St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-11-25
A st. Louis Passenger Crashes
Into a Wisconsin Central
Freight Train.
No Lives Lost, but Two Freight
Cars Wrecked and Then
Burned UP.
Another Sopehead Added to
the List Of Loud Walters
of ''Frod."
Several Interesting Human
Collisions Run to Light
by the Police.


A very serious accident occurred last
night at 7:20 OH the leased tracks of the
Northern Pacific at Treadwell Junction.
hundred yards below the bridge on
Mississippi street. No loss of life re-
suited, which, however, does not alter
the fact that the collision was a serious
affair, and that loss of life was not
averted by any foresight on the part of
officials or train hands. The Minneapo-
lis IL st. Louis local passenger train,
due at 500 Line junction at 7:16 D. IN.
from Des Moines, and pulled by En-
CINE Nc. %, in charge of Engineer A. A.
Blake, ran at a speed of ten miles an
hour INTO the rear of Wisconsin Cen
trail freight train of fourteen cars and
cabooSe. The passenger engine was
wrecked and carload of steel rails
on the tail end of the freight
was pushed through the caboose
as though the latter had been match
box. The impetus given the freight
train by the collision pulled out draw
bar from the third car and sent the train
ahead ten car lengths. Engineer Blake,
of the passenger train, stayed on his en-
CINE, receiving only slight COMMISSIONS.
Immediately after the crash the
wrecked cars took fire from stove i'm
the cabcoSe. and in few seconds were
blazing furIOuSly. Not a car left the
track. and the only injury to a passen-
ger was in the case of Mrs. Alice Ben
son. who was thrown over seat and
bruised. A fire alarm was at once
turned in and the department was on
hand with plenty of apparatus with
characteristic promptitude. the pas
Senger train was not damaged beyond
the wrecked engine. The train was
pulled out by another engine dispatched
to the scene, Engineer Blake remaining
by the wreck. A GLOBE representative
found Blake standing by his engine,
and in his account of the affair he said,
pointing to signal post showing five
red lights:
YOU see that signal? Well, when
the top light but one shows white, it
gives me clear track and the right to
go ahead. The light showed white
when l came along here, and am run
ming on signals. When [ got close to
where l ain now, [ saw a man swinging
a lantern. Then | threw her back, but
it was too late to avoid an accident. [
struck the freight running eight miles
an hour"
Conductor John Sullivan, of the pas
senger, corrobOratej the statements of
the engineer as to the rate of speed at
the time of the collision. I'VE are due
at 500 Line junction at 7:16," he said.
"We were two miNuteS late"
Conductor j. G. Schmitt, of the freight
train, stated that he was waiting for the
signal to go ahead to the Transfer when
the crash came. He had brakeman
out behind with lantern, and had
taken every possible precaution to pre-
vent accident
Joseph Hardy, the brakeman, stated
that he was eleven car lengths behind
his train swinging red lamp when the
passenger'came up. Fine caboose of the
freight was literally ground to splinters
before it took fire. Had any of the crew
been inside they would have been GER
tainly killed. The two ears were en-
tireiy consumed by fire. The damage
to the wrecked engine is placed at 81 900.
Engineer Blake says that the rear of the
freight was not properly protected, and
lays the blame for the accident on the
crew of that train. The tracks were
clear by 10 o'clock.