Great Falls weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1894-1???, 1896-11-20
UP IN A BURNING CAR
Nine Men, Carpenters, Have a Mar
row Escape on the Montana
Central.
Accident Which Occurred Near Beu-
lah About Noon Yesterday
No Serious Injury.
From Wednesdays Daily,

From Wednesdays Daily,
The Montana Central railway has been
exceedingly lucky up to date in the num-
Der Of accidents it has had on it's line
and in the slight loss of life that has
characterized Its operation, considering
the nature of the country it operates in
and the amount of traffic it conducts.
its good luck was once more exemplitied
yesterday, when an accident &C.
Cured to the Neihart train that
might well have proved the worst dis
aster in its history, 80 far as loss
of life and limb were concerned, but
which actually resulted in the escape of
the parties Immediately concerned in it
with no worse injuries than numerous
sprains, cuts and bruises. That no lives
were lost is almost a miracle, considering
the circumstances. The regular train
from Neihart yesterday picked up at
Belt aboarding car containing a crew OF
bridge carpenters VINO had been
engaged on work at Belt and
were going to kalispell to
attend to some bridge repairs there.
There were nine men in the car, includ-
ing two cooks. At one end o. the car
was a cookstove and at the other a heat
ing stove. The train was made up with
the boarding car between some ore cars
and two Engines were attached, making
the train what is known in railroad par
lance as a double header" When they
arrived at the hill zeal Beulah a bar
broke, which caused the train to break
in two sections, and the rear of the
boarding car was struck by an ore car,
causing a telescope Of the two cars, the
platform of the fiat car crashing through
the end Of the boarding car. Both stoves
were upset by the collision and at both
ends OF the car fire broke out. The oc-
cupants OF the car were thrown in q heap
and mixed up with saws, h~atchets, ADDE'S
and all manner of tools. When they re-
gained their senses after the shock
they found egress from the car at both
ends barred by flames and wreckage and
the windows were too small to escape by.
1t is fortunate that they did not lose
their presence OF mind under the peril
GUS circumstances, but turned their at
%tention to putting out the fire in the
ding and smothering the flames, which
had not gained any great Roadway.
After putting out the fire they escaped
through one of the end doors and Gar
ried the wounded out, with the assist
ance Of some of the train hands who ar
rived to help by this time. 1t was found
that only three men were injured at all
seriously. These were VIM. Howe, p.
OHanlan and n Chinese cook named j.
King. The injuries of the latter are
probably the worst, as his bruises
are severe and he has a nasty
cut on the shin. Jack Ledger
wood, a brother Of Dan Ledgerwood
of this city received some hard knocks
and a sprained ankle, but was able to 90
to a hotel. The other three men we're
taken to Columbus hospital, where they
were attended by DR.. Longeway. The
doctor said last night that he could not
tell exactly how badly the men might
be hurt for a day or two, but he thought
they would come out all right. The
most serious case, he thought, was that
of the Chinese cook. The latter, by the
way, had just been paid off a few hours
before the accident and was intending to
give up the business, The accident &C.
Cured about 1870, and the train with
the injured men arrived here about 3 p.
M. Altogether, the OCCUPANTS of the
wrecked car feel that they had a narrow
escape from what came very near
being a railroad tragedy.