St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-01-16
BURNED IN THEIR BED,
FrightfuI Accident on the
Northern Pacific Line Near
Brainerd, Mimi.
TWO Members Of the Andrews
Opera Company Killed $
and Several Hurt.
Mamie Wilkinson and Her
Maid Burned to Death in
Their Sleeper.
The Temperature 46 Degrees
Below Zero--PasSengerS'
Feet Frozen.

Special to the Globe
BRAINERD, Mimi, Jan. 15.-This city
Is Mortified today by one of the most
frightful railroad catastropheS IN the
history of the state. 1t occurred at $50
this morning, seven miles northeast OF
Brainerd, on the Northern Pacific road.
Two victims were literally burned to
death, and forty were injured in the ac-
pident. The list of dead and wounded
Is:
The Killed.
Mrs. ED. NJ. ANDREWS, soubrette, burned
to death.
Miss LILLE WALLACE. maid, Of Minneapo-
lis, burned TO death.
The Injured.
FLORENCE JOY, chorus, severely bruised on
back and head; will probably die.
MAY DOUGLAS, chorus burned on head and
srms feet frozen; will probably recover
Miss LETITIA FRITCA, prima donna, burned
On hands ana arms.
Mrs. l.. f. BARKER, her sister, shoulder dis
located.
Miss MARIE Roe, soprano, slightly burned
md shoulder blade broken.
GEORGE ANDREWS, baritone, burned on
arms and leg cut and bruised,
Miss ELLA HARRIS. or HAsBow, chorus,
burned on neck and arms
JAY a. TAYLOR, tenor, cut and bruised and
Ievere burns
HOWARD ALLEN, chorIs burned on meek.
FE.s ALLEN, chorus bruised and lacerated.
MISS JOSIE SHEARER, chorus, slightly
burned and injured internally.
". E. BARKER, son of Mrs. Barker, burned
Dn hands and arms.
obO cliOhtlv iDir1rod
BERT LINCOLN, chorus arm fractured.
G. E. MOODY, orchestra leader, slightly
burned.
Mrs. AL WAKEFIELD. wife of advance agent
feet frozen,
C. w. ANDREWS, business manager, slightly
burned and badly cut.
Miss GRACE HALE, chorus slightly burned.
WILLIE RHYs, orchestra, hands slightly
burned.
ETNA HURNING. chorus, feet frozen.
Mrs. ENHEARE, badly burned.
C. A. PARKER, comedian, back injured.
J. L. WATSON, feet frozen.
LOUISE HARRIS, body and legs badly
bruised and feet laceraIed.
Several others suffered lesser injuries.
The Awful Story.
Il Is one of those peculiarly horrible
stories that makes one shudder to re-
cord. Your correspondent was at the
scene shortly after the awful occurrence,
aud the scene spread out before him
battles description. The train men and
the victims of the catastrophe who
escaped with slight injuries gave a
graphic recital of the frightful event.
The train was burdened with the An
drews Opera company ell route from
Duluth to Grand Forks, where they
we're booked for an engagement. When
the entire company was wrapped in
sleep the awful shock came. The rail
was full of frost, and as the heavy Pull
man passed over it, the rail snapped in
fragments, precipitating the sleeping
car upon its side and down a
steep siX-foOt embankment, when 1t
Instantly took fire. Awakened from
their sleep by the crash the opera COM
pany was daZed, and, for an instant,
paralyzed with fright. The train COM
prised the sleeper and a baggage car.
The train men, including Eugene Ball,
the conductor. were in the baggage car,
and fortunately they were only slightly
Injured, as this car did not follow the
sleeper down the embankment. The
conductor speedily organized the crew
and
Rushed TO the Rescue.
Already the flames were spreading
with frightful rapidity and not an in
slant must be lost. With the aid of the
tools and implements with which all
trains are equipped for such emergen-
cies, the men set to work desperately,
and forty people were taken from the
burning wreck. Many of the
latter would have been able to
have rendered valuable assistance
in saving their comrades and friends.
were it not for the intense cold. The
thermometer Indicated temperature
of 46 deg. below zero. and all were in
their night robes, and it was physical
impossibility for them to battle with
the fierce elements clad in that way,
and they we're forced to take immediate
shelter in the badly damaged baggage
car and await further succor. The
trainmen continued their heroic efforts.
for it was known that two more mem
beers of the opera company yet remained
In the awful wreck. And they were too
late. They found the charred trunks
only of Mrs. Andrews, wife of Ed An
drews, one of the proprietors of the
company, and Miss Lille Wallace, her
maid. They were securely locked in
each others arms. and the bed clothes,
such as had not been burned, We're
tightly
wrapped Around Them,
indicating either that they had taken
this precaution to protect themselves
from the severe rigors of the cold, or
they had attempted to protect them
selves from the flames until their friends
could rescue them.
Mr.. Andrews was among the first 10
emerge from the wreck. He was bare
footed and clad only in his night robe.
but the instant he realized the peril of
his beloved wife and child, still in the
burning car, withs an agOnIZing Shrek
he sprang back and succeeded in find
ing his daughter Bessie, five years old.
whom he carried to the baggage car.
where he wrapped the baby up to pre-
vent her freezing to death. He had
frozen his feet In the effort, and
was totally unable to return to the
rescue of his wife. Meanwhile, men
and women, burned, cut, bruised.
and many with frozen feet, we're
hurriedly huddicd in the little baggage
ear, where meagre fire was inadequate
to keep out the cold. The suffering was
horrible, and men as we'll as women
were unable to suppress walls and cries
of anguish. The heroic trainmen bat
tied on until the remains of the two un-
fortunate mortals, now past earthly rec
o2nition, had been borne to place OF
safety. linen they turned their atten