinois is a suburb 28 miles west of Chicago. It presently covers 35.4 square miles and is the fifth largest city in Illinois with a population of 141,853 (2010 Federal Census figure). This book is about a tragic train wreck that occurred in Naperville in 1946, a time when Naperville was a farm community of just over 5,000 residents. To be able to get a clear picture and an appreciation of the Naperville of 1946, one must first reflect back even beyond the community's beginnings for the reasons pioneers were inspired and motivated to migrate to Chicago and territories to its west. For an examination and understanding of Naperville's birth and development, we must go back East to our country's inception. After the American Revolution and the defeat of the British, the fledgling United States during the "Critical Period" certainly had its struggles. The country at this time was governed by the Articles of Confederation. This new government had to establish its power to tax, to make and enforce laws and to provide for the country's defense. It basically listed the elements that would be later displayed in a more organized and elegant fashion in our Constitution's Preamble. One of its biggest early challenges was the assimilation of new lands gained through war and eventually recognized by treaty and the growing power of our governments. The first test involving the transfer of conquered lands into states took place in what was called the Northwest Territory. The lands of the Old Northwest included the land below the Great Lakes that was bordered on the west by the Mississippi River and on the east by the Ohio River. At first there were overlapping claims on these lands by the eastern states of New York, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. These states sought to extend their influence by extending the northern and southern lines of their latitudes into these new areas. When these states finally were persuaded to withdraw their claims, the strength and authority of the new central government was greatly enhanced. One of the bright spots during the period that our country was ruled by the Articles of Confederation came with the passage of the Ordinances of 1785 and 1787. Basically, the 1785 Ordinance dealt with the way in which the new territories would be divided into five different entities. The 1787 Ordinance determined the manner in which these territories would be governed – first as territories, then as states. Statesman Daniel Webster in 1830 had this to say in speaking of the impact of the