The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1901-09-07
TERRIBLE WRECK OF c. \.
THIRTY-sIx REPORTED DEAD.
Loaded Freight TraIn, wIthont Ea-
Eines or Asa came Oves the Mean-
iain side aaa Crashed IN Rear Rad
OF . PASSENGER Frain--superIn-
tendsnt Dswns Amsns the killed.

Ihirty.four dead, three fatally injured
and 10 more o. less seriously hurt that
Is the result Of the terrible train wreck
and holocaust on the Great Northern rail.
way at Nyaek, Mont, Friday evening.
The MFeekage Instantly took fire and
burned aeToely for over two hours and
a hall before reaching the passenger
coaches in which over two setHe human
beings lay buried. Some were nangied,
some we're dying and many were dead.
Their mutilsted remains were never re-.
covered, bat were eTemated in the awful
farnses hest which consumed every vestige
Of lhe wrecked cars eAeepl the iron and
steel
Ia this fearful holocaust the bodies Of
Assistant General Superintendent T.. r.
Doans and son, r. Kirk DoNna, we're
consumed. together with the remains Of Is
iatoreTs shoss names could not be learn.
3D.
Ten freight cars loaded with shingles
and lumber, one boxcar loaded with
canned salmon, and three coaches ON the
passenger train, including a standard
sieepT, day coach and the private. car
u Superintendent Downs. we're burned IN
the cOaaagsation.
The wmrk occurred at Nyaek, IL miles
east Of kalisPeli, Mont, at $50 O'Clock
IN the evening. The passenger had just
passed = eaboOse and a day passenger
saArh, standing On a sidelFaek, and was
cunning about six miles sn hour. when the
rear end of our train Eas crashed into
y runaway freight train Of y ears,
Ahieh had started from a siding near the
summit of siesp grade, These cars were
aeaVily loaded and when the crash came
acre running fully 20 miles an hour.
EyeA itnessrR say that the fre.ght cars
eame doMn the mountains with a roar like
tornado, carrying great clouds Of dusl
and Aishered vegetation in their wake.
The ROAR 81 the runaway train AAs heard
above the noise q the passenger train
by 3 man tho Wsa In the detached eaboose
The point al which the collision occurred
ass jus, beyond a sharp curve, which. 20
rlhsT aith The moving passenger train,
prevented any attempt At warning, had
such thing boen possible.
To those on the train no, . single mo
naen,s sArning vas given. The 6rst We
knew vas a fearful crash followed by
a sickeniag. crunching grinding. tearing,
iolting sound This MAS io..owed BY the
violent Oscillation Of the coaches, sud.
den Jerk and all vas still.
The cause q the conhagrstion was moi
tFom the stove Of the SUPPLEMENTARY
private car, a. At first announced. but
iron = lighicd oil lamp in the cAboose
Shich was standing on the sidetraek and
which was overturned when the collision
occurred. The Point from where the ca.
boose vas overturned 10 where the vic
tins we're buried beneath the wreckAge
HAs al least ave car lengths distant That
accounts for the considerable lapse al
time before the sleeper and other wrecked
cars EeFe burnea. No Gre originated in
the pasengsr train Al all
The wreck aas not caused from .
fright train breaking In two, a. frss re.
ported. but in the following manner, East.
bound freight train No. 10 had taken the
siding near the summit Of the grade near
Ea-ex, 10 miles from where the collision
oscnrrei. Il consisted Of - loaded cars,
two engines and cAbOose. A helper en-.
CINE is used at the rear Of freight trains
over the Essex grade The caboose fol.
lows the helper engine,
After the train passed both engines Of
the freight were detached and taken 10
t5s-r1 ior water and coal. leaving The y
saus on she siding II l. supposed the air
brakes which had been set leaked. thus
allow ing the tension On the brakes TO re
Lax. With the result that the - cars began
to 20 down the hill, gathering momentum
al every mile, until the point Of collision
ei,h Tho passenger train, when il Is van.
oualy estimated that the runaway cars
must have BEEN going at the nate Of 20 to
ion miles an hour.
The real loss Of life IL yariously esti.
mated. The conductor in his report TO the
physicians said that the day coach carry
ing the lahorers left Havre with a men on
boad. between Havre and Nyack foui
left the train. leaving - on board in th'
coach when the collision occurred. OF ,h'
10 rescued, three wesr dead and one die
shortly Afterwards, iaSsihs total OF 81
dead and missing. Thcse. with the thre'
passengers in the private coach, make I
total o. "a who are known to have lCsi
their lives al the time Of the accident. i
the conductor was mistaken about fou'
men leaving the coach between Havr
and Nyack, then there was a total Of 3
! men killed.
/ The lAborers were being taken TO Jen
nings by Guthrie 3 Co, contractors. !
member Of the firm was on board the train
! lhe life AZ this man whose name was no
. learned was saved by a simple game o
/ cariA
III il believed that nothing turtle
could have been accomplished toward III
, saving 81 life, as all indications Of any ON
/ vet remaining In The wreckagc alive ha
n long ceased. There was no lack Of aid
. Fully hundred men, who were passenger
+ On the train. and a gang Of Japs worke
> heroically, covering every part Of th
2 Wrcckage surrounding the buried cars .
, human freight.
!. The work Of rescue was carried on M
der much difficulty. Thirteen Of the IL
Iored were taken out and as fast az n
leased from the wreckage had 10 Be cal
|. red down the embankment 70 The ravin
al where they were PLACED on mattress
r taken from the sleeping cara
I'll There were Is victims taken onA Of q
!. wreck. Three were already dead and tw
!. dled shortly afterwards. One Of them VI