Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-24
SEVEN KILLED,
SEVEN INJURED
Fast Mail on the Great North
ern Wrecked.
35 MILES OF SPOKANE
Score Of Passengers More or Less
Bruised.
CAUSED BY SPREADING RAILS
Engine and Coaches Left the Track
and Plunged Over Embankment
Into Diamond Lake.
CAUSED BY SPREADING RAILS

SPOKANE. Wash. July 4-At least
seven lives were lost, seven persons vera
seriously injured and score of others sus-
tained cuts and bruises in a wreck Of the
fast mail train on the Great Northern a
mile and a quarter east of Camden, Wash.
thirty-five miles east of Spokane, late yes-
terday afternoon. when the locomotive. mail.
baggage and smoking cars left the rails on
emerging from a tunnel. and, plunging over
the seventy-foot embankment. were sub
merged in the waters of Diamond lake.
Spreading rails. probably caused by sun
kinks is given as the cause.
The Dead and Injured
The dead:
N. Edward Munson. engineer, Hirlyard.
Wash.
Frank Bell fireman. Hillyard.
Charles Danner. mail clerk, Spokane.
George r. Strickland. express messenger.
George Howard Curtlce, Spokane lumber
man.
T. J. Dolbow. Spokane.
Unidentified man at Buchanaa's undertake
ing rooms. has brown mustache and wears
an Odd Fellow pin.
Among the seriously injured are:
John Lord. Seattle. actor. left hand cut.
face bruised and back hurt.
Walter N. Ross. news agent, Seattle, wrist
cut.
Henry Byoeum. Minot. N. D., badly burn
ed and hurt internally.
Immediately after the smoker struck tho
water there was a binding flash which
spread over the part of the car not sub
merged and a fire followed.
The Impact was so terrific that several
cars on the rear Of the train were wrenched
and twisted. and the fact that the couplings
did not break on the dining, tourist and
sleeping cars was the only thing that avert
ed even greater loss of life.
Trainmen Stuck to Their Posts.
Engineer Munson and Fireman Bell evi-
IDENTIFY stuck to their posts, and itnis be-
lieved too, that the locomotive is In from
100 to 600 feet of water. Two divers made
half a dozen attempts to find the locomo-
tive, but they were not successful.
w S. zimmerman, a contractor for con-
struction work on the Oregon Railroad and
Navigation Company broke through a win
dow to escape from the burning and half
submerged smoker. Mr.. zimmerman said
I'VE were coming at a fearful speed
through that tunnel and we passengers
were all wondering IL the engineer had lost
his senses, driving at that rate of speed
with a sharp curve ahead / think we must
surely have been going forty-five miles
hour"
An Official Statement.
ST. PAUL. Minn July 24.-An official
statement regarding the Great Northern
wreck near Camden, Wash, late yester-
day afternoon was given out from tho
Office of General Superintendent Slade to-
day. 1t is as follows:
Train No. left the track at the west
end of the tunnel one and one-half miles
east OF Camden, Wash, and ninety miles
east of Spokane. The engine and the
mail car went into the lake and are out
OF sight. The baggage car also went
into the lake, but is merely submerged
below the surface.
Engineer Munson, Fireman Bell. Bag
gageman Strickland, Mall Clerk Charles
banners and one passenger, George Z.
Curtis of Spokane. were drowned.
The following were injured: T. J.
Delbow Edward Newcomb, c. ]. Nc
Hills, James Durb;n, Thomas Wainch,
Iuker Milinkeeonbic, all of Spokane;
John Lord and wife, Seattle; Elmer E.
Hill. Colfax, Wash.
"The gas tank under the mail ex-
picded and set fire 70 the frst-class
coach but the fire was extinguished by
the train crew and passengers The tour
list car and diner dropped off the rails,
but the sleeper remained on. relief
train with physicians was on the scene
in forty-ffve minutes. and the passen-
gers were transferred and taken to Spo-
Kane, where the injured are resting cas-
ily None were fatally hurt. The cause
OF the derailment mas not been learned"