The Dickinson press., 1904-10-08
Three Killed and Three Injured
Fearful Wreck Of Stock Train Just Cost of
Bismarck Sunday Morning.
Smith Dobson Amoou the k;,,ed.


The stock train which left Dickinson
late Saturday night OF Oct. I met with a
rear end collision at the Driscoll water
tank 80 miles east of Bismarck on Sum-
day morning at 5:45 4:45 our time) and
three men were killed and as many
more were seriously injured.
The killed were:
Smith w. Dobson.
Alexander Punt.
Fred Valpeth.
The injured we're:
A. L. Watkins, ribs broken and inter
nal injuries.
CIR. Wannemacher, collar bone brok-
en- and shaken up generally.
w. L. Tucker, bone of lower limb
broken.
The water tank is midway between
Sterling and Driscoll. The engineer had
cut his engine off and ran ahead for
water. The conductor, as he stepped
from his caboose saw the reflection of
the headlight of the engine of the ap-
preaching train around the curve about
700 feet distant. He rushed into the
caboose and commenced to awaken the
sleeping men. Messrs Wannemachcr
and Watkins, being elderly men, had
been given the officers hunks and it
was impossible for them to get out in
time. Win Pease, ]. L. Paul, A. G.. Elf-
strom, Wallie George, H. o. Kunzc and
August Strehlow, all of Dickinson, were
the first out and escaped injury. They
went out at the rear of the caboosc. w.
L. Tucker OF Glen Ullin went out at the
same end and was probably hit by the
approaching engine. The conductor
says hat Smith Dobson was asleep on
the coal box and he does not think he
/ was sufficiently awake at the time the
caboose wal struck to realize the situa-
/ ton. His mangled body was taken from
the wreckage of the caboose. The bodies
| of Fred Valpert and Alexander Punt
known as Geo. Davis here) were caught
| on the engine pilot and carried four cars
| at the front end of the caboose and find
| ing the door fast turned back too late.
The trains were running close togeth.
er, but according to the rules of the
Northern Pacific, no engineer has any
| right to approach this particular place
without having his train under control,
or slowed down so that he could in an
emergency stop it within a very short
distance. This precaution was not taken,
and it would seem that the rear train
must have been running at a rate of 20
or IS miles per hour when it struck the
standing train. The engine did not
cave the track, but ploughed through
he caboose and on four car lengths
ahead. The horses in the rear car, own
d by Nh. Tucker of Glen Ullin, were
nearly all killed. The next car con
tanned cattle belonging to w. L. Rich
ards and but one animal was killed out
right. Another was injured so that it
had to be shot. The two next cars con.
tanned the cattle of Smith Dobson, but
none we're seriously injured. The tele,
scoped cars were chopped open as soon
as possible after the accident and the
stock liberated. Later the railway com.
pany rounded up the cattle as far as
possible.
The uninjured men went on with what
was left of their stock train as soon as
they had cared for the injured and res
cued the dead bodies.
The three injured men were taken to
the Bismarck hospital where they are
reported AS doing nicely. Mr.. Wanne-
macher has written his vile in ii. kin
son that he will be home in = few DAYS.
Mr.. w nkins is foreman for or, 1T the
Owens Land Il Cattle Co. ranches in the
vicinity OF Rock Springs, whcr, he has
a wife and four children.
Alexander Punt, known here as Geo.
Davis, worked Tor Ormanzo Brown for a
few weeks. He was a pleasant young
fellow and is believed to have been a
deserter from some military post. He
had told that his parents lived at Sagi-
nav, Mich, but at last reports his re-
mains at Bismarck had moi been claimed.
He started from here with the c. C..
Mead shipment Of sheep. Fred Valpert
had worked a little Tor Dick Blackburn
and earlier in the season it is claimed
that he worked for G. w. Grove. A
brother from New Albany, Indiana, came
to Bismarck this week and took charge
of the remains.
So far as can be learned it would seem
that the engineer of the second train
was guilty of criminal ~carelessness and
in any event it is likely that the N. P
will be asked to pay heavy damages.
The coroner's verdict had not been
given out at the time of going to press.