The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-02-18
A IRAlNMANS MISTAKE.
II caused A Collision on The International
And Great Northern.
FORGOT THAT he HAD THROWN SWITCH
he Threw It Back AGAIN and the Flyer
Crashed Into Passenger Train
on Side Track.

Austin, Texas, February ia negro
trainman who has been In the service of
the International and Great Northern rail
way for the past twenty-five years, wns
responsible for the hcad.cnd passenger train
smash up four miles south Of Hearnc short.
~ before shutdown yesterday evening.
southbound passenger No. 3. In charge of
engineer Dan Coleman and Conductor Nc.
Neece, had orders to switch at the point
where the wreck occurred. in order to
let the northbound passenger, "the flyer"
pass
The northhound train was in charge OF
Engineer Bin Leach and Conductor peni-
son, and the train was going at a high
RUE RATE OF speed when the accident happened.
me southDound train backed on the sid
ing and the conductor and train crew saw
Ine teiiow properly throw the switch back
onto the main line. lie forgot his keys
h eullin as, Inehl IN the switch rack, and went
PACK AFTER them While he was standing at
tne switch lever extracting his key he
forgot that he had properly adjusted the
SWITCH SO he threw it again, which turned
the main line into the switch and onto the
passenger train headed north. He then
SAT down on the switch box to await tho
passing of the train, so he could again
ulscnarpe his duties.
Presently the northbound dyer came in
sisht, ond It's engineer saw that the swift eli
signal displayed the danger sign and he
negan to blow his whistle aud sound II
geeheral alarm, familiar to all trninmen.
Ine crew OF the train on the switch loo e /
up the track and at once took in the situn-
Iloh ana Jumped from the train. The Gu
Flneer ana fireman began to yell nj the
fellow to throw the switch, but he became
temporarily demoralized. lie knew that
something was wrong, but never once
thought of the switch
Blll Leach of the northbound engine saw
MMhat was going to happen aud he reversed
ms engine and train and, together with
the fireman, jumped, In less than ten sec.
crash, and the engine, coal ear and baggage
car completely climbed the stlll train and
stood upon it.
Jim Strong the baggage man on the
northhonnd train, was gctt'ug ve
light his lamp when the crash came and
was badly bruised His left shoulder was
ulsloeated, besides he Is suffering from In.
ternal injuries.
In the mail car the two Barnhart boys,
hrothers, and mail clerks, were badly In
yured and 1t Is believed that the youngest
one VIII die. The two brothers have been
working together for years, and this Is
the ninth wreck for the elder one and the
seventh for the youngest. They We're both
badly bruised, and were suffering Intense
pain this morning while en- route to San
Antonio
Many Of the passengers on the south,
bound train were badly scared and shaken
when the wreck occurred. lady In tho
sleeper fainted dead away after being
thrown clear across the car, and gentle
man living in Georgetown, who was also
In the sleeper, was thrown against the rem
end of the car, and was unconscious for
I'VE minutes. No one was killed, which is
looked upon as miraculous for how they
escaped seems to be a mystery
Both conductors wired to Palestine fol-
engines and in eight hours after the wreck
occurred trains began to move.
The engineer and conductor Of the south
bound train saw the switch properly adj
1usted after their train had passed onto
the siding, and never dreamed that II would
be changed until the time came. The first
intimation they had of anything being
wrong was when the engineer on the north
whistle. When they looked down the track
they saw what WIS up and began TO lool
out, for themselves. Both engines werr
badly wrecked.