Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-06-07
TRAIN WRECKED.
Two Horses Killed and Five
Cars Ditched.
LUMBER And WHEAT At A DISCOUNT.
The Worst Looking Wreck for
Its Dimensions that Can
be Imagined.
UMBER AND WHEAT At A DISCOUNT.

coming north this morning it strucl
two horses in that railroad stock
graveyard, Watts past ure, about I
mile south of The depot, and thu
result was two dead horses and {
badly wrecked train.
A little south Of the point named
commences an incline which
reaches to the depot, and it is the
custom of freight train men to here
cut their train in two, the engine
and front part runriDg in rapidly
and the hind end following up with
almost equal speed.
now IT HAPPENED.
This train followed the custom
aud the cOwcatcher Of the engine
caught horse belonging to Ii. A
Thomas, carrying him ne trly u
quarter Of mile and throwing him
lifeless into the ditch. a pony be
longing to Freddie and Doll Palmer.
which was with the horse, escaped,
but mounted the track in front OF
the second division, WAS caught aud
msngled in a most horrible manner,
portions Of his carcass strewing tn,
track for hundred yards.
HOW THE WRECK LOOKS.
That pony had his revenge. He
made the worst looking wreck the
JOURNAL representative, who was
soon on the ground, ever saw for
the size of 1t. The first was fiat
car loaded with four.inch dressed
flooring, which was scattered to the
four winds. Mounting this car are
two loaded wheat cars which so tele-
scoped each other that their iden-
tification is impossible and they will
make excellent kindling wood,
nothing more. Another car lies flat
on Its side In the ditch clear
Of the grade, while still another
stands crosswise of the track. The
last two are not 80 badly smashed,
but badly enough. The next car
stands with forward trucks raised
and on It's beam ends ready to top
pie over to the port side. The next
four cars are Off the rails, but stand
ing straight, while the caboOse
maintains its equilibrium, the on
ly one in place. The wheels are
scattered in every direction.
THE LOSS.
From the above II will be seen
that the loss to the railroad will be
considerable. Besides the numter
of cars demolished, and the cost of
cleaning the wreck, there will be q
large amount of fine wheat lost and
damaged, also good deal of costly
lumber, while Mr.. Thomas and the
Palmer boys will doubtless demand
pay for their animals. Mr.. Us was
a good young horse and the other
was a nice pony. One lucky thing,
there were no lives lost and only
slight injuries received by brake
man. But II IL marvellous that he
was not instantly killed. He was
on the front end of the fiat-car load
ed with lumber, which WAS the
head car, and he says nothing but
the sliding of the lumber TO one
side saved him.
WHO'S TO BLAME?
1t seems TO be one of those acci-
dents for which nobody is TO blame.
The engine and front division of the
train dare not stop AZ the other
division would In few seconds
collide with 1t, and the pony jumped
so suddenly on the track In front Of
the second division that II was inn
possible to stop In time.
The manner of the animals get
ting on the track was explained to
the JOURNAL man by MIR. Thomas's
son. He and Freddie Palmer were
In the pasture, the Thomas boy to
bring home his horse and Freddie
giving his pony salt. They We're
trying TO catch the animals, which
were very playful and In little
while jumped the low fence into the
rigbt-Of.way, thence TO the
railroad track, the boys following.
Just then the train was heard COM
Ing down the grade at full speed,
and the boys We're compelled to fly
the track, unable 10 do anything for
the animals, rs they were IA block
ahead. These are all the facts as
gathered from observation and In
formation from both sides.
The local express was delayed
until another came from the south,
to which the passengers were trans-
TERED with a good deal of trouble.
North bound passengers had the
came experience, The wreck will
be cleared AS fast rs possible,