The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-09-01
ThiTty-fOur Lives Lost and Ten Persons Injured.
 - P. T, DOWNS WAS KILLED He and His Son Met Instant Death in Private Car. The Former Was Well Known in Montgomery, Having Been Superintendent of the West
 srn Railway from At
 lanta to Selma.

Spokane. wash, Aug. 31.-All re- portssshow that the wreck on the Great Northern, forty miles east of Kal'speil, ,Mon:., was the worst in the roads history, and one of the most terrible in tho annals Of American raiiroading. Thirty-four lives are lost and ten per- sons were injured. Three of the in tured will surely die and the others were seriously hurt.
 By strenuous and heroic enorts, fif- teen of the bodies were taken from the wrecked cars. All the others were cre- mated, including Superintendent F. T. Downs and his son. T. Kirk Downs.
 There is heavy grade near the scene of this wreck. Two engines had taken train of twenty-eisht freight cars up this grade and had drawn of to take water. While doing this all the twen- ty-eight cars started down the grade. The runaway train dashed down the grade at frightfui speed. and crashed into the rear of passenger train near the siding at Nyack. Superintendent Downs's private car was attached to LI3 paSSSukGE, anu AEAb b0 ls W4b 8 day coach filled with railroad iaborers from Duluth. AS the runaway train sped hy the switch 1t struck eaboose and day ceach on the siding. wrecking them. Tire immsd1stsly started from the oil lamps h the caheose The point where the wni& train ore2hed into the passenger waa several hundred feet away and It was two and a half hours bcfore Sne flames reached the main wreck. Meanwhile frantic efforts were made to take out the dead and in- jured. The wreck was piled high and ueeGeAl 1pko almost hopeless confusion, anA h eplte of almost superhuman ef- forts the flames burst through the wrecked cars before the work was completed. J. H. Blair, coiored cook in Mir. Downs's car, was taken out alive, but died in q few minutes. It was impossible to get at the bodies of Superintendent Downs and his son.
 The runaway tore down the hill at lightning speed, rounding the most se- were curves at a speed of upwards of seventy miles an hour, where regular trains barely crawled along. With roar 1t burst around the curve and what Is most remarkable, jumped a split switch. which would have turned 1t to the sidetrack. and crashed into the
 
 time nor opportunity for escape. Mr. Downs's car ard that of the laborers was smashed into kindling wood, the occupants of the private car meeting instant death. The debris. shingles and lumber of the freight burned like tinGer. The train crew was forced back from Its work of rescue by the flames. One man worked his way as far as the pri- vate car. where he saw the dead bodies NP NfWn TNr.. .N axf out the body of the cook. In the labor CTS car many of the forty-six occu- pants were so pinned in that they could not be reached and burned before the eyes of the spe. tators.
 The fire was so fierce that the rear sleeper could not be saved, though 1t had not left the track. Its occupants were hurried into forward cars which were hauled ahead out of the reach of the fire. The flames extended 70 the brush alongside the track and burned the telegraph poles. A wire broke and this. followed by 8 storm, greatly re- tarded telegraphic news of the wreck. The first messag.s sent went to Kalis- pell whence the wrecker and all doc tors in that town were ordered to the scene. The injured were given every attention and as soon as possible the train with its burden of dead. dying and in1ured was taken to kallSpell.
 Colonel Downs was one of the most popular railroad men ever stationed here. A native of Ireland and 5i years of age, he had spent s years In rai.- road service. Tomorrow he was to have assumed the duties of Vice President of the Spokane Falls and Kootenai Valley road, at the personal request of J. J. Hill. He leaves a widow, now visiting in Bakersfield, Vt, and one daughter, Mrs. Rupert Blue. Of san Francisco.
 MT. Downs and his son left Monday in the private car with his guests. Lieutenant Victor Blue, an American naval officer, and wife. They accom- panied their guests as far east as Ml- not, N. D., and were returning home when the wreck occurred. Kirk Downs was about 21 years of age and was em- ployed as secretary to his father.