The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-16

/ that they got out of the car as quick
/ ly as possible and left the scene. On
/ this account it was impossible to learn
| their identity.
Agent William Gemmell was notified
| by telephone from the reduction works
| of the accident He at once called in
| Roadmaster Theodore Adams from
| the east side and the two took charge
! of clearing the tracks of the wreckage.
| They made short work of It by putting
| on a big force of men, and in few
| hours the main line was clear and
there was no delay in the movement
| of traffic. The news of the wreck
| spread rapidly and during the day sew
eral hundred people visited the scene
The unanimous verdict of all was
that it was little short of a miracle
| that there were no more casualties.
None of the members of the two crews
had much to say concerning the ac-
cident. Engineer Frederickson of the
switch engine said:
Il had no thought of danger till my
fireman yelled to whistle down brakes.
Then looked and saw what was COM
ing. | Whistled for down brakes and
then jumped. That is about all I can
remember"
Mr.. Frederickson refused to have
anything to say as to who was respons-
IDLE for the accident
Fireman Boland of the switch engine
said: The first l knew of the danger,
I looked ahead and saw the freight al
most upon us. l yelled to the engineer
to whistle down the brakes and got out
How | did it. / don't know but I land
ed on the ground all right and got
away"
Fireman Bowling of the freight en-
CINE said: Il stayed by the engine
both because I regarded it as a duty
and because I thought it safer.
knew if | got in the gangway 1 would
probably get killed, so / stood up and
turned my face away from the boiler
and waited for the crash. 1t was only
second or two at most, but the sus-
pense was terrible. When we came to-
gether the floor of the cab was carried
out from under me and | fell down en-
the ground, where the steam from
broken Water-cock poured into my face
and head. I don't know how it hap
pened, but I got out somehow. I guess
am pretty fortunate, for I expected
to be killed. I remember just as we
struck, seeing Conductor Grant limping
as though he had sprained his ankle
or hurt himself getting off I saw moth
ing more. and was surprised when
heard he had been caught by the water
tank"
Brakeman Pierce could recall very
little of what happened.
When we saw what was up. both
Grant and I rushed for the gangway
to get off. The last time I saw Grant
he was hanging on to the handles On
the outside of the tender, getting ready
to jump. but | don't know how he got
killed, and I can't tell for the life of
me how | got Off"
Foreman Riley of the switch engine
crew could not be seen, though his
house was visited several times during
the day. His step-son, who was the
only one at home, said he came home
so excited and nervous that Mrs. Riley
took him "out visiting" to calm him
down.
Agent Gemme1l stated that Yard
master Seamen ordered Riley and his
crew to go to the Colorado smelter in
the morning and he did not know why
they had gone to the Reduction works
instead, as he had not been able to find
Riley. Mr. Gemmel declined to locate
the responsibility.
Joseph Grant, the dead conductor
was IS years of age and single. He had
been railroading 10 years and had been
running a train on the Short Line for
seven years. He has a father and moth
err living at Norfolk, Neb., and three
brothers and a sister in Montana. Be