The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-04-03
A DEADLY WRECK.
Passenger and Freight Collide at
Prickly Pear Junction With
Loss Of Life.
Three Men Killed and Several Wound
cd but None Thought to be
Seriously Injured.
An Open switch and Wrong signal Lead
to the Terrible Disaster with
Fatal Results.


Cured last evening at Prickly Pear June
tlon by which three men were killed out
right, two seriously wounded, two slightly
wounded and number shaken up badly.
But one OF the killed was recognized
Charles Green, fireman for Engineer
Gardner. The other two dead are sup
posed TO have been tramps stealing a ride.
The men were crushed almost beyond
recognition. The wounded are James Jack
son. badly cut about the head and face; A.
l.. North. mail agent, bruised about back
and legs, Harry Conger, knee cap injured.
Besides several passengers received cuts
and contusions amounting 70 nothing.
Three engines mail car and box car
are total wrecks.
The cause OF the accident as far as OBJ
tainabe, was due to the carelessness of a
brakeman supposed 10 be named Humph.
reys, and the station agent, Short who did
not close switch In time 10 avoid the acct
dent.
NO. AND NO. 15.
The east bound passenger No. 2 left
Helena at 7:25 with i've coaches and full
| complement Of passengers. The train was
In charge Of Conductor Tom Loftin, while
Engineer Dempsey held the throttle. Ills
assistant was Harry Conger. IL Is only
six miles from Helena to the junction and
Engineer Dempsey was making good time.
A double-header freight, No, Is, going
west, stood on the side track. IL was In
charge of Conductor Sperry. EngI-
neers Gardner and Anderson were
| the engineers. Chas. Green was
| GardRer's stoker. The name OF Ander-
sons was not learned. Conductor Sperry
sent Humphreys ahead 10 flag the passen-
ger. lie went up the track and left short,
the station agent, 10 attend the switch.
| The passenger came laundering along, and
Short, In trying ~ place the light, became
ratified and could not do 30. The brake
man seeing this ran back as fast as he
could, but was too late 10 reach the switch.
| The passenger engine, instead OF keeping
| the main track, glided into the switch at a
speed OF about fifteen miles an hour and
crashed into the freight engine. The shock
must have been terrific, as the heavy en-
gines were fastened together As u they had
been welded by a heavy trip hammer. The
mail car was shattered and shlvered and
| the box car
sPLINTEREp TO PIECES.
The passengers were wild with excite
ment women and children screaming and
men falling over each other. The shock
put out the lights, which added 10 the hor-
r0r felt The shock was heard all over
East Helena and soon people from their
| homes aud the smelter were hurrying 10
| the scene. B0niires were set abazng and
the train hands began 10 ascertain the
damage done. Fireman Green and an un-
| known man were found wing by the side
of the track crushed % n shapeless mass,
except their features which were not badly
mutllated, though their heads were
mashed; great gaping wound showing in
L III l..t h.. s.fs han ha
brains were o0zlng.
A HORRIBLE SIGHT.
Further search and a man WAS found
| wedged between two cars which had been
driven together by the concussion. lie was
caught just back Of the right shoulder, and
| his breast mashed between the edges OF the
car. His feet were about six inches from
the ground. His head lay over and upon
his left shoulder. Ills face was turned up
and looked ghastly and horrible by the
| light Of the blazing fires. His hat had
fallen of but was caught upon a splin.
sss Above ana hi. pSas hssa 'usPs''ss ssamns %s'
ton by the aid Of lanterns showed that the
features were distorted and that he must
| have died In agony. A man who WAS on
| the ground five minutes after the wreck
having started TO catch the freight-says
the man was alive when he first saw him,
writhlng In agony. An attempt 10 remove
| the corpse was made, but II WAS found To
be an impossible task, 40 he was left there
for the time being, suspended between
heaven and earth.
The corpses of Green and the unknown
man were shrouded In blankets, the poor
mangled limbs composed upon boards, and
some OF the women who were present
tenderly spread over the faces OF the dead
men cloths which they had brought with
them, thinking no doubt that they could be-
used 10 bind up wounds. Every once In
awhile some one would lit the cloths and
gaze upon the features 10 see II they could
recognize them. Many knew Green. but
the poor unknown was nameless-a
bruised and battered semblance OF what
was once man who had mother and per-
haps home.
THE NEWS REACHES HELENA.
IL was about o'clock when the news OF
the disaster was received In Helena and
then in a greatly exaggerated form. The
first report was that five passengers had
been killed outright and seventeen serious
ly wounded. There was great excitement
The telegraph Office was thrOnged with
persons anxious 10 learn IN any OF their
friends or relatives aboard the ill-fated
train were among the number killed, but
nothing could be heard and the
widest rumors prevailed A mum, ,S,
dispatcher's Office at the Northern Pacific
depot but could ascertain nothing there.
The rumOrs there were heightened IL any
thing. IL was said that seventeen persons
had been killed and over thirty wounded.
Superintendent Dickinson soon had a
coach in readiness, and Col. Sanders. the
cOmpaDy's attorney. DIR. TreAcy. the com
pany's physician, other physicians, a reT-
resentative Of the INDEPENDENT and
others were taken on aud the engine pulled
out for the scene of the accident Arriving
near the place the train had 10 stop on ac-
count Of the passenger being on the track,
and IL was only by passing through the
coaches that the wreck was reached. II
was noticed that In the sleepers the
passengers were sitting and chatting
together as II nothing unusual
had happened, except the women seemed
nervous and excited and one was being adj
ministered 10 by friends, having just recov-
cred from swo0n caused by the shock.
The passengers questioned said the shock
was very perceptible In the rear car, but
not so great as 10 lead them 10 imagine
that such a serious accident had happened.
Shortly after the special arrived people,
from Helena began arriving In hacks and
conyeyances OF all kinds and many persons
from neighbOring ranches also came In
Everybody. who knew or pretended e
know anything was questioned, but little
could be learned.
MIRACULOUS ESCAPES.
, Engineer Dempsey and Fireman Congo
had miraculous escapes Mr.. Dempsey Il
large man and Mr.. Conger small one
7 They were on No. and escaped by jump
ing from the cab window. Mr.. Dempsey
III squarely upon his feet and was not hur
at all, remarkable when his size Is takeI
into consideration. COnger struck on on
knee. injuring II quite severely, but tn
: plucky fellow went ON 10 Livingston OF
!, the passenger which pulled out after de
a lay of about an hour. Mr.. Dempsey say
he saw the signal. which showed green
: and not thinking OF danger went along a
8 the speed he was travelling. As soon a
9 the crash came he made spring and Con
a ger followed.
Mr. North was In the mail car ass0rtin
mall. and says the first he knew was IN
: tender crashing through the bead of IN
e car. He then endeavOred a. jump out q
/, the door. but failing jumped out Of tn
window. He did not know how or wher
be It, He was able TO converse and wal