Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-07-10
RI TERMINATED SADLY.
rHr 0THERW WISE SUCCESSFUL CELE-
BRATION MARRIED By A FA-
TAI ACCIDENT.

One Of the Motor Cars Runs Away at the
Columbia Gardens, and When ON the
Flat Dashes Into Another Train-Sam-
mel yerrin, a Miner, Loses His Life by
Jumping From the Runaway-A Num-
her of Persons Injured, Some Slightly
and Others Seriously.
What would have been a most happy and
JOYOUS celebration OF the Fourthfor Butte,
was marred by q frightful occurrence In the
evening, just when many hundreds were
preparing to retire to their homes after
having participated in the pleasures OF the
day. Before the full extent OF the calamity
became known, the creates. excitement
prevailed, and men and women rushed
about as though bereft OF sense and reason,
looking for friends and relatives, and yet
dreaded to find them for fear that they would
he found dead orsn MANNED that even death
itself would have been preferable.
Between nine and ten o'clock one OF the
motor trains arrived at the Columbia gar
dens loaded down with passengers, and be-
fore it came to 8 stop in front OF the plat
form, many more persons climbed on VINO
had walked down the track a short distance
in order. to secure seats before the crowd on
the platform would get on. The conduc-
tor, Fred Toal, and brakeman. George
| Mathews, called to the crowd to keep OF
| as too many people were on board hut to
this warning nc attention was paid and
people we're hanging to the ar, one OF the
large open ones, wherever they could secure
q holm. When the train stopped at the
| platform the engine was u~ncoupled Tor the
| purpose of allowing it to run on to the side
| track and then back and hook on to the
| other end Of the car, preparatory to re.
| turning to the city. AS soon as uncoupled
| the engine started ahead and the people
standing on the platform saw the car be,
| gin to move and run back down the track,
slowly at fist but all the time gaining
| speed and a number on the car began to
Jump off, before it had gone a great dis
| lance. Owing to the immense crowd on the
car, fully 100 persons, a great many did
not realize that it was running away, but
thought that it was being backed down the
track by the motor. Conductor Toal, who
was on the ground, started to run after the
car, and called to those on board to put
on the brakes and after trying to check The
car by means Of a piece OF sCantling which
he placed in front Of the wheels, he jumped
on and with the brakeman, began setting
the brakes.
The car continued to run faster and
finally attained u terrific rate of speed az
it went through the canyon, but gradually
Stacked until it reached the side track
| about a mile distant, when it had slowed
down considerably. At this pointit struck
| the rear end of the last car of q train com
ing to Butte. and which had side tracked
only a few minutes before to let the east
bound train, OF which the runaway cal
formed . portion, pass. A number Of PEG
pie on the train saw the car coming and
began to jump. The engineer saw them
and stopped his engine and in a few me
ments the collision tool place. So slow,
however, was the wild car going that it die
not derail the car which it struck, only
MASKING the rear platform, OF the Car ahead
Just before the collision occurred people
on both the runaway car n those or
board of the one ahead began to jump
and it is owing to this circumstance that
SO many are injured, because the speed
with which the wild cor was running was
sufficient to hurl them to the ground with
great force. Samuel Verrin, who, with hit
brother William and the ~laiter's wife
were among the passengers on the wilc
car, jumped off some distance back O
where the collision occurred, aud fell sense
less beside the track. He WAS picked
up by the engine of the runaway
which followed it a few minutes behind
and placed in one OF the cars OF the for
ward train and brought to Butte. II.
died on the car while the train was passing
lLavelIs stable on East Park stl eet.
Passengers on the wild car and ON the ont
ahead say that the scene Immediately fol
lowing the collision was simply indescriba
BILE, n resembled a battle ground; men
women and children lying on both sides o
the track, insensible and in every conceiv
able position, while gfoans and shrieks
filled the air. The uninjured on bott
trains, as soon as the first shock of The
accident was over, began to assist thu
incoming train.
The number of those who received slight
wounds and bruises is large and will prob
ably be never know as they failed t. make
report OF their injuries, deeming them to
slight to be worthy of notice.
The seriously injured are:
Mrs. D. ID. McGregor, OF Walkerville,
whose collar bone WAS broken, her head
badly bruised and, it is thought, was also
injured internally. What makes her con-
dition all the more critical is the fact that
she is in e%neieHta -
Miss Murray, of Meadervilie. head bruised.
hio AhoiS gam . 1 vs. bIoACL oDONO IL
ankle and head bruised.
Thomas Brazell, legs and feet injured.
Mrs. r. Noble, wrist broken and hip in
jured.
D. d. McGregor, legs injured and strained
Mrs. Frank Anderson, neck, shoulder
and arm dislocated.
James Mccullough. thigh fractured.
James ColWell, both thighs fractured and
otherwise injured.
Henry Turner, shoulder dislocated.
Henry Palmer, head cut, not serious.
Mrs. Thcs. Brazell, head injured.
MISS Julia O'Neill shoulder dislocated.
Joseph Buzzo was among those reported
seriously injured, but aside from being bad.
ly Jared and shook up he was none the
worse for his injuries.
As 500 as possible all the Injured were
brought to the city, and some taken to ho.
tells, Others to the hospital and some to
their homes. Later on the street car com.
pany ran a special train over the road to
see If any more injured or dead could be
found, but none were discovered, as the
list OF casualties was much less than at first
reported.
Yesterday afternoon Coroner Howard be-
gan to hold an inquest on Verrin, but at 4
O'Clock an adjournment was taken unit
nine this morning. Several witnesses were
examined, among them the conductor and
brakeman of the unaway car.
TIL first testified that the brakes on both
ends OF the car were set when it began to
run back, and that a piece OF 2x4 scantline
had been placed in ront of one of the hind
wheeles to hold the car, something which
was always lone to every train when it
stopped in front of the garden. He said
that the many people jumping off ard on
the car caused it to move, and the wheels
being locked the "chalk" placed by him in
front of one OF the wheels had been pushed
aside He said he was on the ground when
the car began to move and ran after it and
jumped on board and began to set the hind
brake, but found that it was set as tight as
it could be set, and then went TO the front
end OF the car, and the brake there was
also set.
Richard McBreen, a passenger. testified
that ne got On the car before it stopped
| and Aat down in tho 10 of SCOT IN H. - ~