The Saint Paul globe., 1902-05-30
PARTY INSPECTING GRADING MA
CHINE NEAR ALMA WHEN THEIR
TRAIN WAS STRUCK
BOTH TRAIN CREWS ESCAPE
w. L. BreeEinridge, Chief Engineer.
and j. ID. BessIer, General Su-
perintendent OF the system,
Are Both Badly Hurt.
snecial to The clobn

Special to The Globe.
LA CROSSE Wis. May 29.-In a head
end collision between two work trains on
the chicago, Burlington & Quincy, near
Alma, Wis, the consulting engineer Or
the system was killed and four of the
fatally.
Dead
E. J. BLAKE, consulting engineer, Bur-
hngton system, headquarters, Chicago.
The injured are
S. d. Purdy, roadmaster Northern divl-
sion, both legs cut off; will die.
ID. G. Cunningham, superintendent OF
Northern division, leg cut off; may die
w. l.. Breckenridge, chief engineer OF
system, seriously injured.
j. b. Bessler, general superintendent Of
system, seriously injured.
Engineer Larson and Fireman Webb
Russell, Of the southbound train, escaped
injury.
The inspecting party left La Crosse on
the Burlington inspection car at l2.45 to
go over It's line where improvements to
the roadbed were being made A new
patent combination engine and car for
unloading gravel trains was at work here
end the party decided to inspect it, This
car is open from the rear and a narrow
passageway just wide enough to admit
one man and six feet long leads to the
engine room.
Train Was Standing stilI.
The train was standing on the north
switch and the official party, headed by
Superintendent Cunningham, entered this
passageway in single file At that mo-
Lient south bound gravel train from
Pepin, heavily loaded and running at
high speed, shot onto the switch from
around the curve and struck the ma
chine car.
When the engine struck the car in
which the officials were standing, it
doubled up like jacknife, crushing the
men between it's front and back walls and
derafling five cars in the rear all Of
which were piled up in confusion by tho
track Fireman Webb Russell and En-
gIneer Larson, both Of La Crosse,
jumped after the engine was reversed.
The big engine was badly wrecked, but
did not leave the track. A large force
OF men was soon at work taking out tho
injured and all were removed TO a Bur
lington coach. Blake's body had not been
recovered at midnight. It Is a manEled
mass OF flesh and bones imprisoned in
the wreck
The injured were at once taken 70 st.
Francis hospital, La Crosse. Cunning.
ham may recover though an amputation
of his leg was unavoidable, but there IS
believed to be no hope for Purdy, both
Oh WHOSc icBS were diipuldAtu - Wit"h
ing train and a special left La Crosse
late last night to bring back the body
Of Mr. Blake. The injured men are. all
reported as resting as well as could be
expected.
The blame for the accident has not
been fixed. but an official OF the COM
pany said tonight that someone had COM
mitted a terrible blunder, and that an
effort would be made to fix the respon-
sbuity.
Master Mechanic c. II. Frey escaped
by the merest accident. He was to have
been in the party, but just as the train
left La Crosse he was called to his Of
fee by urgent business, and missed the
train
General Superintendent John D. Besler
is one Of the Oldest employees Of tn road.
Forty-sven years ago he entered the em-
ploy Of the company as a section hand.
Mr.. eBsler is the father Of William G.
Besler, general manager OF the Central
Railroad of New Jersey.