The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-03-30
Railroad Accidents Will Happen in Spite
of the Efforts of All Human
Agencies.
WRECKS WHERE NO ONE WAS TO BLAME
Canadian Pacific Train Once CAUGHT on a
Land Slide-Andrews Opera
Co. Wreck.

The operation of railroads is rapidly near
ing perfection, and accidents are far less
frequent and disastrous than in former
years. The invention of many safety appli-
ances, such as air brakes, split switches.
buffer couplers, vestibuled platforms on
coaches, and hundreds of other valuable
improvements have reduced danger to a
minimum, but accidents still happen in spite
of the thousands of precautions taken by
the better railroads Of the country, and SO
long man is fallible they will occur with
results more or less disastrous to property,
life and limb.
There are many cases on record of acci-
dents to rapidly moving trains that no hui
man agency could have prevented; acct
dents the causes Of which were unforeseen,
and the consequences awful to relate.
Man has not entirely conquered nature,
and new problems arise with each step
forward In the science Of railroading.
NEW YORK CENTRAL ACCIDENT.
Thousands read with horror Of the terri
BILE accident which occurred on the New
York Central & Hudson River railroad last
summer near West Point. The double
track Of heavy rails lay high above the
river bank, and apparently as perfectly
safe as the day it was completed. The fast
midnight express approach ed at lightning
speed, and the reflection from the headlight
gistened on the rails, and showed the
trusty engineer d clear track. Suddenly,
without time for thought, the entire train
was precipitated into the river many feet
below. The loss of life was fearful The
faithful engine men went down with their
monster steed, and many of the cars were
entirely submerged The cause was a SIM
pie one, but it not detected until too
late. Whirlpool in the river had caused
a current to undermine the bank on which
the track was constructed. Little by littla
the foundation was Worn away until it was
not sufficient to sustain the heavy load
of the swiftly moving train. and the Jesuit
was inevitable. No one was at fault
ANDREWS OPERA COMPANY WRECK
A few years ago the Andrews Opera
company, after closing an engagement at
West Superior, boarded a special train after
the performance, and started on it's way
over the Northern Pacific road to Grand
Forks, where a performance was to be
given the next night. The train consisted
of an engine baggage car and sleeper, the
latter for the members of the company, the
former for the crew of the train. Little
did the gay company think when they re-
tired in their berths that they were riding
to their deaths. The night was bitter
cold, the thermometer standing around 40
degrees below. The running time Of the
train was not particularly fast, for it was
too cold to do fast running, and the en-
gineer in charge of the train was as
competent and careful any on the pay
rolls of the company. When about five
miles east of Deerwood an accident hap
pened that sent three of the company to
their deaths, and the others were cut,
bruised mangled and burned in a manner
awful to describe. The sleeper jumped the
track, ran along the ties for a few feet,
then tipped down a 10 foot enbankment
turning bottom side up and hurting the
sleeping occupants from their berths. The
curtains and bedding fell upon the up
turned chandeliers and fire swept through
the car before the frightened DeODle rpa-
lied their predcament. Women escaped
with their hair burning off their heads,
and stood in the snow which froze their
feet so severely that amputation was neces-