Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-03-20
NEARLY A BAD WRECK
WRECKED TRAIN OF NORTHERN
PACIFIC REACHES BISMARCK
LAST NIGHT.
PASSENGERS PRETTY BADLY
FRIGHTENED AT NARROW
ESCAPE.
l'm'ted Was Dashing Along at a
Forty Mile Clip When Danger sia.
nal Was Seen-Emergency Brakes
Applied and Prevented Disaster.

Appi'eu ana prevented Oisdste:.
Inc passenger trains that were held
at Medina by the wreck of Wednes.
day night pulled into the city last
night at about 6 O'Clock, bearing a
number of pretty badly scared and
pretty thoroughly thankful
Additional details of the accident at
Medina show that it was fortunate the
result was not appalling. No. "a. the
east bound freight train, was unable
to make the switch at Medina and get
into the clear before No. | was due.
and the engineer stopped the train, and
held it on the main line while signals
We're sent ahead to warn No. /. which
was then due. A storm was raging.
the air was filled with snow, borne by
a brisk wind and it was almost limos.
sible to see along the track from the
engines. No. ] was dashing along at
about forty miles an hour in passing
Medina, when the engineer saw the
headlight. The emergency air
brakes were at once applied on No.
l. and the engineer and fireman
Jumped. Engineer Cole must have
struck some obstacle along the track
for both of his ankles were broken.
None of the other trainmen were in
Jured. beyond a bad shaking up
There were about 900 on
No. |, the seats all being filled and
standing o being at a premium.
The results of the collision. had the
passenger train not been travelling at
much reduced speed owing to the ap-
pliance of the emergency brakes,
would have been appalling. AS it was,
there was much alarm on the train,
several women tainted, and some of
the passengers were shaken I'D con.
siderably when the crash came. The
sudden appliance of the emergency
brakes threw a number of passengers
from their seats. and even back in the
observation car. where there were
several passengers, men were thrown
violently from their seats. Several
travelling men who arrived in the city
last night, We're shaken up consider
ably.
Both the forward engines were de.
rallied and thrown across the rails
The other engines We're damaged con.
siderably and several freight cars were
smashed up and blockaded the track
The Gripping of the engines is the
principal loss to the road. as they
are badly in need of all the engines
they can get.
Charles Rathman, an Aberdeen trav
cling man, was among the passengers
in the observation car of the limited
when the collision occurred. He says
he felt the emergency brakes applied
and braced himself for the shock
which came a moment later. He says
No. l had slowed down a little In
coming into Medina, owing to the
storm, and was running about thirty
miles an hour when the engineer OF
the limited saw the headlight of No
81, about two car legnths from the
switch and about a train length from
the limited. Notwithstanding the
emergency brakes, No. 1 struck No. 81
hard enough to drive the tender Of
the freight engine clear through a
freight car and pile up half a dozer
freight cars. All three engines were
disabled. Engineer Williams. of the
forward engine of the limited re
manned with his engine and was moi
hurt.