The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1894-01-26
FREIGHT WRECK.
Three Freight Trains Get Tangled
Up on the Omaha Track, but
With no Very Serious
Results.

A wreck, with what might nave
proved serious consequences, occurred
on the Omaha track at the junction
with the sidetrack leading to the ce
ment works at about 10.o'cloc< Frida
night. As it was, however, the only
damage done was slight injury to d
cabOoSe AID few cars and one en-
CINE. No one was injured.
Freight train No. Ii arrives from
the west at about ten O'Clock, ana
hast night had orders TO stop at the
sidetrack TO allow freight train No
Is, from the east, to pull in upon the
sidetrack. This 1t did, and No. Is
was nearly out Of the way, when
freight train No. 10, the EmOre &C
commodation, came along and ran in
to No. IA. No. 10 had the same or
ders as No IA, but the engineer, Mr..
O'Brien, seems to have become rat
TIED, aud failed to stop the train, al
though the night was moonlight, the
track straight, and the caboose ahead
Of him had out its proper light.
When Mr.. O'Brien saw that col
lisiOn was inevitable he and his fire.
man jumped from their engine and
were uninjured. The force of the col
lision was SO great that train No. IA
was forced ahead upon No. Is. The
latter was already upon its Sidetr ack,
but not far enough to avoid injury.
The rear six cars were sideraked by
No. ii and some of them lost their
doors, obut none were so injured but
what they can be used with very lit
tie repairing.
The worst injury was done to the
rear of No. IA and the engine Of No.
10. The engine of the latter was bad
ly wrenched, the front trucks were
swept away, the boiler head was stove
in, and the cowcatcher broken off.
The engine took the caboOse of No. IA
and picked it up and placed it on top
of the car ahead, which was fiat car
loaded with car wheels. One end of
the cabOose was broken off, while the
fiat car was injured. The caboose
struck the next car, which was a box
car, and knocked the end off. No
other cars were injured.
Supt. Spencer was at once notified
and went to the scene Of the wreck.
In response to dispatch. Roadmaster
Cox, of LIE Sueur, arrived at midnight
with wrecking train, and spent the
night and this forenoon at work in
clearing away the damaged cars. The
trains were pushed upon the sidetrack,
and the main track was cleared as
soon as possible. The last was re-
moved today, and the injured engine
and cars were taken to the shops at
St. Paul.
The eleven o'clock passenger
train from the east was held in this
city until 4:45 o'clock this morning,
when it went on. Many of the pas
sengers spent the night at The Saul
paugh. The trains today are all on
time.
Sukt. Spencer estimates that the
entire damage done will not exceed
$500, although it cannot be known to
what extent the engine is damaged.
1t is very fortunate that no one was
Injured, as there were several train
men in the caboOse that was pitched
up. The box car that was broken
contained wheat. This division of
the Omaha road has been unusually
free from accidents of any kind, and
in this respect probably no other di-
vision in the country has as good a
record. In this instance the train
orders were all right, and there would
have been no trouble had they been
Obeyed. The fact that the rails were
frosty might have made it difficult tC
stop No. 10. Supt. Spencer was on
hand all night, and trainmasteI
Blaser,, of st. James, arrived on the
early morning train.