St. Paul daily globe., 1893-01-30

Inv the blows of axes and sledges. The
excitement ceased in few seconds.
"We're not so badly hurt after all,
said one to another, and then eXamina-
tion of every car was begun systemat-
icaIly.
who had mounted the overturned pag-
gage car.
"Here's one!" came the answering
shout, from party just coming down
the embankment from the unlnjureu
coaches.
The one lay about midway between
the track and the remains OF tile
wrecked cars. His face was buried IN
the SNOW, his arms were stretcneu OUT
on either side and one leg twisted be-
Meath his body and out of sight, as he
had been flung lifelesS i'll that plunge
down the embankment. The snow
about him was crimson. His right
side had been torn away. The stlll
warm ViScera had melted Il hole IN the
SNOW.
'Its Akers," said one of the first to
linn. Then they bore the mangled BODY
to one side and carefully covered 1t from
view. The watch Ill the dead mans
pocket had stopped at l2:5S, the instant
life was torn from his clay. He was
dead and past need Of assistance.
Up and down the steep embankment
and around the Splintered, shattered
cars, through the deep snow and sluSh,
the uninjured tramped to the rescue OF
the injured. All was quiet and orderly
now. Mattresses and car doors,
wrenched off in the hurry, sup
ported the injured as they were
carried to the rear The sleeping car Ill
the rear accommodated those not Serl-
ousIv nurt 1t didn't take long to care
for them, so few injured among SO
many. BY far the greater number OF
passengers walked up and down the
track, congratulated themselves and
one another on their escape, told ana
retold their experiences, evolved the
uries of the cause, examined the track.
picked ND pieces of wood, railroad
spikes. seat braces and window brasseS
as souvenirs and asked, 'What are we
going to do noW?' And so they passed
a couple of hours.
The cause of the wreck was not
broken rail, as the railroad company an
nOunced to the public. whether the
rails spread or whether one OF the cars
mounted the rail is question. 1t is
certain. however, that the cause OF TINS
wreck, the one. thing that jeopardIZed
insecure Spiking of rail to the ties.
No rail was broken where the trouble
began.
The second coach seems to have been
the one which first left the track. DC
cupants of the first coach and the bag
gage car say that the first jerk came
from the rear. 1t is certain that the
forward trucks of the second coacn
first left the track. The position of the
wreck indicates this. The engine did
not leave the track until it almost
stopped, the drivers being then Off the
track. The tender was pulled over and
smashed. The baggage car and two
coaches lay in the ditch i'll the form of
segment OF semi-circle, all or them on
their sides. The third coach was headed
down the bank and canted so that 1t
seemed ready to fall at the slightest
touch. The forward trucks of the fifth,
coach were off the track. The second
coach, the one supposed to have been
the one which first left the track, was
farthest away, fully fifty feet from the
rails.
As before stated, the cause of the
wreck seems to have been case of de.
iectiye track. 4 freight wreck occurred
at that same point last Monday. The
people who live near the track say that
It was repaired carelessly after that
wreck. The ties where the first break
occurred were clearly unSound,as could
have been demonstrated by even a cur
sorry examination. Where rails were
tOrn off. in some places the spikes were
pulled out without bending, an indica-
lion that the ties into which they were
driven were unsound. The derailed
cars tore up the track for a distance OF
nearly 100 yards, and along that stretch
the quality Of the ties was clearly dis
cernible.
Some of the wrecked passengers took
upon themselves to examine the track
carefully. They became convinced that
the Chicago Great Westerns track at
that point had been sadly, if not crimi-
nally, neglected. AT point about 100
feet ahead of where the engine stopped,
rail was found which was so loose
that it could be displaced five or six
inches bV the foot alone,