The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1898-07-15
DASHED DOWN HILL
Locomotive Runs Away on the BIZ
metallic Spur.
ENGINEER SERIOUSLY WOUNDED
Miraculous Escape from Death of Sew
eral Men OH the Locomotlyo
AS 1t Rushed Madly to
Its Destruction.

Last Wednesday evening about 6 -
O'Clock continuous whistling near thu
depot attracted the attention of oul
citizens, and some one thinking il
was an alarm of fire started to ring The
fire bell. Scores of people fastened il
the direction of the depot, and it was
soon learned that the locomotive OF
our local branch had got beyond con.
troll Oh the Bimetallic spur and was
totally wrecked on the Anderson
switch. the engineer seriously and the
fireman painfully injured.
1t seems the locomotive with the
train crew had gone to the Bimetallic
mill to bring down some empty cars
and was backing out of the lower
switch preparatory to going up the
high line when, for some unaccount-
able reason, nothing would stop her,
although the air was applied and
steam reversed. 1t was raining at the
time and the rails were slippery, and
running backward the sand-pipe was
the wrong end to be of service En-.
gineer Smith soon told the men on
board that he was unable to stop her
and advised them to climb out on the
pilot and jump. Conductor Straub
was the first man to reach the ground
in safety, followed by one of the brake
men, while Chas. Childs, of Drum
mond. leaped from the gangway be-
tween the engine and tender down the
high embankment just above the cross
ing at Parkreville, without receiving a
scratch. By this time the locomotive
was going at Il frightful speed, and at
the curve above the Anderson switch
while Engineer Smith was making an
attempt also reach the pilot he was
thrown violently to the ground, strik-
ing on his head unfortunately so as to
fracture his skull. At the Anderson
swith the locomotive left the tra1k
and went crashing into car loaded
with salt which stood on side track,
made kindling out of a portion of it.
and then stopped her mad rush by pill
ing up in heap, badly wrecked.
At this stage is where Mr. William
Parkinson, assayer at Ito Bimetallc
works, who was also on the locomotive
taking a ride down town got off. He
was standing OH the landing at the
side of the boiler. holding on to the
bell l-rope for dear life, and it is re-
markahle low he escaped without
being torn TO pieces, as he was OH the
side next to the salt car when the en-
tire side of the cab was carried away
however strange. he only had slight
bruise Oh his hand when he emerged
from the wreck. The fireman stood
on the pilot when the locomotive
struck and escaped with scalp wound
and general shaking up.
DR.. r. W. Getty, the company's ply
sician, and DR.. w. I. Power were both
at the scene at once and attended to
the injured men.
Engineer Smith was picked up un-
conscious and brought up town to DR..
Getty's office, where it was found that
he had sustained fracture of the
skull at the base of the brain. Every
thing to make him comfortable was
done, and about II O'Clock the same
evening he was taken to Missoula on a
special train, accompanied by DR..
Getty. He is now at the Northern Pa
cific hospital, Missoula, and some
hopes for his recovery are entertained,
although at first it was thought he
could not live. The Mail is informed
that a successful operation has been
performed on the injured man and
pieces of the skull removed, which
greatly enhances his chance for re-
covery.
A wrecking train arrived about 4
O'Clock Thursday morning and the
wreck is being cleared up and the
track repaired
The rumor that car loaded with
giant powder stood in front of the de.
pot at the time Of the accident proved
to be false. However, there was a
box-car in that vicinity bearing a |
label, Explosives, but it contained
no powder. The label had simply not
been removed. This, no doubt, was
the foundation Of the story.
A similar runaway occurred on the |
Bimetallic spur some years ago, result.
ing in smash-up of the locomotive
at nearly the same place, and it might
be we'll for the company to devise
some means of avoiding a repetition
in the future.