The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1899-11-11
West Bound Passenger Train on
the South Shore Wrecked
Near Seney Saturday.
FIVE CARS LEAVETHE RAILS
And Three Go Crashing Into
q Ditch-A Broken Rail
the Cause.

Five cars on the South Shore
westbound passenger train were
thrown from the track four miles
east of Seney Saturday afternoon,
and three piled up in the ditch. The
train had large number of pas
sengers aboard but almost by u
miracle the injuries were confined to
Slight cuts and bruises. A broken
rail was the cause of the accident.
Whether it broke by the train pass
ing over it or was broken by a pre-
vious train is unknown, but after
the wreck little investigation
showed that a piece of rail about a
foot long was missing from the
track. IL was found shortly after.
The following account of the ac-
cident is taken from the Mining
Journal:
The engine, mail car and first bag
gage car got over the broken sec
tion in safety. A combination bag
gage and smoking coach, which was
the next car, was the first to leave
the rails. This was followed by the
lirst-class day coach, the dining car,
the Pullman sleeper and two extra
day coaches, which had been put on
to accommodate the extra travel just
now on account of the opening of
the deer season. Among the pas
seugcrs were about fifty hunters
bound for points in the neighbour
hood Of Seney.
1t was just about | 80 p. m. when
the accident occurred. The train
was running between twenty five
and tnlrty miles an hour at the time.
The first three coaches to 90 off
were topped completely over into
the ditch. The last two left the
track but remained on the embank-
ment. They were afterwards top
pied over TO allow the east bound
train to pass.
The first baggage car came nearly
being added to the number in the
wrcckage. Its rear truck left the
track out the wheels climbed the
rail again little farther on. The
rear truck of the first car which was
derailcd, the combination baggage
and smoker, was carried back under
the rear end of the dining car.
That the passengers and train
crew escaped injury is little less
| than miracle, and is laid to the
fact that the place where the wreck
took place is in the midst of q
| swamp. When the cars left the
track and went over the embank-
ment they rolled onto ground that
was little more than soft muck.
Each ear buried its nose in the mud
and made IL very effective brake on
itself. Those who were on board
said that had the cars gone off onto
hard rocky ground they would have
been smashed to pieces and q num-
Der of the passengers certainly
killed or badly injured.
Aside from few bruises and cuts
on broken glass the worst thing
which befell any Of the passengers
was wetting. The ditch which the
cars went into had considerable
water in it, and those who were on
the lower side got pretty well soaked
before they succeeded in getting out
through the windows, which was
the means of egress adopted by most
Of them.
News Of the wreck was telegraphed
to Marquette from Seney and as
soon as it could be gotten under
way the wrecking train went down
with small derrick and couple of
coaches. The latter were coupled
onto the engine, mail and baggage
cars which stuck to the track, and
comprised the train as it came
through to Marquette.
This section of the train arrived
at Marquette about five hours late.
1t was awaited at the depot by a
large crowd Of curious people who
were anxious to hear about the
wreck and to learn il anyone had
been killed or injured.