The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-08-20
ONE KILLED, ten INJURED.
A Freight Train Collides With the
West Bound Passenger
at Garrison.
Another Northern Pahific Freight
Train IL Wrecked at
Gallatin.
A Young Woman from Michigan Killed
in the Collision-An Engin-
GERS Brave Act.

There were two wrecks on the main line
of the Northern Pacific railroad yesterday,
one at Gallatin and the other at Garrison
and ten persons injured. It was very bad
wreck, resulting in the death of Miss Gertie
Potter, aged 10, Of Lansing, Mich, besides
two engines and telescopng
q sleeper and day coach, also destroying
five freight cars and smashing in the sides
of five others.
The story of the accident starts at Gala
tin and is a lad omen for the first
through train ever run over the
new Butte-Gallatin branch. Yesterday
afternoon an extra west-bound freight was
ditched near Gallatin, by the falling of an
air drum under the engine. The engine
and fourteen cars piled upon each other
and rolled over in the embankment. Pas
senger train No. due here at 1:5O was adj
vised of the wreck and orders were given to
run the train via Butte which was done,
the train reaching Garrison only ten min
utes behind time. A stub train consist
ing Of baggage car, day coach and sleeper
was sent out from here to meet No. l at
Garrison and to bring back the Helena pas
sengers. No. was transferred from the
Montana Union to the main line in the
Garrison yard. The Helena passengers
had been transferred and q light engine
No. and only few minutes remained for
the starting time. Freight train No. 81
was seen coming down the track at a pace
of So miles per hour. This was considered
strange BY those who saw it and could not
imagine why train should be running at
such speed SO near the station. At first
but little attention was paid to it and no
danger was apprehended. the yard men
thinking that the train would slow up. 1t
required only q few seconds, however, to
make known the fact that danger was i'm
nainent Nearer and nearer the iron
horse came painting and signal
Of warning was given the passengers
to escape. A terrible moment of suspense
followed and regular panic ensued among
the passengers in the day coach and sleeper.
Those in the latter escaped and in the day
coach men and women ran madly about for
means Of escape, none realizing anything
more than that danger was near. In the
jam it was with difficulty that egress could
be had at the front door. Men and women
trampled on each other while others were
making desperate efforts to save lives. It
was an awful moment. The brave engineer
on the light engine knew this and his time
" action alone saved terrible loss OF life
if not holocaust. The uncomfortable No.
81 was approaching nearer, and when within
100 yards Of him, he turned the throttle OF
his engine wide open that it might crash
into the approaching engine and by this
collision greatly spend the force of col
lision with the passenger train. In the ex
citement Of the moment and the full force
of steam on the engine did not get the full
start he had expected, but it had gone
about fifty yards from where it stood andbott
engines collided with terrific force. The
light engine was forced back and with q
crash it iammed into the sleeper which flew
up on end and crushed into the day coact
telescoping the latter. It was in the tele
scope that Miss Potter was caught. Jus'
how shc met her death is not known. She
and another woman were in the same seal
and lust an instant before the crash a mar
saved her companion. Supt. Dickinson sale
as far o. he could learn, the girl was trying
to get out when the telescope with tn
sleeper caught her. Another report say
she was near on tho platform of the da!
coach and while standing there the da..
coach telesooped with the smoking car ant
knocked her into the latter. It was som
time before her body was recovered iron
the wreck. Several limbs were broken bu
there were no visible signs of bruises.
fow Of blood from the mouth and ears
however, left no doubt that the interna
injuries caused her death. As soon az pos
g.. Al,t H.,
dead and wounded autographed to head
quarters here are as follows:
MISS GERTRUDE POTTER, Lansing, Micn
killed
HIM. NEwBAuEa, San Francisco, hea
bruised.
Mrs. NEyEsHAusER, Livingston, arm an
shoulder bruised.
MRs. JAMES DOYLE, Drummond. lie
bruised
Mss ADD1x HEMAN. Lansing, Mich
ankle, wrist and one arm bruised.
r. A. DICKINSON, Chicago, finger cut.
MISS ESTHER AL1sIRuM, Anaconda, shoul
der bruised.
WILLIAM MCNAMARA, Streator, Ill.,, hi
and neck bruised.
L. m. Hoge,o Sharon Hill, Pa, leg an
back bruised.
f. E. WRIGHT, 1164 Broadway. New Yor
city. slightly bruised.
JAMES JACKSON, Missoula, engineer o
freight train No. 81, face bruised.
The first reports of the accident wer
sent up town about o'clock in the after
noon by telephone from the Northern Pac
iic general Office at Tie station. No on
at the railroad station knew anything def
mite for some time. It was not until 7:3
in the evening that the railroad officials a
the general office were ready to make pub
lie such information rs came by wire from
Missoula. The first dispatch handed to tn
reporters from three was dated at Nissouls
and read: "About 4:40 p. m. train 81 col
lided with No. in the Garrison yard. Nc
made up from Helena and No. l via Butt
were on the main track transferring maj
and baggage. The engine and train G
three cars were standing east of train froi
Butte. Ms 81 struck the train standin
east of the train from Butte 90 hard as I
run into the train ahead. Sleeper and fir,
coach badly wrecked. Several passenge
were more or less injured. One woma
was found dead.n
Shortly after this another dispatch VI
received, reading: 1.-THE conductor of N
81 reported that the train could not be he
nv, acccvpA of $hn al <oNk M, tho aryi,