Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-06-29
AN ACCIDENT.

One that hight hare Resulted Seriously
---An Excursion T,ni,a OF. the st. Louis
Road Rams into the Northern Puc,fc E.r-
press--No one Hart, But Not the Fault of
T,co Engineers.
Yesterday morning Gethsemane parish
church and Sunday school, with all of it's in
Vulnerable dependencies had de-
termined to celebrate with g. picnic
to White Bear Lake. All
the arrangements were satisfactorily made,
and jolly party of ladies, gentlemen and
children assembled at the appointed hour,
and gaily mounted the train. Crossing to
the East side, there was some switching to
do, and while the engineer was engaged in
that duty, the Northern Pacific express with
two baggage and express cars and three
passenger cars, came in sight.
1t will be remembered that the junction of
the Minneapolis and St. Louis and St. Paul
and Pacific is only short distance below
the point of junction of the two divisions of
the Pacific road. Unfortunately just as the
Northern Pacific train came within thou
sand yards of the junction, the engineer Of
the excursion train completed his switching
duties and put his engine, loaded with
precious human freight, under sail for White
Bear.
Each engineer seems to have depended
upon the other to stop and allow him to
pass, neither did stop, and hence resulted
the collision. 1t seems that the Northern
Pacific train was four minutes behind time,
while the excursion was some eight or ten
minutes later than its advertised time, and
each engineer was under the impression
that it was the dnty of the other to let up.
The Northern Pacific train had so far
passed the junction that the approaching ST..
Louis train struck the front end of the first
Second class) passenger coach. This coach
them several women and children; but
strange to say, only one man was hurt. and
he only slightly bruised. The car was knocked
distance of fifteen feet-that is, one end of
it was, while the other remained upon the
track.
The wreck was not very bad. and the
wrecking car from St. Paul was on the
ground and at work before 8 o'clock. The
Northern Pacific train got away at
about II o'clock, but it was quite noon be-
fore the excursionists We're under Way for
White Bear.
1t is probably unnecessary for the GLOBE
to undertake to fix the responsibility for the
gross piece of negligence which might have
thrown this entire community in mourning.
The engineer of the St. Louis train (Mr.
D. Gardner, claims that he had the right to
the road, and was so confident that it would
be awarded to him that he was gazing
mechanically after another train. ana was
not looking at the train with which he collid-
ed. On the other hand Mr. J. P. Connolly.
Of the Northern Pacific train, claims that his
was the right of way, and he stuck to his
rights, regardless of the precious lives in his
keeping.
There were no lives lost, and few hun
dred dollars Of the money of the two com
panies will pay all damage, therefore the
GLOBE will not growl, but only say that the
collision was the result of the
grossest and most inexcusable carelessness
on the part of both the delinquent engineers
Each should have sropped the train he was
drawing until he was perfectly assured there