Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1896-10-06
R. r. Wreck.

Minneapolis Tribune, Oct. 3:-John
Needham the engineer Of passenger
train No. 9, On the Willmar division
OF the Great Northern railway which
leaves Minneapolis every night at $40
O'Clock, went to his death last night
with his sole thought On the lives Of
the beings in his charge. With the
crash which caused his instant death
his hand reached for the air brake,
and a. he applied the air he was
hurled q corpse from his seat in the
cab.
The accident which caused the death
OF Engineer Needham was very pecu-
liar In character. An extra freight
train On the Willmar division OF the
Great Northern running toward Min
neapolis, when half way between
Hutchinson and Clearwater functions,
about five miles from Minneapolis,
broke in two On an incline, the fore
part of the train running ahead of the
rear end. At the spot where the acct
dent happened there is slight incline
from both directions, and as one in
cline is left after short ruiz another
one Is encountered. AS the fore part
OF the train reached the second incline
it slowed up, the engineer being una
ware OF the accident to the rear end Of
his train AS it slowed up the rear
end came down the incline with terri
Tic force, crashing into the rear car OF
the forepart with such force that the
two cars were thrown from the track,
the debris being scattered over the
twin track running parallel with that
On which was the freight.
The crash was the first suspicion the
engineer and fireman OF the freight
had OF any danger, and in a moment
they thought of passenger train No. 8,
which was due to pass them at about
the point of the" accident. With the
thought came the awful horror of the
situation, for at the moment the thun-
dering of the passenger train reached
their ears. In another moment it had
passed them and was ploughing
through the debris of the wrecked
cars. Engineer Needham, as stated
above, applied the air brake, as also
at the same moment did John Canty,
the conductor of the train
Every car in the train. however, was
carried through the wreck. and it was
not brought to standstill until afte,
running 200 yards past the scene O.
the accident. Not car had left the
track. however, which was one of the
incidents which tended to make the &C
cident such peculiar one.
The run had been a disastrous one
however, and as the train stopped
the frantic Passengers rushed to tn
doors, hardly realizing through VIVA
they had passed. The front Of ever,
coach On the side on which the freigh
train stood had been torn to pieces
with the exception of the mail AM
baggage car, Immediately in the rea
of the locomotive. The cab of th
engine On the side On which Enginee
Needhrm was seated was completed,
demolished, the f1reman's portion o
the cab, however, being untouched.
As soon as those who had been i
the coaches had time to look aroun
and regain their preseuees Of min
| they found that none of their numbe
had been seriously hurt, and all eye
were turned to the locomotive, wher
the train hands had gone in answer t.
a call from the fireman. Charles Reed
He seemed to be in a dazed condition
and could tell but little of the accident
| further than that from the time th
locomotive ran into the wrecke
freight cares Engineer Needham ha
been missing.
| A searching party was at once OF
ganized, and a hunt made for the mis-
sing engineer. Along the side Of th
track anxious eyes were scanned in a.
directions, but with no results unit
the point Of the accident was reached
where, far up on the embanlmen1
about 20 feet from the track, the for1
of the engineer was found. AS th
light OF the lanterns was upon hi
face, it was seen in An instant thu
life was extinct, and the body wa
carried to the baggage car.
The body was not in the slighte:
disfgured, the only mark upon hi
being a bruise behind the ear where I
had evidently been struck by one {
the timbers projecting from the wreck
ed freight cars. As it struck him
had evidently thrown him from h
leeat throughout the rear OF the cab.