Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1900-05-23
FREIGHT TRAINS WRECKED
SEVEN EXPLOSIONS OCCURRED.
No One Was Seriously Injured-TwO
Large Engines Were Completely
Wrecl<ed-Three Carloads of OIL
Caught Fire-Nine Cars Burned.

Spokane, May pa shrill whistle, the
series of tremendous explosions, followed
by the dazzling light Of flames shooting
800 feet into the air--that is the briet
story of the train wreck which occurred
on the Northern Pacific at Trent, nine
miles east Of Spokane, about 1880 a. m.
Monday.
Strange to say, not a man was hurt,
the engineers and firemen both jumping
in time to save themselves. Had there
been any one in the caboose of the log
tmin there would have been scarcely one
chance in hundred for escape. This ca
boose was literally ground to pieces un-
der two engines, the wheels and iron
binding being the only reminder that
ever such car existed.
The wreck presents remarkable sight.
Two large freight engines are reared into
the air, telescoped, and are linked to-
gether by the tender Of the head engine
Six oil tanks, which were last night filled, ,
are shattered and totally destroyed, white
the tangled mass of iron and wire re-
minds one of junk shop that had been
hit by a cyclone.
Although the wreck occurred about 1880
yesterday morning, it was not till l0:30
that the first train could pass. The
road was opened by building a track
around the wreck. The work might
have been accomplished earlier but for the
heated mass of iron that could not be
handled.
How II Happened.
Shortly after o'clock a log train
coming in from Thompson's spur, about
80 miles east of the city, stopped at
Trent to fix a hot box. Shortly after
wards an extra engine in charge of En-
gineer j. II. Montgomery came up and
was tagged. The engineer stopped his
engine short distance behind the log
train, waiting for it to pull out.
An extra freight of 40 cars, with Jake
Palmgreen, engineer, was coming along
a short distance behind the single engine
Whether any one went back to flag this
train or not is the question that the Off
cials of the road are trying hard to settle.
The road here is a little down grade and
freight can get up good speed.
just as the engine came across the high
bridge which spans the Spokane river at
that place the engineer saw what was
ahead of him. Quick as flash his whis-
tie was sounded and the air brakes ap-
piled, but this was not enough to stop a
train of 40 loaded cars in $50 yards. See
ing there must be collision, the engineer
and fireman jumped. Both had their
faces slightly skinned, but were not 9th
erwise hurt.
The Crash.
As the engine Of the freight struck the
single engine, the latter was driven with
terrific force into the rear end Of the log
train. Such was the force that the lone
engine was pushed right over the caboose
of the log train, grinding it to pieces. 1t
was followed in the mad plunge by the
second engine, which telescoped into the
first.
Ten seconds after the crash the train
burst out in a mass Of flames that mount
ed hundreds OF feet in the air. Three
oil cars that were near the head of the
train, each with two loaded tanks, were
thrown into the pile and caught fire. As
the flames neared the oil it could be heard
to sizzle. A tremendous explosion fol-
lowed, throwing iron and scraps 800 feet
into the air. Six other explosions fol-
lowed in quick succession. One of these
explosions was caused by an engine boiler
bursting.
Although there was bare ten seconds
between the crash and the outburst Of the
flames, the train hands did not seem to
lose their heads for one instant. The
engineer Of the log train put on steam
and pulled his train out Of the way, saw
ing about Is cars from the flames. The
only damage done to the log train out
side Of the caboose was that the logs were
slightly Jared, not badly enough to ne
cessitate the reloading Of the train.
As soon as the wreck occurred two
brakemen mn to the rear OF the freight
train to flag another lone engine which
was due about this time. This engine
arrived shortly and was quickly coupled
to the rear end Of the freight and pulled
most of the train out of danger. Al
together nine cars were destroyed and