The silver blade. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1895-1903, 1902-04-26
big BEND SPECIAL" WRECK
OCCURRED NEAR CHENEY.
Central washingten Passsngsr
Train, En- Rsuto t. Spokane
Cause II UnknOwn-0ns Little Girl
Instantly Killsd-sevsral Persons
severely Injured.

StOAANE, April Z6.-A disastrous
wreck, resulting in one death and a
number Of very serious and perhaps fatal
injuries, occurred on the Central Washing.
ton branch Of the Northern Pacific rail
road about two and one half miles west Of
Cheney.
The cause Of the wreck is said to have
been detective steel cattle guard. one Of
the rods of which, it is believed, tipped
up and caught in the trucks of the front
coach.
The accident derailed two coaches and
the mail and baggage cars, the two latter,
however, remaining at an angle without
tipping over.
The list Of killed and injured is as fol-
lows:
The 6 year old daughter Of Mr.. and
Mrs. Neil Bowie of Reardan.
Injured.
E. D. Kellogg, ex-commissioner from
Lincoln county and a resident Of Rear
dan, injured internally and in a critical
condition.
NSAS AOSOs PoooSnSNI, ACS OlOhcl
Bert Lindley, express agent, Of Spokane,
shoulder dislocated.
- Phelps, child, both wrists broken
- Phelps, infant in arms, severely
injured in head.
Passenger, name unknown, badly
bruised in one leg.
Several persons with minor scratches
and bruises.
1t appears that the Washington Central
trains, or the ''Big Bend Special" as it is
known in railroad circles, was running
nearly on schedule time, and would have
arrived here about on time at 9:35 a. M.
When nearing Cheney, between that place
and Medical Lake, and about two or
three miles west of the former town, the
crash came. There was nothing to warn
the travellers, and everything was going
smoothly, when all at once there was an
awful jolting, and before anything further
could be DONE or hardly thought Of two
coaches, containing large number of peo.
pie, were thrown from the track and over
on their sides.
1t is believed that the trucks of the
front coach had become entangled with the
steel cattle guard and had been thrown
from the track, taking the coach and the
one behind it with it. The mail and bag
gage cars were also dragged from the
track, but were probably kept from tip
ping over by the engine, which kept the
rails. The train was not broken in two.
Luckily for all concerned, the speed at
which the train was moving at the time
Of the accident was not great, else matters
might have been much worse.
Every effort was made as soon as pos
sible to rescue those who were made help
less by the wreck, and to care for the In.
jured. Help was secured from Cheney,
and tho injured were conveyed by another
engine and boxcar into that town. Medi-
cal aid was called and everything done
that could be.
The little Bowie girl was killed in
stantly, and probably experienced no sui
fsring. E. D. Kellogg, an elderly man,
who was very seriously injured and who
1t is reported may not recover, was taken
to the hospital at Cheney, where he now
IL, and will remain until the end comes
or until he recovers sufficiently to be
moved. The other passengers, including
the injured, were put on train and
brought at once to Spokane.
Conductor Smith had charge Of the
wrecked train, but from all accounts
there seems to have been no blame attach
ing to him, or any one else, and the acci-
dent may be set down in the list Of un-
avoidable misfortunes.
Mail Weigher G.. w. Rohrbaugh was
among those slightly hurt, one hand be-
ing injured.