St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-22
A FATAL COLLISION.
Two Trains in the Northern Pacific
Yards Come Together.
ONE MAN KILLED OUTRIGHT,
Subsequent Collision in Which a
! Switchman Is Badly Scalded---A
Il COr0ner's Inquest.

ia' Cor0ner's Inquest.
'''O A collision causing the instant death
"of one man was closely followed by a
Second collision in which another man
was seriously scalded, in the Fourth
street yards of the Northern Pacific
B road early yesterday morning.
Bo3 AT point about fifty feet north of the
pFourth street tunnel the main double
| tracks of the road are crossed and
Joined by a switch track. The short
line Minneapolis & st. Louis train.
which runs over the Northern Pacific
tracks between st. Paul and Minneapo-
lis, left the depot on Broadway at 7:l5
Oh the main track. On the switch
track, coming from the opposite direc-
ton, a Northern Pacific switch engine
was bringing the cars made up for the
Fargo express, due to leave the
union depot at 8 O'Clock. Neither
train was running faster than
the six mile an hour rate, but the fog
was so dense, the trainmen claim, that
they could not see ten feet ahead. AS
the switching train was crossing to the
main track on the left hand side, the
engine of the short line train OH the
right hand track dashed into the dining
car, the first car in the rear of the
switch engine.
On the switch engine, beside the fire.
man and engineer, was Michael Fla
herty, a check clerk employed in the
Omaha road, who was riding in to his
work, from his home at No. 80 Valley
street. With the shock of the collision
all hands prepared to jump. The en-
gineer leaped from one side and got off
safely. Flaherty and the fireman ran
to the other side. and FlahertY jumped
that his head and one arm were
entirely severed from his body. The
fireman as he was about to leap was
struck in the head by a flying splinter
and knocked back upon the floor of the
engine cab, thus escaping the fate of
Flaherty. No other person was hurt.
The dining car
WAS BADLY SMASHED;
the switch engine disabled and two
coaches derailed. The Minneapolis 81
st. Louis engine was only slightly in
Jured and the passengers in the coaches
behind got Off with bad shaking up.
Luckily none of the cars left the track,
which at that paint stands upon an en-
DdHhiHeIit dUOut twenty leu nigh. Ho
Fargo express was abandoned and a
force of men begun at once to clear
away the wreck.
In half an hour the dining car was put
upon the track and second Northern
Pacific SWitch-engine, coupled to it,
started to pull it back to the repair shop.
This train was moving up grade toward
Seventh street, when a Minneapolis 81
ST. Louis road engine lOOmed up i'll
front, going toward the wreck. The
Northern Pacific engineer reversed the
lever so suddenly that the coupling be-
tween the engine and tender parted,
and the dining-car and tender started
back down the grade, crashing
into the remains of the first
wreck, which lay across the tracks.
tanning the kitchen was smashed into
kindling wood, and the tender of the
first switch engine was still further de-
mOliShed. The second switch engine,
minus the tender, and the Minneapolis
IL st. Louis road engine met at the top
of the grade, the pilot being taken from
the road engine and the switch engine
badly disabled. In this collision Chal les
4McKenna, a Switchman, was severely
sealded by escaping steam.
The central police patrol was called
after the first accident, and Drs.
Murphy and Ancker were brought to
the scene. The remains of Flaherty
were taken from the wreck and removed
to Dampier's undertaking rooms on
Bridge square. Mckenna, the scalded
switchman. was taken to st. JOseph'S
hospital.
A CORONER INQUEST.
A coroncr's Jury, to investigate the
cause of Fiaherty'S DEATH was imam
eled and sworn by Assistant Coroner
Horst yesterday afternoon. The jury
men are: j. w. Frost, custom house
clerk: EX-Judge Thomas Howard; Will
lam Lindeke. wholesale dry goods,
Fourth and Sibley: w. r. johnson,
tsbacco, No. II East Fifth street; G. w.
Holton, No. 531 Wabasha street, and
Peter Gavin. After taking the oath the
jury adjourned to meet Monday after
noon at O'clock, at Mccarthy Il Don
nelly'S morgue, when the inquest will
begin. Coroner Quinn will cause the
fullest investigation. None of the
trainmen have yentured to lay the
blame on anyone, but claim the
accident was due to the dense fog which
prevailed, but IL is asserted that a
switchman named McGallerich threw
the switch, and Signaled the Northern Pa
cific switch engine ahead before making
sure that the track was clear.
The death of Flaherty was sad blow
to his young wife, yesterday being four
| months to day after their marriage
He was well known and popular among
the railroad employees and was MEM
Der of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
The remains were removed to his late
home last night. and the Ancient Order
will take charge of the funeral.