The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-12
KILLED IN A COLLISION
T. e. Finnegan Lost His Life in
the Wreck.
.FRIEDLER WAS INJURED
Both Men We're Hurled High in the Air
When the Cars Came Together.
The Cause OF the Acct
dent,

L. Z. Z lHIeSdii, d SWltCn1IlaU III the
employ of the Northern Pacific, lost his
life and William Friedler, another
switchman, was quite severely injured
in a tail end collision between two
switching trains which occurred at the
west junction of the Y with the main
track at the Northern Pacific transfer
yards, east of the CITY, at 9:45 o'clock
yesterday morning. Two cars were tel
escoped and badly wrecked by the force
of the collision, which, when the cars
came together hurled Finnegan and
Friedler through the air car length.
Finnegan landed beneath the wrecked
cars and had his life crushed out, while
Friedler, more fortunate, fell short Of
the wreckage and escaped with only
bruises and a bad shaking up. The ac-
cident was caused by escaping steam
obscuring> one train from the view of
the other, circumstance which has
once before cost man his life at al
most the same spot.
The scene of the wreck was, as stated,
at the transfer yards east of the city,
where cars of the different railroads
enter the city and are transferred from
one line to another The spot is about
300 feet east of the old Columbia Gar
smelter. The Northern Pacific track
running east and west passes the spot
and Y for turning engines and cars
extends out to the south. The coils
ION was between trains hauled by
switch engine No. 1884, in charge of
Foreman P J. Flynn and Engineer
Charles Brebuer. and switch engine No.
$40, in charge of Foreman H. R. Hop
kins and Engineer Michael Monaghan.
Finnegan and Friedler were the help
eTs OF the latter crew. Foreman Hop
kins, with engine $50, went to the
West Colusa mine and coupled on to
four empty flat cars and six box cars
loaded with ore. The ore cars were
consigned to Colorado smelter and
were to go to the Northern Pacific con-
nection. The delivery of the six ore
cars to the connection had just been
made and the engine with the four
fiat cars was backing out on the west
arm of the Y to get on the main track.
Engine 1884, running west, was push
ing eight box cars loaded with coal and
a car of eggs, the eggs being next
to the engine.
The front car Of the train being
pushed by engine 934 reached the west
arm of the Y just as the other train
came backing out. Between the two
trains some steam pipes from the Butte
& Boston smelter pass close to the
track A great deal Of steam was es-
Gaping from the pipes, which in the
cold air concealed into an impenetra-
BILE cloud, which rose over the tracks,
SO completely obscuring the vision Of
both crews that neither could see the
others train, and they came together
without any warning, or at least with
so little that when it was possible for
the crews to see one another's train,
no power could have avoided a collis-
ion.
The two trains came together imme-
diately at the switch connecting the
west arm of the Y with the main
track. Each was running at fair rate
of speed and the impact was conse-
quently great. the front flat car of en-
CINE $50 and the front box car of engine
1874 came together with such force that
the flat car was raised off the track
and jammed into the end of the coal
car, raising the coal car also from the
track as the two telescoped. Switch
man Finnegan was standing on the
forward flat car. The collision came
so suddenly that he had no time to
try and save himself by jumping and
through the air. BY a singular freak
of fate he landed Immediately under
meath the coal car as it was raised by
the flat car The trucks of the coal
car flew out from under it and the
whole thing occurring in the smallest
IraCtlOn OF an instant, ElnneSan naQ
no time to extricate himself, and the
whole weight of the car, with it's load
of coal, came down upon him. Death,
of course, came instantaneuosly.
Switchman Friedler stood on the
next car behind that ridden by Finne-
gan, and he, too, was hurled through
the air, but having been farther away
than Finnegan, he landed on the
ground clear of the wreck. He was
taken to his home badly shaken up
and considerably bruised, but he is not |
badly hurt, and will be out in a day
or two.
The cars which collided were COM
pletely demolished, but none of the |
others were damaged. Agent William |
Gemmell was notified by telephone and |
he went out with the wrecking train, |
and in about an hour the body of Fin |
negan was removed and the tracks
cleared After being viewed by the cor
oner the body was removed to Sher-
mans undertaking rooms, where an
inquest will be held tomorrow or Tues
day.
Not much is known of the deceased |
beyond that he was a native of Fon
du Lac, Wis, was about 30 years of |
age and unmarried. He had worked
for the company since Jan. Z. He has
relatives in Illinois and Wisconsin, but
is not known to have any in this sec
ton.