The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-29
Engine No. 1853 Was Blown Into
Splinters.
1T CAME LIKE A FLASH
Murray. the Fireman. Was Blown Above
All the Rest OF tho wreckaae.
and His Body Has Not Yet
Been Found.

fatal collision of yesterday which was
reported In the Standard this morning,
and the east bound overland express.
delayed at Missoula all night. was able
to proceed. Roadmaster Palmer and
Master Mechanic Barnes arrived upon
the scene with a large force of wreckers
soon after the accident was reported.
and the work of clearing h track was
begun at once. Superintendent Russell
and Trainmaster Marcus arrived at
about 2 O'Clock this morning. having
come through from Wallace on a spec
ial. A Standard reporter accompanied
Mr.. Russell and was able to learn some
further particulars regarding the ac-
cident.
When the wrecking crew reached the
scene OF the accident. the sight that
greeted them beggars description. En-
CINE 1Ss. the Klondiker that was pulling
the east bound freight. was buried
beneath the wreckage OF three box
cars: he rear end OF the tender vas
smashed in; M box car was piled IN
top OF the tender; the front OF the en-
CINE was knocked In m badly SKATER
ed. and engine and tender were of tire
rails.
Engine 75s. the light engine that
CduScu tnt WTttAs uiu not TtQulTt HutH
attention from the wreckers. The force
OF h collision with the mammoth
Klondiker and the ensuing explosion Of
its own boiler had destroyed the en-
CINE completely, and had removed most
OF II from the right of way. The tender
had been thrown high upon the bank Of
the cut where the collision occurred.
The firebox and the rear end of the
boiler had been thrown backward far
over the tender. The shattered re-
mains of the boiler. stripped OF every
trace OF a jacket. lay, driven into the
front Of the big Klondiker. a silent tri-
butte to the great strength OF the lat
ter. All that remained intact of the
75s were the drivers and trucks. To
the drivers still chung n side rod and
a cylinder and steam chest. The trucks
were buried beneath a mass of fine
splinters. the ruins OF the pilots of the
two engines. Oldtime railway men who
have seen scores of wrecks say that
they have never seen anything so COM
pletely demolished as was the 75s.
F1ues were scattered all over the coun-
try. from the top of the hill on the
north side OF the cut TO the river on
the other side. There were fra
of metal strewn for hundreds of yards.
The work of the wrecking crew. as far
as the 75S was concerned. was very
simple. All that had to be done was
to gather up the pieces and throw them
on the track. This was easy work.
The place where the collision oc-
Cured is at the west end Of a cut. one
mile east of Bonita. The cut il made
through a point of the hill that juts
into the river. IL Is just wide enough
for the roadbed and the track Ii curved
around the point so that one end of the
cut cannot be seen from the other.
Above the track on the north side rises
the steep bank OF the cut. on the other
sid the bank slopes sharply to the
river. broken by the wagon road. which
is here built upon piles and cribbing for
a distance parallel with the track.
IL was just at the east end OF his
cut. a mile from Bonita, that the fatal
collision occurred. Train No. "a had
stopped at Bonita for orders and for
water. 1t was a long train and was
just getting under Roadway when the
cut was reached. So suddenly that he
had time neither to reverse his engine
nor to leave his seat In the cab. I'm
gineer Jack Gregory says the 75s come
flying around the curve at the middle
OF the curve. In another instant the
crash came. The front end OF the two
engines were driven together with .er-
rifle force. For an instant there was
silence and then the explosion of The
boiler of the 75s.
Engineer House OF the 75s must have
been thrown from his cab by the force
OF the collision before the explosion oc-
CURED. for he was picked up. uncon-
scious. nearly opposite the cab ~ the
big engine. Had he beer caught in the
cab. he would a beene blown back
ward by the explosion. This was an
doubtedly the fate of Murray. the un-
fortunate fireman. whose body has rot
at this writing been found. Engineer
Gregory and his fireman were thrown
forward by the shock but were not SER
iously injured. Mr.. Gregory has a cut
IN his head and Is bruised. and the fire.
man Is burned somewhat. To the great
weight OF their engine and the backing
Of the long train behind them. they owe
their lives
There were three witness of the col
lision beside he railway men. Two
boys were on the county road near the
east end of the cut and saw Il all. and
a ranchman who lives across the river
was looking from the window OF mis-
house at the time. These witnesses
describe the scene as something awful.
The light engine. they say. was running
At a high rate of speed and dashed in
to sight before they knew Il was COM
Ing. The engines came together with an
awful crash. which was followed i'm
mediately by the explosion. All of the
witnesses state hat Murray. the fire.
man. was blown above all the rest Of
the wreckage as he flew into the air.
None OF them are able TO state where
the body fell but. although all attempts
at dragging the river have been unsuc-
cessful up to this hour. II il believed
that he dropped into the river and. IL
he was not killed by the explosion. he
was undoubtedly drowned.
A telegraph station was cut I'm at the
wreck soon after the outfit reached
there Inc the instruments set upon an
empty o nailed to the railing of the
wagon bridge ear the track. Here. by
the light OF a fire kindled In the boiler
head OF the wrecked engine. the opera
tor did business and kept headquarters
posted as to h progress OF the wreck
ing operations.
The bright moonlight OF last night
made II possible TO work with ease all
night. The gangs of laborers and ma
chinists hurrying back n forth in the
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