The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-04

into the rear OF a Northern Pac1f1c extra
stock train a short distance west of
Trout Brook Junction, In this city, few
minutes before 8 o'clock, completely de-
molishing the caboose, one stock car, and
badly damaging the Great Western en-
gine, while six persons in the caboose
were injured, two Of whom are danger
ously hurt. The injured are:
John Bower, Charles w. Allen, Ray
Welton j. T. Arthur, David Barnes, Hen
ry Fettbach.
SAW TRAIN TOO LATE.
The collision occurred just as the Great
Western train rounded a curve above
Trout Brook Junction. Both trains were
going in an easterly direction, though
the stock train had almost come 10 stop,
preparatory to running into a siding to
get out of the way of the passenger. By
reason of the curve. neither Engineer
Mortimer Shelter nor Fireman John Fla
herty. of the passenger train, saw the
stock train until too late to avoid col
fisicn. The engineer turned OH the air
| brakes, slightly reducing the speed of his
| train, but in an instant the big engine
| struck the caboose with a terrific crash,
and ploughed its way through the stock
| car BY peculiar circumstance the ca
| bose was almost cleanly cut out betweea
| the engine and the stock car and hurled
| bodily, with these inside, down a fif,een-
| foot embankment, where 1t lay shat
| tered mass of broken timbers and twist
| ed iron, among which the imprisoned per-
sons were struggling to escape. With Its
| impetus and the force of the seven ceach-
| hnh Ind +ha noin through
! stock car as if it had been made of pa
| per, literally grinding it to pieces. With
| the first impact of the collision the car
| was ripped open and the fifteen head OF
| stock within were hurled down the en-
| bankment into the wreckage of the ca
| boose. The horses Were all manned or
| killed, their slaughtered carcasses pre-
senting revolving sight in the ravine.
STUCK TO THEIR POSTS.
| The collision found Engineer Shelter
| end Fireman Flaherty sticking to their
| posts, and they escaped withellt injury.
| The running gear of the engine was
wrenched and torn asunder, and the ex-
| press car next to it was lifted clear eff
| sofasits trucks, hut the engine cab was
/, not damaged, so the fireman and engineer
were really in greater safety than IL they
had jumped. With the exception of the
express car none of the. coaches of the
| passenger train were damaged to any ex-
tent all remaining on the rails.
| The passenger train was composed OF
| an express car, a buffet car, three sleep
| ing cars and two chair cars, in charge
| of Conductor Edward Farrell. There
| were about fifteen passengers aboard
| and all were roughly shaken up in the
| collision, but none were hurt. When the
shock came several passengers standing
| in the aisles We're knocked down, as was
| Conductor Farrell, while others reclin-
] ing In their seats were thrown up against
the backs of seats in front of them with
| no little force. ALI were more or less
| frightened at first, but as the train came
| to a stop quickly and no further indlca-
tion of danger appeared quiet was soon
| restored
CAR CAUGHT FIRE.
| Had not the caboose been hurled from
between the engine and the stock cal
the fate of the people inside must have
| undoubtedly been that of the horses thai
| were crushed and mangled by the engine
as it ground the car to splinters. There
| were seven persons in the caboose, SIX
| stockmcn and Conductor Marks, OF ths
| stock train All were standing near the
| rear of the caboose, the stockmen witt
their satchels in their hands, ready tt
get out when the train ran into the sid
ing When the crash came without warn
ing they were thrown violently toWart
the front end of the caboose, while tear
ing over their heads was the roof Of the
stock car, like huge sickle, cutting
through the caboose. AS the caboost
went down the ravine the stove was over
turned and the car caught fire. For
tunately the fire did not spread rapidly
and all of the injured were removed be
fore suffering harm from the flames.
AS soon as the passengers on the Grea
| Western train learned that half dozeI
men were pinioned beneath the wreck
| age of the caboose a rescuing party wa
! formed and set to work lfberating them
Mr.. Bower, who had been thrown agains
| the stove when the caboose went Owe
| the bank, was the first one reached. I'll
| was taken out through a window. Non
OF these in the caboose had been rendere
unconscious, and by calling to the part,
outside were easily located and soon re
leased from their perilous positions. MI
Bower was carried to a passenger coac
and cared for as we'll as possible, alon
with the other injured, until the relie
train took them to the city. Conducto
Marks was slightly cut about the face
and sustained a severe scalp wound O.
the back of his head. He was able t
walk after the accident, and is believe
not to have been dangerously hurt. Tw
! hours after the accident some OF tn
lpangled horses We're still alive undo
the wreckage, and were shot to reliev
their suffering.
QUESTION OF RIGHT OF WAY.
officials of both railroads who wer
soon at the scene of the accident de
cIined to place the responsibility for tn
wreck Engineer Shelter, Conducto
Farrell and the crew OF the passenge
train say their train had the right G
way, and Furthermore had the signal t
go ahead on a clear track at a sema
phore that was passed just at the begin
ming of the curve. at the end of whic
the accident happened. The passen;5e
crew say the stock train had no righ
on the main track and assert that ther
was no f1agman at the rear to proteC
the train.
Coming up to the last semaphor
we passed. said Engineer Shelter, 9
was running with the air brake pal
tally set When I saw the white igh
sgnifying clear track, l released tn
air brake and sent my train along g
| about eighteen miles an hour. As "
swung around the curve I was startle
to see the stock train short distanc
, ahead I reset the air brakes, but til
power was partially exhausted from tn
quick turning on and off and the a
brakes had little effect. Almost before
realized what had happened my engir
was tearing through the caboose an
! stock carr
. ONLY ONE MINUTE LATE.
1--WE had the right of way" said Col