The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-31
KILLED By A RUNAWAY
STRANGE AND FATAL WRECK ON
THE CHICAGO GREAT
WESTERN
CHICAGO LIMITED TRAIN IN 1T
1t Crashed Into the Runaway Few
Miles North of Hayfield-Both
Engines Were Changed Into
Scrap Iron in an Instant-A
Depot Yards.

Smaller Wreck in st. Paul Union
Depot Yards.
A wreck in which Engineer Alexan
der Stewart was killed, fireman and
bagga geman injured, and two locomo-
tives and a freight car were smashed
into smithereens, occurred on the Chi
cago Great Western, near Hayfield
Junction, yesterday morning, and de-
layed the limited from Chicago ten
hours. and the No. 5, of the same line,
five hours.
The accident was one of the most
peculiar that ever happened in rail-
reading, and it is believed to have been
due to the righteousness of some per-
son who set an engine loose to run
wild, with a deliberate purpose to cause
q wreck.
1t appears that about o'clock yes
terday morning an engineer named
Smith, of an engine plying on the Man
ley branch of the Chicago Great West
ern, left his engine at Hayfeld juno
ton to get breakfast at a restaurant.
According to his statement he left his
engine on siding, and took extra pre-
cautions to secure the locomotive
against accident He had only 100
pounds pressure on, and he was care
full, he says, TO shut off. and to tie the
throttle, so it could not be disturbed
by ordinary causes. He then went to
eat.
While he was at his meal the engine
in some way became released and
started with the box car at slow speed
up the track toward Dodge Center.
Unconscious of what had happened
the engineer continued to eat his break
fast, and presently the limited, going
at full speed, passed. The engineer
then sauntered out to look after his
engine, and to his establishment it had
disappeared. He Immediately surmis-
&c what had happened, but it was too
late for him to give warning.
The wild engine and box car had
proceeded about five miles up the track
when the limited came along behind it.
1t was dark at that hour and the en-
gineer of the limited, Alexander Stew
art one of the oldest engineers on the
road. could not see the danger ahead of
him.
Suddenly the engine pilot crashed
into the box car, the locomotive went
through the car like a knife, splitting
1t apart, and smashed into the wild en-
CINE, demolishing it like a thing of
cards. At the same time the limited
engine was torn apart and thrown from
the track and upon the open prairie.
Engineer Stewart was caught in the
was hardly bruised, but his death was
speedy. The fireman had a miraculous
escape. He was bruised considerably,
but he suffered no great harm.
The bagga geman in the baggage car
was thrown among some trunks which
fell upon him in the shock of collision,
and was even more badly hurt than
the fireman.
The cars were filled with sleeping
passengers, who were awakened from
slumber by the jolt of the cars as the
engine struck the box car. Some were
thrown from their berths. They
promptly realized that an accident Of
some kind had happened, and when
they found that none of them were in
jured they got up and dressed with lit
tie excitement and left the cars.
The train crew had already got to
work among the debris and were look
ing for the missing engineer. They
found his body lying among the pieces
of twisted iron that was all that was
left of the locomotive. He had evil
IDENTIFY died quickly. They carried the
body to the baggage car. The fireman
and the baggageman next engaged
their attention and were relieved as
much as possible of their pain.
None of the passengers were injured
In the least, and they viewed the ruins