The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-23
ON A GRADE CROSSING
A Passenger Train Crashes Into
Dixon's Hack.
DRIVER MAY NOT RECOVER
BE Wa Seriously Injured : Ed Deceiles
and His Young Daughter Were In
the Hack and Had q Mi
raculous Escape.

A hack being driven by James Dixon.
a driver in the employ of the Kentucky
stables. owned by John Hawke. and in
which Ed Decelles of Glendale and his
six-year-old daughter. Corinne. were
passengers. was run into while crossing
the tracks of the b., A. & p. railroad
on Maryland avenue by an incoming
passenger train yesterday afternoon
bout 4 o'clock. injuring the driver SO
seriously that he may not recover and
giving the occupants OF the cab a mi
~raculous escape from injury or death.
Mr.. Decelles. who conducts a butch-
ering business at Glendale. came 10
Butte yesterday on business, bringing
with him his daughter. corinne. As
he arrived on the 1 O'Clock train from
the south, and was DESTROYS OF return
ing home on the 4 o'clock train, his time
was limited, and it was nearly depart
ing time for his train before he mad
finished his business. Getting into a
hack of the Hawke line with his little
| girl. he gave directions to James Dixon,
the driver. to make the Short Lin train
at all hazards.
blhDn Iidut n lIg lol ~. ~ 'i'Nt
at the top of his horses speed toward
the Montana Union depot. Going down
Maryland avenue, he reached the b., A..
& y. tracks the momen the incoming
passenger train, scheduled to arrive In
Butte at 4:05, was due to pass the
crossing. At the right of Maryland ave-
nue. AUDITING on the railroad track
stands the Caplice warehouse. known
as the Schlitz bottling works. IL is not
known whether this building hid the
approaching train from Dixon's view or
whether he saw the train and thought
he could make the crossing ahead OF II,
as he has not as yet been able to give
his version of the accident. but at all
events the train was coming rapidly
and Dixon held ahead. apparently OBJ
livious of any danger. AS his team
struck the track the engine shot out
from behind the warehouse. No power
could have prevented the accident then,
for Dixon was driving too fast to stop.
There was a crash and the hack went
literally rolling in the street from the
force of the impact. while one horse
was thrown up on to the pilot and the
other of to the south OF the track.
The engine struck the vehicle at the
front wheels. throwing 1t back from the
track. and to this is doubtless due the
fact that the driver and the occupants
of the hack were not killed instantly.
The train stopped within its length
n the trainmen Joined several others,
who CHANGED to be near. in going TO the
assistance of Dixon and his passengers.
Dixon was found buried beneath the
wrecked vehicle and was taken out I'M
conscious. Decelles and his daughter
were still imprisoned in the hack. They
were expected to be found dead n
anxious hands pulled open the door on
the side that lay uppermost. To the
great establishment of the b~ystanders.
they were taken out almost without a
scratch. The injured driver was taken
in another hack and driven to his home
at rs South Ohio street and later was
sent to DR.. Wells hospital. He was
found TO have sustained two very Sc
we're scalp wounds and suffered greatly
from conclusion and the terrible shak-
ing up he received. DIR. Wells stated
last evening that Dixon's condition was
highly critical, but he was unable 10
tell as vet what his chances Of recovery
are.
Proprietor Hawke loses rather heav-
ily by the accident, as his hack was
badly demolished and both horses were
killed. They were a fine young pair of
grays and the best team he had In his
barn.
Mr.. Decelles. when seen last evening,
told of his horrifying experience. II did
not see the train" he said. until II shot
out from behind the warehouse and, OF
course, don't know whether the driver
did or not, but / Judge he did not. The
horses were on the track when j saw
the train. We were going very rapidly
n the engine struck the front wheels,
50 you can imagine o close the train
was when the driver saw 1t, If he saw
the train the same time / did. When
\ / saw the train, of course l thought
we would all be killed. but l grabbed
my little girls in my arms, determined
to protect her IL possible. i held her
close in my arms and managed to keep
myself between her and the sides of the
hack as 1t went rolling over and over.
and when w finally came to a stand
still and were released i oun the child
had not been injured in the least. al
though she was terribly frightened. /
was only slightly hurt. My left leg was
slightly bruised and l got a couple of
bumps on the forehead"
Here Mr.. Decelles showed a couple Of
abrasions of the skin on his forehead.
They were the only outward signs of in
Jury to be seen.
I'VE had a terribly close shave" he
continued, and i want another
such an experience"
Eyewitness state that when the en-
CINE struck the hack Driver Dixon was
thrown high in the air n struck the
ground fully 20 feet away. where the
hack rolled over on top of him. The
horse that was thrown upon the pilot
was killed instantly and the legs of the
other were so terribly broke and man.
gled that IL was necessary to shoot him.
That the driver and his passengers were
not all killed seems a miracle. The in
tured driver Is a young man n has a
wife and two children.