The Lewiston teller. (Lewiston, Idaho) 1900-1905, 1901-09-05
TERRIBLE WRECK Of G. \.
TH1RTY-sIx REPORTED DEAD.
Loaded Freight Trails, Without En-
glnes or Mem Came Over the Noun
tain Side and CRACKED In Rear End
Of . Passenger TrMin-guperin-
tendent Downs Among the killed.

Thirty four dead, three fatally injured
and 10 more or less seriously hurt-that
is the result Of the terrible train wreck
and holocaust on the Great Northern rail-
way at Nyack, Mont, Friday evening.
The wreckage instantly took fire and
burned fiercely for over two hours and
a half before reaching the passenger
coaches in which over two score human
beings lay buried. Some were mangled,
some were dying and many were dead.
Their mutilated remains were never re-
covered, but were cremated in the awful
furnace heat which consumed every yestige
of the wrecked cars except the iron AID
steel
In this fearful holocaust the bodies Of
Assistant General Superintendent r. 7.
Downs and son, T. Kirk Downs, were
consumed, together with the remains Of 30
laborers whose names could not be learn
ed.
Ten freight cars loaded with shingles
and lumber, one boxcar loaded with
canned salmon, and three coaches on the
passenger train, including a standard
sleeper, day coach and the private car
, e SUPERINTENDENT Downs. were burned 10
tho cnnt,a Grafton.
The y reck occurred at Nyack. Al miles
cast - kal;sne,l Mont. At 8:3O o'clock
in the evening. The passenger had just
passed \ caboose and q day passenger
coach, standing on sidetrack, and was
rnur;no ahont ak miles an hour. when the
ras- sna q our train was crashed into
~ ! runaway freight train Of Is cars,
which had starred from siding near the
suro;t N ! steen GRADE. These cars were
haay;lv loa1ed and when the crash came
rars ,,,rr;,,o fnllv 70 miles an hour.
Evawitnesses sav that the freight cars
oor,a aowr ~ mountains with ! roar like
torr.an carrying great clouds Of DIT
and withered vegetation in their wake.
The roar q tbe runaway train was heard
above the noise Of the passenger train
, ~ ! man ,ho was IN the detached caboose.
Tha ro;nt Il which the collision occurred
~. nat hevond sharp cnrye. which. to-
oather with the moving passenger train,
nrsventad any attemnt At warning. had
s,oh ! th;no heen nossfble.
r. thos. an the train not 4 single mo-
roert,s warning was riven. The first we
(, lnew was fearful crash followed BY
s;clor;no crnnchin0 grinding. tearing,
ioltino sound. This was fo..owed by the
v;o,ert oscillation At the coaches. 4 sud.
don ;erk and ali was still.
| The canoe ~ the confederation was not
! iron, tho stowe If the snperintendent )
! \ n
, from ! Iohted oil lamp in the caboosc
which was standing an the sidetrack and
!, wh;ch was oyerturned when the collision
occurred The no;nt from where the ca
hoosa was overturned to where the vic
t;n,s wera buried beneath the wreckaQe
WAS NJ least Ave car lengths distant. That
accourts for the considerable lapse Of
i t;ns hafore The s,eener and other wrecked
oars vera burned. No fire originated in
the pasenorr train It ali.
| The wreck was NOT caused from a
fro;oh+ train hreakin0 in two. as first re-
| rortea hit q the following manner: East
horrd freight train No. liz had taken the
! .;d;rc rear the snmmit al the grade near
Essex IA m;les from where the collision
occurred m consisted Of 28 loaded cars,
Z, two engines and a caboose. A helper en-
o;r. = need a. the rear al freight trains
i over the Esser grade. The caboose fol-
lo,r. the helner engine.
/ After the train passed both engines Of
the freight were detached and taken to
Essex for wafer and coal. leaving the %
! cars ON the siding. 1t is supposed the air
hrakes which had been set leaked, thus
allowing the tension ON the brakes to re-
!, lay with the result that the Is cars began
to 20 down the hill, gathering momentum
4 =. -A.l -. .~:.4 - ~,ll:.:o,,