Morris tribune., 1881-07-21
A TERRIBLE CRASH,

In the Shape of Runaway Freight Cars, Which
COllided With an Almost Immovable Train
at HudsoU-Au Engineer killed-Loss Of
Property S5O,000.
On Sunday morning, about 10 O'clock, a
wild freight train containing forty three cars
and two large engines left the North Hudson,
Wis, depot boun i eastward, with Frank Fowl
er as conductor, Mike Sullivan and John Grit
fifth engineers, and the usual number Of other
attendants When something like amile and q
half beyond North Wisconsin junction, which is
aboutfour and a half miles out from the city,
the train was stopped to wood up, when
starte up one of the links broke, and fourteen
of the rear cars started b tck on the steep grade
Of nearly eighty feet to the mile, and gained
such velocity as to make recapture impossible.
Tle m tddea,l train, bearing death and ruin
in its track, was seen to dash down on to the
high bridge which crosses Willow river, like a
wild demon of destruction. To add to the aw-
fulness of the situation, another wild freight
train, containing two fine, powerful engines,
followed by forty five cars, lay at the
depot about ready to start on its eastern bound
journey. There was but an instant, for the
runaway was seen upon the bridge, before it
was upon them, not more than forty-five Sec
onds at the longest, as rood judges of speed
say che was going at the rate Of sixty miles an
hour. The crowd who happened to be stand
ing at the station yelled to the fireman and en-
all did jump just in the Eick of time. But
poor George Trider, who either becoming daz-
ed or thinking he might back his train and clear
the way, stuck TO his engine until the very in
slant of the collision, when he jumped through
one of the cab windows, only to be struck dead
by the flying pieces of broken cars.
The collision was terrible in the extreme.
Think of two mammoth engines, backed by
forty five freight cars, as a resistance, met by
fourteen loaded freights travelling at the rate of
sixty miles an hour as propelling force, and
the facts in the case can be in measure COM
puted. The telescoplng took place couple of
rods below the depot from whence locomotives
went, and the contents were propelled in one
shattered mass through the trestle bridge into
the pond opposite Comstock, Clare & Co y. large
mill. The loss is estimated at S 20, 900.
Master Mechanic Ellis AMI his brother saw
the wild cars coming and ran across the trestle
to warn the men on the freight train to save
themselves. All the men on the engines un-
derstood the warning and jumped, but Trider
did not seem to at first comprehend why he
should leave his engine. When he did realize
what was the matter he reversed his engine in
order to run the train back out of the way of the
swiftly approaching cars A moment later and
the collision came.
Trider was on the forward engine of the
freight train as the catoose of the wild train
struck it and split in two. A portion of the
car struck him in the forehead, smashing it iI,
crushing in his chest ard breaking his arms
and legs. He was horribly mutilated and death
was instantaneous Mr.. Trider was native of
Nova Scotia, had been an engineer on the
Omaha and Manitoba road, aud has a soa
w.'n is al engineer on the Manitoba.