The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-16
FREIGHT CARS PILED UP
Conductor Grant Killed in a
Montana Union Wreck.
TANGLED WOOD AND IRON
Two Engines Demolished and Many Cars
observation-disclosures Bowling Was
Seriously Scalded - Others
Had a Close Call.

Joseph Grant, conductor on the Ore
gon Short Line. lies dead at Shernan's
undertaking rooms and Henry A. Dow
ling, fireman employed on the same
road, is at St James hospital, suffer-
ing with badly scalded head, the cas-
ualty result of a frightful railroad
| wreck, which occurred on the Montana
Union, in front of the Butte Reduction
| works, about daylight yesterday morn
ing. An Oregon Short Line freight
train, composed of rs emptes, running
at speed of at least Is miles an norr,
plunged at full speed into a switch en-
slne OF the Northern Pacific, behind
| which was a string Of loaded cars The
two locomotives were demolished, cars
| were piled up in a shapeless mass of
/ tangled wood and iron and Wreckage
was scattered for rods along the track
| When 1T was all over, Conductor Joe
Grant was found dying from the in
Juries he received by being caught be-
meath the water tank of the engine
| tender of his train. and Fireman Dow
ling was extricated from a perilous po-
| sltlon, where he would soon have been
scalded to death as his reward for stay
ing by his engine. The wonder is that
| the list of dead and injured is not long
er, as half dozen persons were with
IN deaths range, but all, with the ex-
| cept1on of Grant and Bowling, ESCAPED
with only slight bruises to impress IN
| on their minds vivid remembrance
of their terrible experience 1t is diff
hcult to locate the responsibility, but
| some one was to blame
| The accident occurred at Just about
70 minutes after Z o'clock, Just as the
daylight was beginning to get the het-
| ter of the night, but while it was yet
| dark enough to render the use of head
! lights necessary. The scene was where
| the Montana Union tracks curve around
the south side of the Butte Reduction
works. Immediately to the south of
the roasting kilns stands the weighing
and assay office of the works, 10 or Is
rods from the tracks. Between the
office and the works passes the main
line of the Montana Union, now owned
by the Northern Pacific At a point
directly in front of the assay Office,
stands switch, where begins a sid
ing, which parallels the main line on
the north, running alongside to ore
bins of the smelter 1t was on this sid
ing and Immediately at the switch
| that the accident occurred. As stated
the main line curves around the smell
ter at such sharp curve that train
approaching the smelter from the CITY
may not be seen a very great distance
from the switch. The accident was
probably partly owing to this fact.
Northern Pacific switch engine No
929, in charge of Foreman F. ]. RILEY,
who had as helper, ]. J. Belivon, as en-
glneer Charles Fradrickson. AMI
Ihomas Roland as fireman, was doing
some work at the Butte Reduction
works. Yardmaster John Seaman of
the Northern Pacific had issued in
structions to Foreman Riley to pro-
coed to the Colorado smelter to Go
some switching there, but the Butte
reduction works had a car of lime on
the siding referred to. which it was
desired to have placed on what is
called the high line IA trestle running
up over the bins where ores and 9TH
er materials are unloaded into the
bins Scale Clerk S. T. Willis, who has
direction of the cars at the reduction
works, had the night before made a
request to have the car of lime placed
on the high line" but to do SO Fore
man Riley would have had to have
worked his crew an hour overtime. and
he told Mr.. Willis that if it would do
as we'll he would set the car on the
ttrestle the first thing yesterday morn
ing. AS this was agreeable, instead
OF going direct to the, Colorado smell
ter, as ordered, when he left the
yards yesterday morning, he stopped
at the reduction works on the way
down to keep his promise to Mr.. Will
lis
Freight train No. 1O1 of the Oregon
Snort Line is scheduled to leave The
Montana Union yards at 6:35 O'Clock
a. M, daily, but the train did not get
out on time yesterday morning. and
Foreman Riley of the switching crew
is supposed to have been either under
the impression the freight had pulled
out on time, or to have been aware
10 f. a
he had plenty of time to do the work
ne went to the reduction works to do.
me facts in this connection are NOT
known, as no one was able to find Ri
ley after the accident and he made no
report to Agent Gemmell. but one or
the other IS supposed to have been the
case. Whatever We're the facts he was
using the main line on the freight
trains time when the freight was sun
posed to have clear track
me freight train in charge of Con-
duetor Joe Grant, who had for his
crew q. A.. Pierce. head brakeman; J.
K. Nichols. rear brakeman w. A.
White, engineer, and Henry A. Dowl-
ing fireman. pulled out of the Mon
tana Union yards, a few minutes he
fore 1925 o'clock. At that moment Ri
ley and bis crew We're switching al
the reduction works. The car of lime
that was to be placed on the trestla
'.oSe oii Liz SiditlS, Will seven or eight
other cars. In front of it stood two
cars, box car and fiat. which il was
necessary to move before the car of
lime could be reached. These two cars
We're accordingly hauled out and back
ed in on the main line west of the
switch, and left standing there while
the engine went back in on the siding,
Ihe purpose now was to spot" some |
cars of slack coal at the coal bins. then |
haul out the car Of lime, pick up the
two cars on the main track, set than |
back in on the siding and then set the |
car of lime up on the trestle The en-
CINE. after setting the two cars ant |
on the main track, ran up to the |
switch and was just backing in when |
the accident occurred. AS the switch |
engine backed in on the siding, Fore |
man Riley stood al the switch taking |
directions from Mr. Willis as to Nhare |