The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1900-03-02

4 -A-wreck, which was little less than
a miracle. occurred Oh the Northern Pa
cifc about twelve miles west Of Bill.
ings early yesterday morning. by which
one man lost his life.
The westbound passenger, owing to
heavy travel, was made up into two
sections out Of Billings. the first section
consisting Of. engine, tender, two bag
gage cars, day coach, .t6tirisr sleeper
and Pullman strengthening here at
1 80 a. IN. iThe t12M was in charge Of
Conductor aparroM Of Livingston, with
W. Deau pu(llR the throttle and F. J.
Sherman fireman. Owing to the light.
ness of the train, it was speeding along
at lively rate, probably between forty.
five and fifty miles an hour. Just Of the
other side Of Foster, in the valley. the
train ran into string OF fourteen
loaded coal cars, which had run off
from the switch in the Laurel yards and
down onto the main track about four
miles, where they stopped. Owing to
the speed Of the passenger train it was
impossible to stop and che engine struck
the coal cars with terrific force. The
engine was derailed, the cab hurled
from position and the tender torn from
its trucks and driven into the front end
of the first baggage car to its full
length.
The shock was felt clear to the rear Of
the train, but only slightly in the rear
sleeper. In the|hay coaef the passeu-
gers were thrown frsm their seats, seats
were overturned and the passengers
wore panic stricken for several minutes.
| As snon as they could extricate them
selves. an investigation was made as to
the seriousness of the wreck. Boil, the
engineer and fireman were missing. A
search revealed tbe dead body Of Fire
man Sherman onithe coalfn the tender.
It was badly manglsd and crushed.
Engineer Dean so6n appeared uninjured,
but badly scared. How he escaped he
is unable to say, and look at his EN-
gine causes one to wonder that he did
not meet death.
The telescoped baggage car contained
the scenery and baggage Of the "Toll
Gate Inn" company. which played
here Wednesday night and was going
to Bozeman, the baggageman being in
the second car.
Several Billings people, going to
points west, were aboard tile wrecked
train. J. r. sayles, under sheriff, as.
sisted in resouing the body Of tho fire.
man.
Two of the coal cars were derailed
and the others driven back three hund.
red feet by the force Of the collision.
A messenger was dispatched to
Laurel and word Of the wreck sent to
Billings. An extra engine YVES sent to
the scene, with pr. Armstrong aboard.
but his services were not needed, none
besides the fireman being hurt. The
wrecked train was then pulled back to
Billings and connected with the second
section OF the passenger, which had been
held here on the receipt Of the news of
the accident. The track was cleared at
about 10 O'Clock yesterday morning
when the trains were able to pass
Acting Coroner Fraser summoned a
jury and went to the scene OF the
wreck. After viewing the remains OF
the fireman. tho body was placed on
No. 2 and brought to Billings and pre-.
pared for burial. Sherman was a mem.
ber of the Modern Woodmen order Of
Ritzville, Wash. and the body was TAX
en- in charge by the local lodge and this
morning sent to Livingston by request.
where it will be held awaiting inquiries
concerning relatives in the east.
The coroner's jury will not complete