Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-11-04
A Fatal Collision in Which One Man is
Killed and Two Seriously In
iured.
A Wild Engine Crashes Into a Passen-
ger Train and the Wreck Takes
Fire.
The Injured Men Are Taken to Madi-
SOH.

MADISON, Wis, Oct. 26.-A serious COLI
sion occurred at 1890 o'clock TODAY on
the Montfort branch of the Chicago 81
Northwestern railroad, which resulted in
the death of one and iniuring of four
others, one of whom will probably die.
The accident happened in a deep cut one
mile east of Pine Bluff and fifteen miles
west of this city. The collision was be-
tween a wild freight train to Milwaukee.
which is due here at l O'clock. The track
curves through the cut and the engineers,
for this reason, could not discover the APP
proach of either engine until there were
almost upon each other. Both engines
were going at the rate OF about twenty
five miles an hour and they came togeth-
er with terrible force. The cut is down
grade either way. The wild engine had
been used as push to help the the east
bound freight train up over the divide.
1t is said the wild engine went down the
east grade and should have been side
tracked at Riley, two miles east of the
scene of the accident, so as to wait for
| the passenger train to pass it. The en-
gineer of the wild freight, it is said. saw
he had about 3 minutes in which to back
down to Pine Bluff, about two and one
half miles, and thought he would chance
described in cut above.
The engineer and fireman of the wild
engine jumped, the engineer first revers-
ing his engine. The tender Of the wild
engine was run up on the passenger en-
CINE and was separated from the locomo-
tive, and the latter having been reversed
started off eastward at a rapid rate with
out anyone on it, It ran to Verona, six
miles distant, where it was captured, hav-
ing exhausted its supply of steam. The
tender of the passenger engine was driv-
en- back half way into the mail car, tele-
scoping it completely. The engine was
badly wrecked.
THE DEAD AND 1NJUREE.
The engineer, Thos. D olan, of Lancas-
ter, was caught IN his cab and pinned in
sitting position. His left thigh bone
was badly fractured and should he live
may require amputation. His head was
badly scalded and his recovery is doubt
full.
Martin Comeford, of Madicon, his fire.
man, was also caught. His left leg was
injured and he was badly scalded.
A man supposed to be Henry Schwenk,
of Madison who was stealing a ride be-
tween the mail car and tender, was crush
6u I'd uedG0, Wull6 MAIL Agent u. w. LuSI-
ed, of Lancaster, had his head cut and
was scalded somewhat. The steam and
water escaped for about 10 minutes. En-
gineer DOlan and Firman Comfort could
not be seen or approached.
THE WRECK TAKES FIRE.
To add to the horror of the occasion,
the tender of mail car caught fire and
Dolan was rescued just in time to save
him of being burned to death. Schwenk,
when finally found, was burned to a crisp.
The fireman of the wild engine was in
jured by jumping. The name of the en-
gineer and fireman of the wild engine
cannot be learned.
A wreck train with DR.. Boyd, of this
city, was at once dispatched to the scene,
and the injured and the body of Schwenk
were brought to this city. Dolan, Come
ford and Hustled are now at the hospital
here where everything for their comfort
is being done
Dolan, it is said, is in serious cOndi-
ton and will probably die. He can tell
nothing of the accident, but everything
points to the fact that he stood nobly at
his post, trying to stop the engine. 1t is
said that the blame attaches to the engi-
neer of tia wild freight. The passengers
were badly frightened and received a
severe shaking up but none Of them were
injured. All the coaches remain I'd on
tho track. Most Of the mail was burned.