St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-12-19
CRUSHED TO DEATH,
Six Railway Men Lose Their
Lives While Sleeping at
Nelson, MINI.
Freight Train No. Is Becomes
Unmanageable and Runs
Into a Work Train.
Six Killed Outright and Five
Others Are Very Serious
ly Injured.
Fire in the Wreck Adds to the
Horror OF the Awful
Scene.

Scene.
Special to the Globe.
ST. CLOUD, Mimi, Dec. 19.-A terri
BILE accident took place at 1875 this
morning at Nelson, a small station on
the Great Northern, between Osakis and
Alexandria. Freight Train No. Is ran
into the caboOse of wrecking train
which was standing on the main track,
instantly killing six men and badly in
jurimg five more, at least one fatally.
The wreck caught fire in a moment and
added to the horror of the fatal accident.
Particulars are hard to ascertain, and it
is impossible to this minute to ascertain
all the names of the men who were
killed and injured, as they were all for
eigners, mostly Swedes. Those known
to be killed are:
NELS DOKKIN,
JOHN ENGENSTRAND and SON,
OLE MATTSON,
CHRIST MATTSON,
KAUN BRUMEIER.
Tine niured
are Ambrose Lee, Thomas Welsh, Pat
rick Herman, David Reed and Henry
Ross, the fireman on the east-bound
train, who had his shoulder broken by
jumping from the engine. On last
Thursday night a freight train broke in
two at Nelson. and the separated sec
tions cOllided owing to the steep grade.
Twelve cars were wrecked. a work
train was at once sent to the scene of
the accident from st. Cloud with crew
OF car repairers in charge Of William
Feaster. The train was in charge of
Conductor james D. Roach and Engi-
neer j. Il. Workley. At Sauk Center a
crew of laborers was picked up and
taken along TO Nelson to help the serv-
ice. The whole crew worked contln-
ually until about IL o'clock last night.
When they had finished twelve of the
men went into the caboose, which was
standing on the main track with tool
car. The car repairers continued work
ing fastening the bad order cars to-
gether so that they could be hauled to
st. Cloud In the meantime the men in
the cabOose, fatigued from their long
labOrS, were soon
Fast Asleep
In,
the cupola of the caboose smoking.
Everything was ready to start, and the
engineer was just going to couple on to
the cabOose and tool car when the ap-
preaching freight train was noticed. A
moment later the engineer was heard to
whistle for brakes, and the Wrecking
crew, thinking that No. l6 would stop,
paid no attention to it. But the train
came rushing on, and cry of warning
was heard from the car repairers. They
saw too late that the freight train was
not slowing up, but was rushing down
the steep grade. They rushed toward
the caboose calling as they ran. Burg
land, the man in tue cupola, suddenly
realized that the train was bearing down
on the cabOose. He jumped down and
called to the men, who were too sleepy
to realize what he meant. Burgland
rushed out of the caboose, and the mo-
ment he sprang from the platform the
engine crashed into the caboose. 1t
split the car right in two lengths, and
crushed the tool car into a mass of
spinters, fragments of timbers, broken
iron and human flesh and bones. There
was q terrible crash, and wild Shrieks
from the men, and then all was still.
The wreck quickly caught fire, while
death or injury stood
HiVIteG TO the Earth
by the horrible spectacle. A man was
sent up to the little village TO rouse the
people, AID all set about and did their
utmost. Five men were taken out of
the wreck alive. One only lived few
moments. The other four are still
hanging between life and death. Three
bodies were eXtricated before they were
burned. Four were so badly burned
that they are beyond recognition. News
of the accident was first sent to Alex
andria, and the company started on an
engine with doctors on board for Nelson.
When Passenger Train No. reached
Osakis the engine was detached and
hurried to the scene of the accident,
with Dr. Long, the cOmpany's surgeon,
on board. AS soon as possible the in
jured were taken to Alexandria, where
they are now being cared for. The only
man hurt on the freight train was Fire
man Henry Ross. The train was in
charge Of Conductor W. A. Mickey and
Engineer J. F. Mullaney. Freight
Train No. was due at Nelson at 9:07,
and was consequently three hours late.
Passenger Train No. is due at the
same station at l O'Clock. AS No. 16 did
not reach there until 1870 or later, the
train men say they intended to meet the
passenger there. The train was run
ming at the usual rate of speed when
the engineer called for brakes. A num-
Der were set, but the heavy train with
the pOnderous engine was
Unable TO Stop.
Theengineer reversed the throttle, and
the conductor got out to set brakes, but
it was no use When within few rods
of the caboose all the trainmen Jumped.
Fireman Ross sustained dislocation of
the shoulder. The company's officials
here refuse to make statement as to
where the blame for the accident rests
this time. A corOner's- jury reviewed
the remains of those dead, and an inquest
will be held tomorrow. Division Super
inteDdent Batchelder returned tonight