The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1901-09-05
An Awful Wreck on
the Kalispell Div
ision of the Great
Northern Rv

gllastly and horrible W. ok which has
ever occurred on the line of the G Treat
Northern. and one of the worst which !
has ever been chronicled in the United /
!. States, occurred at Essex on the line OF
the. Great Northern, fifty miles east of
here, last evening at $50. AS result
thirty six human beings we're swept out
of existence, many of them being burned
alive and nearly every body being burn
ed to a crisp. Essex is at the head OF a
very heavy grade in the heart of the
Becky mountains and eight freight cars
loaded with lumber and shingles broke
loose on the grade at that point from q
tram of twenty eight cars, and tore down
the mountain at frightful speed. At
Nyack, seventeen miles further west
passenger train No. 8, west bound. was
Just pulling out of the station, when the
eight loaded runaway cars tore into the
rear end of the train max ng one OF the
most terrific wrecks imaginable; on the
rear of the passenger, and the first to get
Ithe force OF the runaway cars was a
coach loaded with forty six laborers
from Duluth bound for Jennings to work
on the new line at that point. OF the
forty-six men ia the car but thirteen
escaped with their lives, and of the
thirty six dead, all but five were burned
An the fro which started Immediately
after the wreck. The names OF the men
killed in the workers Car cannot be
learned at this time, as nearly all of them
were Scandinavians hired in Duluth by
employment agencies and the names
must be learned from the records OF the
Offices in the east. None OF them were
known in Montana or had relatives here.
The private car of Assistant General
Superintendent P. T. Downs of the
Great Northern was just in front OF the
car of laborers and in it was Mr. Downs
and his son and cook. The car of Mr..
Downs was wrecked to splinters and
though the body OF the cook was pulled
,aut, no trace of Mr.. Downs or his son has
fkyet been discovered; .hey having no
doubt been burned in the flames of the
wreckage and the scene is said to have
been something terrible, at least thir-
teen of the laborers burning alive in
sight of help and making the mountains
ring with their riteous cries for help as
they slowly roasted to death. One mai
begged for some one to kill him a. once
and end his suffering, and the sight was
such as to cause strong men to weep In
helpless misery. All of the freight cars
and three OF the passenger cars were
consumed in the flames and the smell oil
burning flesh from thirty-one human
beings was something which those pres
<ent will never forget. None of the pas
sengers in the Pullman or forward
coaches were injured, the private car o.
Superintendent Downs acting as buffer
to the runaway cars and saving the live!
of many OF the passengers of the carl
ahead.
Those of the dead not burned and th'
Injured, were brought to Ka ispell anc
! ~ the dead are known at this time to be a
least thirty six and it is thought thirty
nine win be the proper number. Wreck
ing crews from all along the line of thu
Great Northern for 200 miles have gont
to the scene of the wreck, and the wreck
age will be cleared away sometime to
morrow.
just how it happened the runawa.
% cars of lumber could run for seventeen
miles onto the passenger without tn
latter being warned of their coming i
not stated, but the telegraph stations ar
far between on the line at that point an
the freight crew may not have been abl
to reach place to send warning in time
The matter will be investigated at onc'
and the blame for the terrible accident
if any, be laid where it belongs.-G rea
Falls Leader.