Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-07
The NORTHERN PACIFIC TRAIN WRECK.
C0RONER'S JURY INVESTIGATION REVEALED NOTHING New
ldYSTERY OF TORPEDO ES ON TRACK HAS NOT
YET BEEN CLEARED UP.

cars had remained on The matn track
the engine had glided onto the spur. NJ.
A. O'Connell. a brakeman, had removed
some papers from Connolly's pockets.
Willis w. Sperry, a braken an, wac the
second Witness. He said he was in the
express car when the accident happened
and Immediately put out red lights to
warn other trains. He corroborata1 the
conductors story in regard to tne switch
rod being disconnected, and added that
the points of the track were also out Of
place. He had viewed the dents in the
ties. They might have been caused by a
brake rod hanging down. When the
train was last examined at Garrison it
was in good condition. 1t was travelling
at the rate of about % miles an hour
when the accident occurred. Witness did
not hear the explosion of any torpedoes.
1t would take a good deal of force to
break the nuts on the connecting rod.
Sperry does not believe the two unfortu-
mates h lost their lives had been pas
sengers
Conductor Reimers was recalled to the
stand and asked the rate of speed at
which the train was travelling. He
thought it had been about 30 or So miles
an hour.
j. E. Winters. the next witness, testi-
fled to the dents in the ties and the
breaks in the connecting rod of the
switch. His theory was that the acct
dent was caused by a loose switch. He
had examined the engine and found the
throttle open. with the reverse lever two
or three notches from the enter. He
did not believe the locomotive had been
reversed by the engineer.
NJ. A. O'Connell. head brakeman of the
train. stated that he was in the express
car at the time Of the accident and had
Immediately run to the assistance of En-
glneer Kellum, who had been pinned
down by the boiler. Kellum explained
how he could be released. and under his
instructions O'Connell and the other
managed to get the injured man free
from the wreck. Witness was of the be-
lief that the accident had been caused by
a broken switch and a broker connecting
rod. The connecting rod had evidently
been struck by a heavy body.
Yardmaster Allen found a broken lever
and part Of a brake rod one and one-half
miles west of the rear of the train. I1e
thought this had pounded along and on
striking the switch had caused the acct
dent. His idea was that the two dead
men had been riding on the blind bag
gage. The train was running at the
rate Of about 30 miles an hour. O'Con-
nell had not heard the explosion or the
torpedoes.
r. G. Metcalf, the mail clerk on the
train, was in a car right behind the en-
CINE. An examination which he made Of
the switch after the accident had con-
WINGED him that it was not in good work
ing order. There were two bolts broken
off the connecting rod or the switch,
which he believed had been set for the
spur. Witness thought the train was
running at the rate Of about 40 mile
ar hour when the crash came. He him
self had been slightly injured on the
body.
At his juncture the coroner called
upon the jury to visit Murray & Freund's
hospital. There the testimony Of Ole
Johnson. the fireman, was taken. En-
gineer Kellum was too i'll to furnish tes-
timOny. Johnson declared that the first
intimation he had of danger was when
the two torpedoes had exploded about 100
yards from the switch. He immediately
jumped up or the seat of the cab and
saw the green lights ahead. Despite this
fact, the engineer put on the air brakes.
and Johnson jumped off the cab seat
and began to throw more coal INTO the
furnace. Just then he felt the wheels of
the engine on the ties. and leaping to
the seat, plunged headforemost out OF
the window. Afterward he helped to
rescue the engineer.
I nanswer to questions from the coro-
ner he replied that he had seen a man
riding between the tender and the bag
gage car just before Deer Lodge was
reached. At Deer Lodge the man drop
ped off. He felt sure thai nobody was
stealing a ride on the train between Deer
Lodge Lodge n the Blue Bird spur. AS
to what caused the accident he had nc
Theory.
After debating for some time the cor
oner's jury adjourned until the testimony
of the engineer and the crew of the train
which is supposed to have lost the brake
rod can be heard.
The Eagles of this city have wired tc
Wallace, Idaho. regarding Connolly. blu
- Co.. La.:a naaai.:ad