Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1891-10-08
ROAST BEEF.
Sixteen Carloads of Cattle cremated Near
Tower City.
Two rrainmen Fatally Burned, and Another
May Die.

A Northern Pacific stock train col
lided with wild car OF gasoline near
Tower City, Dakota, on September
9th. Sixteen carloads OF cattle were
roasted in the flames. The particu-
lars of the accident are given in the
Billings Gazette as follows:
Tower City was reached at about L
O'Clock Sunday morning and a helper
went out from there to assist the train
over the summit dividing Tower City
from Buffalo, eight miles distant. All
were asleep in thecaboose, and the con-
ductor and brakeman were up in the
cupola in the enjoyment OF peaceful
serenity. The helper had given them
a farewell push over the summit and
cast loose from the train which was
laundering down the grade at about
forty miles an hour. The lights in the
town OF Buffalo were just glimmering
when, without an instant's warning, a
head end collision occurred. There
| was a sudden jar, crash and an ex-
plosion, and instantly the train stop
ped; not any too soon, as sixteen of
the twenty-four cars burst out in q
blaze OF burning oil. The startled
| men In the caboose hardly realized
| what had happened until they had cast
the few unburned cars loose from the
| flaming train and were working to save
the fireman, engineer and head brakes
man, who We're buried under blazing
fragments. The engineer was almost
hAh haa bra 1, IL
burned but may recover, and the poor
fireman was literally roasted and had
inhaled flaming gasoline, killing him in
stantly. The engineer died in a few
minutes, but the brakeman is still
alive Sixteen carloads of cattle were
roasted In this fiery furnace and the
Others escaped by a narrow chance.
Now for the cause of this frightful
accident. At Buffalo an extra freight
train took the siding for the stock
train bound east. 1t pushed along an
oil car, which stood on the siding, so
as to make room for the train. A
brakesman named Gallinger climbed
upon the oil car to stop it near the
switch, and when he reached there he
found that he could not stopit, as the
brake would not work. The switch
was split and the car ran upon the
track westward bound. The grade is
a steep one and the car was rapidly
gaining fearful momentum.
Gallinger signaled the engineer of the
freight train and he detached his en-
gine and started after it. The long
cattle train was only four miles away
and coming at a terrific speed so as
to make the grade, down which the
runaway car was rushing. Thepursu-
ing engine failed to catch the car.
Galllnger stuck to it and signaled
the oncoming train, but it was only
when close upon the car that the dan
ger was seen and the brakes set. The
engineer, John C. Curtis, and the fire.
man, Welcome E. Dodge, jumped be-
fore the collision. The locomotive of
the stock train split the oil car in two,
set fire to the oil and gasoline and
completely enveloped the engineer, fire.
man and Brakesman Beaton in oil,
which was also on fire. They rolled in
the grass, threw sand upon themselves
| and tried in every way to put out the
| flames.
Charles Bailey, stock man on the
third car from the locomotive, was
also injured by the flames. Dodge
died there, Curtis was brought to
Fargo and died just as he was being
taken into his house. Brakesman
Beaton was badly burned, but safely
reached the Brainerd sanitarium