Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1891-07-17
Fatal Accident on the N. p.


senger train No. l was wrecked Satur-
day night about II o'clock, three or four
miles east of Missoula, Montana. 1t
was caused by landslide which had
covered the track at sharp curve in the
road, and the night being exceedingly
dark, the engines failed to discover the
obstruction.
Mr.. c. 2. Tatro, of Spokane, was
passenger on the wrecked train, who
with four others who we're in the wreck,
arrived in Spokane Yesterday at p. NJ.
Mr.. Tatro was badly bruised about
the shoulders, but able to be about this
morning, though in decidedly disabled
condition. He gave Chronicle reporter
in substance the following account of
the horrible accident:
On the night of the wreck it was rain
ing very hard and it was cold and ex-
coedingly dark. During the night it
hailed and in the early part of the even
ing it almost showed, making it alto
Gether disagreeable night which
seemed to bode of coming evil. The
train came very near running over a
bridge east of Helena that had been
almost washed out by the recent cloud
hurst, and there was only narrow es-
cape then from plunge into eternity,
which would doubtless have been worse
than the wreck which did occur some
hours later. Fortunately the condition
of the bridge was discovered in time to
avoid the death plunge, and the train
backed to Bozeman and came round by
Butte and Garrison. This delay put the
train several hours behind time and the
train rocked and whirled through the
darkness and rain at a tremendous
speed, However, just before it reached
the place where it was wrecked the valves
were opened and the train slowed down
to about twenty or twenty-five miles
per hour.
About three or four miles east of Mis-
sOula there is a sharp curve in the road
which runs between Hell Gate river and
very close to 1t, where there is a deep
cut made for the road bed About
eighty feet from the bank of He'll Gate
river a landslide had broken loose and
completely covered the track. The
train was just rounding the point on the
curve when the crash came.
1t was quick and disastrous. The
engine was h6rled from the track and
turned demolished and helpless over the
embankment. The tender car drove by
the engine and lay a few feet beyond, a
total wreck. The mail and express cars
and the baggage car leaped from the
track and lay in mass of ruins. The
next two cars, occupied by tourists and
emigrants, were totally wrecked. There
were twelve coaches in the train, includ-
ing baggage and express cars, and six of
them were badly wrecked.
The car in which Mr. Tatro was trav-
cling turned over and over down the hill,
and eight feet more and it would have
plunged over the bank into the river,
carrying fifty human beings to sure
destruction
Out Of IT'S passengers on board the
train two were killed and three more or
less injured.
Nj. Tatro, of Spokane, was thrown
upon his shoulders and received some
severe bruises.
The engineer was badly scalded, re-
ceiving also a severe cut on the head.
Mr., L. S. Moses of Helena, mail mes
senger, was slightly Injured
The two men who were killed were
unknown tramps, who it is supposed
were stealing ride under some one of
the coaches. Their bodies we're horribly
mangled. There were three other
tramps who were riding the same way,
but eacaped uninjured
Shortly after the cars were destroyed
and while the passengers were running
wildly about looking for their friends
and aiding those who needed assistance,
the baggage car caught fire and the red
flames were rapidly getting an uncon-
trollable hold upon the debris, but the
three unknown men whom the world
calls 'tramps," and whose lives had been
saved, almost by miracle, burst into the
passenger coaches, brought out the
Babcock fire extinguisher and the hand
grenades, and by hard work succeeded
IN extingulshing the fire, which by this
time had gained considerable Roadway.
What Reciprocity Means.
N. Y. Sun Dem. J: The full purpose
and ultimate significance of the reciproc-
ity program conceived by Mr.. Blaine
did not at first reveal themselves to the
public mind. Even the commercial and
industrial advantages derivable from
policy were not instantly and clearly
appreciated. Still less was the political
significance of a scheme, the most capa-
cious ever formed by an American states