The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-07-28
SECTION OF GREAT WESTERN
LIMITED AND A FREIGHT COME
TOGETHER.
Misunderstood HIS ORDERS
SUPPOSED THE FREIGHT ENGl'
NEER THOUGHT THE OTHER
TRAIN LATE. g

st. Paul. July 27.-As the result OF
q heaa-end collision on the chicago
Great Western railway yesterday morn
ing at sos, at Vlasaty, 81 miles from
st. Paul, four lives were lost n 1orty
persons we're injured.
The dead are: Fred Heton, passen-
ger. Dodge Center, Mimi: Henry M.
Holman, engineer freight train. st.
Paul; Charles Merkert. engineer pas
senger train, Minneapolis; - Wa
ger, fireman riding on passenger train,
Sumner, Ia.
The seriously injured are: Edward
Hickey, fireman passenger engine.
Minneapolis; William Keene, fireman
freight engine, St. Paul; o. B. John
son, conductor passenger train, Min
neapolis; F. c. Hosmer, express mes
senger, Minneapolis; Mrs. Albert E.
George, st. Paul; James Noble, colored
attendant on buffet car, Chicago.
When No. /. the Great Western Linn
tied. left Chicago it was in two sec
tons, the first section being three
hours ahead of the second. Orders
were sent on to the freight train that
left st. Paul at 10 O'Clock on Saturday
night that the second section would
follow No. 1 three hours later.
1t is supposed that the orders were
misunderstood, and it was thought on
board the freight that the limited was
three hours late. E. Clement of st.
Paul was the conductor of the freight
train.
Collide in a Heavy Fog. >
At Vlasaty, a station four miles
south of Dodge Center and five miles
from Hayfield. there was a heavy fog
and the first section of the limited and
the freight came together when run
ming at their ordinary speed.
Both engines were badly smashed,
but held the. rails. The baggage car,
Immediately behind the engine, was
hurled through a small building con-
nected with a grain elevator, while the
buffet car that came next was tele-
scoped.
Behind the buffet car came the COM
partment Pullman. It's roof was torn
of. 1t was so heavily built, however,
that it was able to withstand the shock
and remain on the rails. thereby keep
ing the two day coaches in place as
we'll.
The last Of these was badly shatter.
ed by the impetus of the air that was
forced through. and nearly all the &C.
cupants were cut and torn with broken
glass.
Charles Merkert of Minneapolis, the
engineer of the passenger train, and
Henry M. Helmon of ST. Paul. the en-
gireer of the freight. ere instantly
killed, as were aleo Fred Heton. a pas
senger. living at Dodge Center. and a
fireman who was coming to ST. Paul
with his wife and child. and had gone
forward to ride with the engineer in
the cab.
The colored attendant of the buffet
car. named Noble, was also badly in
.iured. and it was only by a miracle
that he escaped instant death. as this
cal was rendered a total wreck.
Fireman Badly Scalded.
Fireman E. J. Hickey of the passen-
ger train, who lives in Minneapolis.
was severely scalded about the back
and badly crushed. The fireman OF the
freight train, William Keene of st.
Paul. was thrown out between the en-.
CINE and the tank and was caught by
his feet. He released himself and
fell to the ground, escaping with some
cuts about the head and the fracture
OF a small bone in his right leg.
F. c. Hosmer of Minneapolis. the
express messenger. was buried amidst
a pile Of debris. and was only found
half an hour after the accident. AS
soon as he could move he crawled to
the safe and refused to move to have
his wounds attended to until relieved
from his post.
By a fortunate occurrence, there
were two doctors on board the train,
and, although both were hurt. they lost
no time in rendering all the assistance
In their power.
Dir. NJ. L. Goodkind of Chicago. was
In the compartment car. and sustained
a bad cut on the side of his head. and
a very severe bruise on his left Shout
der.
DR.. Hammond. a surgeon who served
In the British army in the late Boel
war. was with DR.. G%oodkind, n es
caned with slight INJURIES.
These two doctors were assisted h,
DR.. Thinsen of Hayfield. and DR.. Ran
som of Dodge Center. and a relief trai,
brought DR.. Haldor Sneve and DR.. F
J. Savage from st. Paul.
The dead and injured were brough
to this city.
PLEASURE BOAT cAPsizEs.
M So