The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1901-1901, 1901-08-31

The most frightful wreck in the his
tory of the Great Northern railroad
and one of the wSrs. IL railroad his
tory OF the United States occurred
near Nyack about o'clock last night.
resulting in an appalling loss of life
and destruction of property. At the
present five dead bodies of victims Of
the catastrophe lie in the morgue in
this city while thirteen others burned
and bruised in every conceivable
way are in the hospital. At the scene
OF the wreck, amidst the ashes of the
wreckage, search is being made for
the bodies of rs others who perished
in the flames of the burning coaches.
Among the dead are Assistant Gener-
al Superintendent Downs Of the Great
Northern, and his son who were in
their private car at the rear end of
the ill-fated train.
PassenG Ger train No. 3, west bound,
while passing Nyack about 60 miles
east from Kalispell, was struck by
freight train No. 10, east bound, that
had broken loose at Essex, and COM
ing down the steep mountain grade,
like a meteor crashed into the rear
end of the passenger train, smashing
the three last cars to splinters and
the flames started from the overturn-
ed lamps, literally roasted the i'm
prisoned passengers to death.
The passenger was made up, count
ing from the rear end, of General Su-
parintendent Downs special car and
next to that car load of labOrers
that had been shipped from Duluth
and were bound for Jennings. where
they were to be employed on the new
branch of the Great Northern. The
next car was the sleeper.
II was in the special car and the
one containing the laborers that the
great loss of life occurred.
The Inflated train was passing Ny
ack at a speed of from 20 to 80 miles
an hour, the passengers laughing and
Joking, entirely unsuspiciOus of their
approaching doom, when without
warning of any kind the crash came
The heavy freight train, made up OF
% cars, the majority of them loaded.
came down the IA miles of grade be-
tween Essex and Nyack at an ever In
creasing speed, and at the time the
wreck occurred, was making fully rs
miles an hour.
lne trucks on the car of Superin-
tendent Downs were knocked from
under it and several freight cars
loaded with shingles were thrown by
the force of the collision on top of it
and the car containing the laborers.
Immediately TO lowing the shock the
wreckaee caught fire and drove the
rsscuers away. the intense heat
making it impossible to render any
assis ance. In the Downs special car
containing three persons. Mr.. Dc Nns
mis- son, and their cook all were kill
ed. but the body of the cook was TAX
en- from the ruins by means of long
pieces of wire that were loop-d around
his limbs. The bodies of the father
and son were seen pinned under the
burning wreckage, but they were be-
yond earthly help. and they were
soon lost to 81 yht It is not known
whether they We're k He'd or met their
death in the flames, but at any rate
their bodies were cremated, not the
slightest trace being found of them
after the car was burned.
it was in the laborers car that the
loss of life was the grea est, only 16
out of the AZ men who had left Du
luth for Jennings being accounted
for. The freight cars were piled on
top Of the coach and being filed with