The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-07-13
A Northern Pacific Train Wrecked
by Big Land Slide Near
Missoula.
It Came Down just as the Ex-
press Rounded the
Curve.
Miraculous Escapes of Train NIen-Three
Tramps Killed bnt None Of the
Passengers Injured.

MIssouLA, July 12.-lSpecial. The west
bound passenger train on the Northern
Pacific was wrecked at 1890 O'Clock last
night on the curve at the Marshall grade.
three miles east of Missoula, by an immense
land slide which came down In front of 1t.
The train consisted of engine 440, the mail,
express, baggage, emigrant sleeper. two
tourist sleepers, smoker. frst-class coach,
dining car and Pullman sleeper In the
order named. A binding rain was falling
at the time and the engineer could sec but
q short distance ahead. just before the
train struo kthe engineer saw the obstruc-
tion. which was still moving. He succeeded
in putting on the air brakes but not in time
to check the fearful momentum Of the
moving train. The engine struck the mass
of loose dirt, mud and rocks, left the track
and plowed its way for sixty yards along
the edge of the slide and to the bank
of the Missoula river. Ten feet more
and it would have been in the swollen cur
rent. The mail car showed the tender on
past the engine and itself went forty yards
further, keeping the edge of the grade. 1t
was entirely demolished. The express
stopped against the engine. The baggage
car, tthe emigrant sleeper and the first tour
list car were thrown diagonally across the
track. The three cars formed the letter N.
The second tourist coach ran on the loose
dirt and stopped, and was not much in
cured. The smoker, first-class passenger,
dining car and Pullman remained on the
rails. Very few of the passengers in the
pullman were even awakened by the shock.
Fireman Wilkinson was thrown out of
the cab window and landed on the edge of
the river unhurt. Engineer S. Fl. Draper
was pulled out from under the express car
by the fireman and Conductor Geo. Derei-
mer. At the time he was trying in the
darkness to crawl out from amongst the
broken wreokage. His injuries though
serious are not necessarily fatal. His left
leg and right arm are badly scalded, his
right foot bruised and he has a long cut on
the right side of the head and several minor
bruises and barns. No other trainmen OF
passengers were seriously injured though
all in the forward part of the train were
badly shaken up. Two trnmps that were
riding on the brakebeams OF
She mail car were mangled
out of human shape. The head of
one, who from tax receipt on his person
is supposed to be G. II. Miller from Deer
Lodge, was taken from the body and
ground into pulp. Five dollars and
eighty cents were found in his pockets.
The other, from IN envelope in his pocket
is supposed to be J. Swanson. He was q
blonde with mustache and chin whiskers
and was probably about 26 years of age.
There was no money in his clothes. Though
several of the passengers in the emigrnnt
ard tourist sleepers were thrown from thei,
berths and considerably frightened, none
received more than trifling bruises. Three
tramps, who were riding on the trucks
of one Of tho tourist oars and who
escaped uninjured, were the first te
realize the extent of the disaster, and went
to work putting out the fires In the stoves
of the wrecked cars.
The wreck ls very expensive one for the
company, as the engine and five cars are al
most completely destroyed, and the fact tina
those in them were not seriously hurt il
something that, to any person seeing the
splintered and broken remnants. appears
to be unaccountable. The telegraph poles
were knocked down and communication tc
points east destroyed. The mass of dir
and rock that slid from the mountain was
about 200 feet wide, 100 feet high, and over
100 feet long, and had become thorough,
saturated by the rec,nt rains.
y The body OF another tramp has beer
found under the wreckage.
The verdict of the coroner's jury on tn,
bodies found in last nights wreck was acci
dental death. and exhonerates the rail
road company from, all blame.