The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-07-27
OLLISION ON
GREAT WESTERN
Freight Engineer Did Not Under
stand His Orders and Trains
Meet Head-on.
Four Die of Their Injuries Many
From the Twin Cities Re-
ceive Hurts.
. EAD

c. MERkERT, 1897 Sixteenth avenue
S. Minneapolis, engineer.
n. M. HELLMAN, ST. PAUL, freight
engineer.
F. cONGER, Sumner, Iowa, fireman
riding on passenger engine.
FRED HEAToN, Dodge Center, passen-
ger killed in buffet car
SERIOUSLY INJURED
Q. B. Johnson, s26 Eighteenth street,
Minneapolis, conductor of passenger, nose
broken
W. H. Keene, ST. Paul, fireman Of
freight engine, leg broken.
Ed Hickey, Oelwein, Iowa, fireman on
passenger engine, injured internally.
E: L: Noble. Des Moines. Iowa. porter
on buffet car, cut about the head.
Fred Hosmer Minneapolis. express
messenger, internal injuries.
w. r. Tucker, Springfield, ILL.,, internal
injuries. .u.....
Charles Curl, Minneapolis, brakeman,
chest injured.
Mrs F. L. Miller Des Moines, Iowa,
face and head injured.
John I. Dahlen, Minneapolis, arm In
jured. ~.
Mrs A E.. George, st. Paul, face and
head injured. .. a...
Mrs. Levine Chicago, internal injuries.
SLIGHTLY INJURED
A. E. George, St. Paul. "- .'..
w. E. Campbell, st. Paul.
| C. E. Mckee, Minneapolis.
| A. Fairinger, Minneapolis.
c.. H. Perkins, Minneapolis. y
l.. R. Blake, Duluth. - a-.. ~.
L. Thompson. Randolph, Mimi ."r-a
A. D. Adair, Dysart Iowa. 81
| Thomas Mclean, Des Moines, Iowa.
| N. J. Wyrick, Tracey, Iowa.
M. E. Glover, Tracey, Iowa.
| F. G. Nichols Tracey, Iowa.
Louis MorroW, Waterloo, Iowa.
C. H. Harstock, Grundy Center, Iowa.
Ben Harstock, Grundy Center, Iowa.
| Robert Carr, Mason City, Iowa.
E. B. Mitchell, Reinbeck Iowa.
| J. w. Mitchell, Reinbeck, Iowa -.
M. J. Cameron, Reinbeck, Iowa.
E. W. Olivett, Reinbeck, Iowa.
! G. Wood, Reinbeck, Iowa. .z..
| Samuel Keogh, Meta, Iowa.
M Zaristian, Wilton, N. D. -.-.
Max Schied. Glasgow, Mont e--s
William Hammond, Emerson, Mont
| Mrs. Livings ton, Chicago.
| Mrs. Stacey, Chicago ....=
! Hanna Levings, Chicago.
II. Sullivan, Champaign, III.
M D. Null, Eilkhart, Ind.
Dodge Center, Mimi, July 27.-Four men
| were killed and eleven persons more or
| less seriously hurt in a head-on collision
between a south bound freight train and
the first section of the Chicago Great
Western limited at Vlasaty switching
| station about five miles south Of Dodge
| Center, about o'clock Sunday morning.
| Engineer Biundered.
A misunderstanding of the orders was
responsible for the accident The passen-
ger train was running in two sections,
The first was on time and the second
about two hours late. I'LL.
The regular passing point Of the trains
is Hayfield, about ten miles south Of
Dodge Center, but as the freight train
was behind time it was expected the
trains would meet at Dodge Center
Engineer Hellman of the freight train
is believed to have misunderstood his
orders and to have thought that both sec
lions of the limited were two hours late
instead Of the second alone. .'..-~
! Met With Terrific Force.
Both trains were running at a high rate
of speed and met with teri C force. The
engines were reduced to scrap iron and
the baggage, buffet and compartment
sleeping cars on the passenger train and
three freight cars demolished.
Fireman Conger, who was killed on the
passenger engine, was not the regular
J fireman. He was going to Minneapolis tt
} visit his mother and brother who live al
3541 Bryant avenue S. and had gone for.
ward to visit Fireman Hickey, leaving his
wife in the coach.
( When the trains came together he wa.
caught in the debris and crushed. Hi
remains were removed with difficulty ant
l were taken to his home at Sumner by hi
wife. .r-r 5......
Left a Family Of Six.
Engineer Merkert Of the passenger
leaves a wife and five children, tw,
: daughters and three sons, ranging in ag
= from to 16 years. He had just pur
chased the South Minneapolis home II
e which he resided. His body take,
Z to Minneapolis yesterday.
!, Noble, the porter who was injured, wa
l. asleep in the buffet car when the train
met. He knows little about the wrecl
= other than when he awoke he was burie
, under the wreckage of the car. He man
,, - aged to crawl thru window and escape
II How Heton was killed is not know
T definitely but his body was found unde
> the ruins Of the buffet car.
T The shock Of the collision threw tn
:, occupants Of the sleepers from thei
II II berths to the floor and many bruises wer
e the result.
i Six passengers were more or less hurt
but the number of injuries, consisting O
: scratches and cuts by broken glass, is
s large one The list of eleven printe
l. above includes the names Of those mos
seriously hurt
Crash Game In Fog.
There was a dense fog at the time @
9 the accident and this prevented the en-
1t gneers from noticing the headlights of tn
. approaching trains. altho the track be
% tween Dodge Center and Hayfeld is with
9 out curves and trains could have bee
i. stopped on short notice.
Some Of the cars presented a sorry ap
pearance, the platforms and vestibule
showing that they had suffered by reaso
of the crash. The injured persons gon
to Minneapolis were able to leave tn
It train unassisted and they proceeded t
l. their homes Immediately
" COLLISION KILLS THREE
Train Crashes Into Trolley Car at East S
LouIs-score Are Injured.