The Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus was the country's thirdlargest circus during the early 1900s, and was considered to be theMidwestern version of PT Barnum's East Coast show. Trains were thetransportation method of choice for many circuses, as they couldtravel faster and more efficiently, and therefore increase theirnumber of shows (and consequently, their profits). However, therewere a lot of new risks that came along with traveling by train.The Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus faced a number of devastatingaccidents in the early part of the 20th ercentury, including acouple of train crashes and a flooded river that wiped out many oftheir animals and much of their equipment. The disaster in 1918,however, was by far the worst. The video explains many of thespecific details of the accident. It's also important to understandthat the sleeper cars on trains were generally made of wood, andlighted by oil lamps. Upon impact, the oil lamps started a fire;many of the victims died within the first 30 seconds of the crash.Amazingly, the circus only missed two performances. Other circusesstepped up and provided equipment, performers, and extra crewmembers to help them finish out their season. Many of the victimswere never identified, and there are still dozens who were neveraccounted for. The train engineer was charged with manslaughter,but the trial ultimately ended in a deadlocked jury and a mistrial.The prosecutor opted not to re-try the case, and all of the chargeswere dropped.

PROCESS JOURNAL (at least 300 words): What are yourthoughts on the charges brought against the train engineer? Shouldanyone have been held responsible for this accident?