The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-01-30
FAST EXPRESS TRAIN TELESCOPES A LOCAL
Three Passenger Coaches Broken into Kndn Wood Make
Fire Which Roasts Alive the People Pinioned in the
Debrs>(Thrty Known to Be Dead

blocked on track No. 4, and the local
received orders to proceed on the
express track to Dunellen and there
ly after receiving orders the train had
to stop for hot box, which caused de-
lay so that when it got under way
again it was due at Dunellen.
When the Crash Came.
The train had just started and was
moving slowly when the Royal Blue,
travelling at full speed, which at that
point usually approximates IS miles
an hour, crashed into the rear end.
The heavy engine of the Royal Blue
tore it's way into the rear car and at
the same time drove the forward end
of that car into the rear end of the
car ahead, which in turn was driven
into the third car and this in turn was
driven into the fourth car from the
rear. The fourth car was only partial
ly wrecked, but the last three were
torn to- pieces. The engine of the
Royal Blue left the rails and turned
over on it's side, the engineer and
fireman sticking to- their posts and 60
ing down in the wreck. They are now
in the hospital at Plainfield. The en-
gineer is not believed to have any
chance of living more than a few
hours.
Fearful Cries for Aid.
Passengers on the flyer say that
the engineer applied the brakes hard
a minute or so before the wreck. The
train ahead had sent fagman back,
but it seems he was recalled when the
train got under way and although
he left torpedoes the Royal Blue did
not heed them or else was going too
fast to stop in the short distance re-
naming. The man who went back to
flag the train had just swung onto
the rear of his train, and is among the
which were wrecked were piled in
heap, containing at least 100 dead or
injured From the mass came fearful
cries for aid A minute later the
wreck caught fire from the frebox
CT the locomotive. The screams OF
the injured in the heap were intensi-
fed as they found themselves hemmed
in by the flames.
The passe ngers in the two forward
cars of the first train and all the men
from the express car and every one in
the neighborhood started to work at
cnce to get out the injured before
the, flames could reach them. At times
the flames reached the rescuers and
their clothing took fire, but they work
ed on, though in constant danger OF
being killed themselves. Some of
the injured were burned to death in
sight of the men who were working
with desperation to save them. The
flames soon gained complete mastery
of the last two cars.
Firemen from Westfield were sum-
moned by phone, but arrived too late
to save many lives. Surgeons were
called from Elizabeth, Westfield and
Plainfield and there were a score on
hand The parlor cars of the Royal
Blue train were converted into tenn
porary hospital. The dead ,as they
were taken out, were laid in row
alongside the track until means could
be found. to convey them to Plainfield
Sight Is Horrifyins.
The firemen after a time mastered
the flames Then the Wreckage was
attacked again and the work of ne
covering the bodies was begun. Out
of the first car eight bodies were TAX
en-. The sight while the wreck was
burning was hor1ifying. Men could
be seen in the wreckage pinned fast
amid the timber of the cars and
struggling to he free while the flames
roared around them. The rescuers
were helpless to aid them as they