The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-06-26
PILED UP IN A HEAP
-Four Runaway Ore Cars Crash Into
An Engine.
An Accident on the Montana Union,
Which However Was Not
Nearly So Bad as II Might
Have Been.

Shortly before o o'clock vest cr,iay
morning the Montana Union passenger
train, which should arrive in this city nt
?:05 o'clock, met with n most disastrous
accident by colliding with "A number of
loose cars about "a mile and n half down
the road. Itsecms thai four cars had got
ten away from the engine while being
switched from one track 10 another, and
had started To run away at a furious rate,
the grade being downward. The ears, by
successfully crossing a split switch, had
got onto the main track and the switch
engine followed them in an effort Ia catch
the cars before any damage could be
done. The pursuing engine had sue
ccedcd in getting quite near the cars when
the passenger train hove in sight.
Engineer Adams, who was on the pas
sengcr ngine,discovered tbea~ approaching
ears. and as il appeared from "A distance
hat the switch engine was AT the
end of them he naturally thought the
train would soon stop. However. he slack
cned the speed of his train and was going
at "A slow rate when he made the discoy-
cry that the ears were running away. He
Immediately gave the signal for brakes,
and, warning the crew. the train was
stopped. But meanwhile the runaway
the passenger train about the time IL was
stopped, piliDg three of the cars
and the engine in "A heap and knocking
everything IL pieces will terrible force.
Engineer Adams. his fireman and the en-
tire crew jumped from the train Just he
fore the collision and escaped unhurt.
There were l. or II passengers on the
train and all fortunately escaped without
injury although one and all were some
what shaken up and fcrcibly elected from
their seats. There were no aides aboard.
Had the engineer and brennan not jumped
from the engine they would surely have
been scaldcd Ia death.
The engine was somewhat wrecked as
were the ore ears. The passenger coaches
Were not damaged with the exception
OF the baggage car, the orward
end OF which was completely
destroyed. Had the accident occurred In
the night when both rains were moving
at "A rapid rate there would probably nave
been considerable loss of life; and had
Engineer Adams not stopped his train
promptly the affair would probably have
been much more serious than IL was. Con-
ductor Lowe was in charge of the passcn-
ger train. The wreck was not cleared up
until about $50 in the afternoon. The
regular trains were run as usual during
the day the passengers being taken to the
scene Of the wreck and transferred from
one train To another. The damage done
will not exceed 5000, as the engine was
no badly wrecked will probably he run
ming again in "a few days. The baggage
car will also he out in a few days. Three
of the ore ears were completely demol-
ishcd and cannot he repaired. Where
the fault rests is not exactly known, al
though IL Is thought il was the result of
careless switching which broke the cars
apart in two or three places. The four
could not he stopped I'M as the switch Is
what is called "A split switch the cars GO
ing out would throw il over, while cars
coming in on the side track could not do
SO.