Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-01-12
4 PERIL0Us

PERILOUs ExPERIEECE.
that Of Engineer Howe i'm the Accident
Near Deer Lodge Yesterday Morning.
When the Montana Union train delayed
by the accident at Deer Lodge arrived yes
terday morning. it was too late to obtain
more than the meagrest details OF what
had occurred, and these being obtained
hurriedly from passengers anxious to get to
bed, it being half-past 8 .. m. when they
reached Butte, were necessarily imperfect.
Engineer Howe. it was understood. had
been taken to the Sisters Hospital, where
be is under care Of DR.. Murray. surgeon OF
the road. The doctor said that Howe Was
suffering from the effects OF the severe bruis-
ing he had undergone, but would be all right
in q week or SO.
A visit was paid TO Howe, in his in
the hospital, and he was found resting un-
easily in bed, complaining OF feeling sore
all over, which q not surprising in view
of the terrible ordeal he had come
through. He was able to give an account
OF his experience. but the whole thing was
aO 6Uuu6u IL aVGODlP0htCA W o0SA -
element that calm explanation was out
of the question. His account of it was to
the following effect:
The train was late, owing to the North
ern Pacific being behind time at CARR.
son, and there had been additional delay
before reaching Deer Lodge. Some cars
bad got of the track during the afternoon,
and the Garrison train was delayed an
hour and forty-ive minutes, while the men
we're getting them On the track again. After
this the train proceeded to Butte, and was
running thirty or thirsy-fve miles an hour
to make up for lost time: When
about two miles this sid oil Deer Lodge
the side-rod pin broke. He shut of the
engine and that broke the rod on the other
side. Then both rods broke loose and be-
gan thrashing round at an uncomfortable
rate of speed. The miracle is that it did
not throw the engine off the track, but be-
ing extremely heavy it held the rails. The
cab was smashed into splinters and the
rods twisted into corkscrews. Howe was
hurled back into the tender and warned
Fireman Lacey to look out for himself. He
never saw how the latter left the engine and
thinks he must have jumped out at once
and his head striking against some hard
substance he was killed at once. He had a
deep cut on the temple aud his neck was
Dfut66us uS wac lOAuu uRil LII U0Ch
when the train was stopped.
The moment was one OF imminent peril
to Howe. The steam guage or some valve
bad broken and steam and hot water were
escaping in volumes. By some means he
managed 10 put on the air brakes. though
be has no distinct recollection how he did
So. He fell out on the right side OF the
engine somehow, and when he became
conscious the train was out of sight. but
be could near the noise OF the escaping
steam. lie felt sore, but ran up to the
train which had come to q ~standstill, get
ting on the engine in spite OF the steam,
and put out the FIRE. He was 30 stiff with
pain from the bruises he had received that
lie could not get down without assistance.
/, Conductor West walked back to Deer
Lodge for an engine that happened to be
there when he t~elegraphed for the Ana
conda train at Stuart to come to his as
sistance. The train was backed into
Deer Lodge, where the dead engine was un-
hitched, and the Anaconda train coming
up brought the Garrison train on to
Butte.
The dead fireman was taken along with
the train, hut yesterday morning the Coro-
ner OF Deer Lodge County tele-
graphed for the email to be
taken back there, where the
accident occurred, and the train crew were
subpeDaed as witnesses Tor the inquest,
which was held last evening. Howe, the
only man whose testimony at such s. pro-
ceeding would be worth a continental,
could not attend, and the natural result is
that the inquest was one OF those formal
farces that determine nothing and are
merely an expense to the counties.
At the headquarters of the load it was
stated that the loss of the engine would be
only q temporary one to the road, as it
could be repaired in a few days and the
Montana Unicn has plenty OF motive
power.
The dead fireman leaves a sister, in whose
favor he was insured in an accident COM
pany for $1,000. and the expenses OF his
interment, it was learned, would be borne
by the hospital fund to which all the EN-.
ployes contribute q dollar a month.
The insurance that Lacey held was aken
out while he was o coal-heaver, and since
then his change OF occupation rendering
the risk greater, it is learned that his sister
will only receive 1925. The body awaits
the orders OF his only remaining relative.
The passengers were unaware that there
was anything wrong until the train came
to O sstandstill. One OF them stated yes
terday that shortly before the train stop
ped he noticed the windows become c1ouded
with steam as though they were going
through a tunnel. When the train came
to q stop he went outside where he saw the
steam escaping SO thickly from the engine
that it was impossible to get neal it.
Such accidents are by no means infre-
quent, and are often accompanied by
death or severe manning to the engineer or
fireman. 1t may easily be supposed that
the steel driving rods, whirling round with
the velocity of wheels revolving at the rate
OF thirty miles an hour, are a terrible en-
CINE OF destruction to everything with
which they come in contact, and Engineer
Howe was fortunat To in escaping as lightly
as he seems 10 he We, while the passengers
on the train have no less reason to be
thankful that the engine was not thrown
from the track.