Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1901-08-31
A DISASTROUS
TRAIN WRECK
Thirty-Six Lives Were Lost And
Thirteen Persons Were Injured
on the Great Northern.
A RUNAWAY FREIGHT TRAIN
It Crashed Into the Rear Of Passenger
Train After Run Of Fifteen Miles
Down a Steep Grade-The
Wreck on Fire.

Kalispell, Mont, Aug. 31.-A west
bound passenger train was wrecked
last night near Nyack station. An
eastbound freight backed out of a
switch at Essex and broke in two, %
cars going down the mountain crash
ing into the passenger train without
warning. The special car of Assistant
General Superintendent P. L. Downs
of the Great Northern, and a day
coach of laborers were demolished, and
burned Superintendent Downs and
son were instantly killed. Many la
borers were killed and burned. A
sleeper caught fire, but it is reported
that all the passengers were gotten out
safely.
THE OFFICIAL REPORT.
ST. Paul, Aug. 31.-General Superin-
tendent T. e. Ward gave the following
statement of the wreck on the Great
Northern near Kalispel: "In an acci-
dent at $3.50 p. M, Aug. 80, at Essex,
Montana, Is cars broke loose from the
rear end of a freight train, ran down
hill 16 miles to Nyack, where they
overlook the passenger train No. just
starting out from the station. In the
collision, p. T. Downs, assistant gen.
eral superintendent, in charge of the
line west of Minot, N D., was killed,
together with his son, Kirk T. Downs,
his cook Henry Blair, and about rs la
borers, who were moving west In a
coach attached to the rear of the train.
None of the regular passengers were
injured. The wreck took fire and the
remains Of all except five Of those
killed were burned. 1t is therefore not
known positively how many fatalities
resulted. In addition to those killed,
u laborers and Brakeman Burke were
injured"
Downs was born on April 8, 1S47. in
Ireland. He entered the railway SER
vice on April 1, 1868, as brakeman on
passenger train of the Burlington
branch of the Central Vermont rail-
road. For the year ending April 80,
1891, he was train master of the Gulf,
Colorado and Santa Fe railroad. He
was made superintendent of the
northern division of this road on May
/, 1891. May II, 1898. to July 1, 1885, he
was superintendent of transportation.
He wa,g mad assistant general sup
erintendent on July l, 1896, which posi-
tion he held six months when he was
made assistant superintendent of the
Atlanta and Westpoint Railway and
Western Railway of Alabama. In Sep
tember, 1897, he was appointed superin-
tendent of the same roads. On De-
cember 1, 1885, he came to the Great
Northern. His appointment as vice
president of the Spokane Falls North
ern would have become effective to-
morrow, September 1.
A TERRIBLE DISASTER.
Kalispel, Mont, Aug. Slater re-
ports from the wreck at Nyack, on the
Great Northern, are more serious.
Thirty-six lives were lost and 13 injur-
ed. Assistant General Superintendent
Downs and son, his cook and 80 Scan
dinavian laborers were killed and 13
laborers were burned in the wreck. A
freight train broke loose on a noun
tain grade and crashed into the rear
of the passenger train, Is miles below.
The laborers were bound from Duluth
to Jennings for railroad work, and oc-
cupied the rear car. No passengers
were injured. Three passenger and 10
freight cars were burned.