The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-03-15

CSulHS SeCtlOH, ike TINS one, CONSIST
ing of eleven narrow gauge cars loaded
with steel rails and a caboose. These
cars were but twenty-eight feet in
length, and in order to load the thirty
fourfoot rails it was necessary to re-
move the brakestaffs. At that period
too, the use Of the automatic air was
continued SKire deep
confined to passenger trains, the
freights being handled by straight air.
The 800 plotting the 1T" and "24, "
pulled out of the division terminal-at
that time called Eagle Rock, under
which name it acquired a notoriety
that the town thought to rid itself of
by adopting the present more romantic
| name of Idaho Falls. At a snail-like
pace the three engines dragged their
load up the per cent. grade toward
h the divide which marks the boundary
of Idaho and Montana, and about $3.50
A. M, of the 18th We're within five
miles of Dry Creek, the next telegraph
station with a steep pull before the
The second section had reached Dry
Creek and there received orders to do
some switching, which the conductor
with his two green brakemen both of
the road, proceeded to do. 1t was ne
| cessary to place the eleven cars of steel
on a siding, the switch Of which at the
lower end of the yard had not been
disturbed and was still set for the main
line. While the men We're working
elsewhere, the cars, being on slight
grade, and with no brakes began to
move down hill, and one of the brake
men, noticing it, jumped on the first
car to set a brake, AS stated, all the
brakestaffs had been removed to acco-
modate the rails, but the brakeman
was not aware Of that fact, and hoping
to avoid a derailment in the yard
he jumped off and ran ahead to
the open switch, which he threw for the
main line. Then he rernounted the cars
to set the brakes which were not there,
and crazed with the sudden realization
of his hlunder and it's possible conse-
quences, he Jumped from the runaway
cars and ran wildly into the sagebrush,
where a sheriffs posse found him four
days later
In the first mile the heavily laden cars
had attained the velocity of an express
train on the heavy down grade, but
they had yet four miles to run before
they met the up-comng third section,
piloted by the hoodoo go A compari-
son of time made subsequent to the dis
aster showed that not more than four
minutes had elapsed between the time
the cars were run out on the main line
and their meeting the up-coming train. |
The combined weight of the eleven |
cars and their lading was $4,000 pounds, |
4 l.. tA ~ LOT gny 4
mathematician calculate the force of the
impact, allowing rate of six miles per |
hour for the up-coming train. The lat
ter could see only so far as the head
light of the $50" penetrated the dark
ness, and the three engine crews were
all unconscious and equally unwarned
Of approaching danger
George Flood was engineer of the 80
and Jimmy Clark, a mere boy was his
fireman. George Dram and Billy Pur-
lie We're on the III" and Bert Chapman
and Aze Reach on the ''24." Jimmy
Clark was down putting in fire when
he crash came, and according to the
verdict of the coroner's jury, was killed
n four different places" Every flue In
he "50s' boiler was driven back
through the boiler head, through the
,oal pile and actually through the two
sheets forming the back of the tank and
'ails weighing half a ton apiece accom-
,anied the fues side by side. Flood was
pinned into the cab, and was Scalded
externally and internally with steam to
uch an extent that he was considered
is good as dead, though the decision
vas hasty one
The crew of the second engine was
Knocked out of the cab and escaped
practically unhurt, though Dram main
aims to this day that he was sent flying
trough the air over his own tank and
ver Chapmans engine, and that he
nally landed on Chapmans tank. On
ghapman's tank he was found, sure
but that he climbed into 1t
While dazed by the horrible force of the
collision is the general belief. Chap
nan himself was slightly injured by
eing thrown out of his cab, but Reach.
is fireman, had his right leg caught !
nd smashed to pulp in the gangway !
POOR Azel, He deserved to live, for his !
was superb. Whipping out his
nifa, he cut off the shattered member
hus freeing himself. He then crawled y
lto the sagebrush and, with his hand
erchief and a sage linn which he cut c
1rmed a tourniquet and stopped the
ow of blood Then he composed him !
elf in the cold of the early dawn and |
waited the arrival of the relief train. !
lie died in the hospital of blood poison /
lg four days later Flood, whose con- =
ition appeared so much more serious, .
and is still in service on the 8
lme piece of track, as are also Dram, I
hapman and Purdie.
At the wreck, daylight revealed "
ght magnificently terrible. The rails
ON the runaway cars had wreaked ~
wful vengeance on the miscreant go" !.
nd had she been made the target for a II
rye calibre cannon, her demolition %
)uld not have been more complete. V
lere was just nothing left of her but .
ar squatty drivers and to these, even IL
lie faint of Jonahism attached SO
rongly that they were condemned, d
I'd the go" with two more victims adj y
ID to her already long list was forever u
arlSed vacant on the equipment list. u
Other rails were shot like arrows for
20 hundred feet from the point where a.
e collision occurred, and after wing -
g their half ton of freight through the -
r drove themselves a third Of their III