The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1899-12-29
COLLISION AND WRECK
Four Men Killed and Four Were
Severely Injured.
TELEGRAPH OPERATOR ASLEEP
a Frightful Accident on the Northern
Pacific-Two Flying Trains Run Into
Each Other, Smashing Men
and Horses to Death.

One of the most serious railway acci-
dents that ever took place on the Rocky
Mountain division of the Northern Pa
cific occurred at 2:20 last Monday morn
ing, six miles east of Bearmouth.
Two extra freights came together in a
head-end collision and as result X. E.
Rheim, engineer of the westbound
train, w. A. Dixon, fireman of the east
bound, and two tramps were killed, and
Brakeman Wallace Mix, Conductor
Bert Yake, Engineer Beebe of the east
bound, Fireman CoOmbs Of the west
bound, and Brakeman Charles French
Of the westbound were severely injured.
Dixon and the two tramps were in
stantly killed. Rheim was not thought
at first to be seriously injured, and was
taken to the hospital at Missoula, where
it soon became evident that his injuries
were dangerous, and he died between
2 and o'clock Monday afternoon. He
leaves a widow and children who live
in Missoula. Dixon was new man and
not much is known regarding his family.
All this suffering and loss of life
scenes to be the result of the careless
ness Of the night operator at Bonita, j.
S. Laird who was asleep when the east
bound train passed his station. He has
fed and his story cannot be learned.
There was rumor in Mlssoula that
Laird had been kept on duty for thirty
hours and that his falling asleep was
due to that fact.
The two trains were to meet at
Bonita, but the eastbound passed that
place while the operator slept and
when the dispatcher in Missoula called
him to ascertain if the eastbound had
cached Bonita he replied that it had
not. As matter of fact the eastbound
had at that time passed Bonita and was
speeding along eastward, its crew ignor-
ant of the fact that the westbound was
on the line.
| For few miles west of Drummond
the track is straight. Had the trains
approached each other there the accident
might have been prevented, as the EN-
gineers would have seen each others
headlights, but from He'll Gate station
west to Bonita the track winds in and
out along the bluffs of the river
and it is not possible to see any distance
ahead.
! Here the trains met. Running at a
speed of thirty miles an hour the west
bound crashed into the eastbound with
out moments warning
A car of stock was smashed and nine
of the horses killed instantly. Three
cars of coal were turned into a mass Of
wreckage, and two others broken some
what
The collision came 50 suddenly that
none of the trainmen had an opportun-
ity to save themselves.
Fireman Dixon was buried beneath
the mass of coal from the tender and
held against the boiler head. He must
have died instantly.
Brakeman Mix, a son of Miles Mix of
Missoula, was on the tender where he
had been shoveling down coal to Dixon.
The shock of the collision threw him
into the air and he was found after the
accident behind the other engine. He
had been thrown over both engines.
His injuries consist of scalds about the
legs and shoulders and bruises all ove1
the body. His face is also badly scalded
The injured were sent back to Mis-
soula.
The two tramps We're riding on the
front end of the stock car and were
crushed fiat between the car and The
tender of the westbound. They were
buried at New Chicago Tuesday Ont
Of the tramps was a member Of th'
Grand Army Of the Republic.
Brakeman Mix is a brother OF Mr.
Samuel Mix, formerly Of Philipsburg
but now Of Granite