The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-22
OMAHA FREIGHT TRAINS COLLIDE
ON DEs MONIES RIVER BRIDGE
AT WINDOW
OMAHA OFFICIALS SILENT
THE CAUSE OF THE DISASTER HAs
NOT YET BEEN sATIsFAc.
TORILY EXPLAINED
CONDUCTOR WILLIAMS MISSED

aster Is That the Conductor of
the Standing Train Told Conflict
Ing Stories Concerning the Cause
of the Accident and Has Dtsap-
peared.
The Dead
Engineer RASMUSSEN, engine a. ST
James.
Fireman ROBERTS, engine 47, st.
| Fireman HUGH sTRATToN, engine 40
| (d!ed a. m. yesterday Sioux City.
| JOHN ROBERTS, travelling man, ST.
james.
The Injured
| Engineer Frank Few ST Pam. enpina
49, both ankles crushed.
| Engineer William Yeomans. ST Janea
| engine 1Ol, both legs broken and severe
| cuts and bruises
Fireman George Merrill, Sioux Cttv
r1ght ankle crushed, left leg injured. I'm.
| ternal injuries and bruises
A special freight train standing on the
Des Moines river bridge, a quarter Of a
mile south of Window, Mimi. was
crashed into by a north bound double
header freight, composed of twenty-five
heavily loaded grain cars, at 11:95 We'd
/ nesday night One span of the bridge
went down under the shock. carving
three engines and dozen freight cars
The river is but four feet deep at this
point and the piled up wreckage at once
took fire, while four men met death in
awful form
Engineer Rasmussen and Fireman Rob
erts, OF the lead engine of the double
header, and Fireman Stratton of the en-
gine Immediately behind, went down
with their engines. Engineer Few. 7O5
Stewart avenue, ST. Paul, narrowly es-
capped death and managed to. swing from
his engine in time to avoid being crushed
under the wreckage John Roberts, a
travelling man living IN St James, was
in the caboose of the train standing on
the ridge and was carried down to his
death inside the car The engineer of
the switch engine which was attached to
the rear of the standing train saw the
| impending collision in time TO give word
! to his fireman, George Merrill, and jump.
! Both men escaped death, but Merrill was
caught and severely injured. Conductor
Williams. of the standing train, was in
the caboose with John Roberts, the trav-
cling man, just as the double header came
flying towards his train, but ran to the
door and jumped in time to avoid being
crushed.
NEWS OF THE ACCIDENT
The news OF the accident reached the
general Offices of the road at once AS
sistant General Superintendent Strick-
land was at the scene OF the collision
within three hours afterwards and Gen
eral Superintendent Stuart followed yes
terday, as soon as the extent of the
wreck was learned. He was taken out
OF ST. Paul on special, accompanied by
a surgeon of the road who went to take
care of the injured. Few details were
received in St. Paul yesterday the gen
eral superintendent office receiving only
short dispatch giving only. the number
of killed and injured Other details were
received last night, but were not given
cut
The city Of Window lies between two
long grades on the Omaha, one extending
from Bluff Switch on the. south, to the
river, where a wooden bridge spans the
Des Moines and the other beginning at
the outskirts of the town and running
north. Trainmer have always had more
or less difficulty in approaching the city,
as the grades both ways serve to make
1t difficult to completely control the speed
of trains. The grade from the south is
especially severe. 1t was down this
grade that the double header freight
sped on the night of the wreck.
From the bridge over the liver o~'-
short stretch of track to the south Is
visible trees and curves shutting off the
view For this reason. the tGat-...o..
the special which stopped on the bridge
did not see their danger until it was too
late to avert it. Many conflicting stories
of the accident were received in st. Paul,
and officials of the road do not explain
Just how it occurred that a freight train
was left standing unprotected on the
bridge, with a second special following
it at only a comparatively short distance.
SPECIAL GRAIN CARS.
The first special was also opposed Of
grain cars and ran onto the bri &c about
l1IO D. M Conductor Williams who
was in charge Of the train, held train
orders governing his actions, but for
some reason delayed his train longer
/ than necessary, or neglected to protect
It The conductor saw in the caboose OF
his train. in the rear of which was
"pusher,,' as the double header was
heard from the rear. There was no time
TO give orders; time only TO save HIM
self and he jumped.
A second later the lights of the for
ward engine of the double header showed
out of the darkness at the end of the
bridge crash followed, and the
bridge. unable TO stand the strain, gave
way, precipitating all three engines and
the rear cars of the standing train into
the river twenty feet below. The speed
of the double header caused the cars
which composed 1t to pile up imme-
diateIy. while under the wreckage ana
debris lay the engine crews. Then to
add to the horror. fire broke out and
shortly the pile between the spans was
blazing mass
Conductor Williams was seen after the
wreck occurred, and appeared to those
who talked with him to be half dis
tracted He gave a dozen different
stories, it is said, many of which he aft"
erwards denied He then disappeared.
Help was sent from Window at once
and the injured men were cared for
The train crews and their reinforcements
from the city went to work at once
on the flames and succeeded in extin-
gushing them during the afternoon yes
terday The wounded were first taken