The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-12-27
RAILROAD DISASTER
Eleven Persons Lose Lives in Head=On
Collision Between Passenger
and Switch Engines.
SIN oking Car Telescoped and Wreck
age la = From Over
t. eaters.

One appalling railroad
disa ,rd occurred at En-
der the morning of De-
10 O'Clock.
T. It's full capacity with peO-
} their homes in the east to
Chri stmas holidays, the
,und train on the Minneapolis,
,ul and Sault Ste Marie, crashed
switch engine at the west end of
railroad yards. Eight men were
4illed outright and three have since
died of their injuries. Thirty -seven
ere seriously injured. All of the
fatalities occurred in the smoking car,
which was completely telescoped by
the baggage car. Here also we're
most Of those who were injured, only
TWO Of the occupants of this car escap-
ing injury. The car was crowded and
as the whistle had just sounded for
Enderlin almost every one was on his
feet when the crash came, and the
dead and wounded we're piled into al
most inextricable masses.
AS this point is divisional head
quarters of the road a rescue party
was soon formed, and, assisted by
citizens, the work Of taking out the
dead and injured was begun at once
and continued through the night. The
little hospital was soon crowded to it's
full capacity with those hurt, and the
hotels were converted into emergency
hospitals where the other injured were
cared for. There are but four physi-
clans in Enderlin and a special train
with physicians was hurriedly made
up at Valley City and rushed to the
scene Of the accident.
The wreckage took fire from the
overturned stoves used in heating the
cars and there was race between the
rescuers and the flames. By almost
superhuman efforts the rescuing party
managed to fight off the flames until
as-sp11ll II Gle dead and injured had been
were then allowed to burn to get them
out Of the way.
Only few passengers in the day
coaches, one of which was derailed,
we're injured, and in the sleepers, none
Of which left the track, there we're no
casualties.
The train which was wrecked was
the southbound passenger run
ming between Moose Jaw, Canada,
and st. Paul, MINI. 1t is due at En-
derlin at 1l:45 p. NJ, but on Sunday
night was nearly three hours late.
The engineer was running his engine
at high rate of speed in an endeavor
to make up the lost time. A switch
engine was shifting cut of box cars
in the western end Of the yards and
had just pushed them on the siding as
the passenger train suddenly
swung into sight around the curve.
The siding was not long enough to
allow the box cars and engine to clear
the main track and the head on col
ision ensued between the switch en-
CINE and that of the passenger train.
Both locomotives were practically
demolished by the force of the col
lisiOn.
It is said that the switch engine had
been given a portion of the running
time Of the passenger in which to shift
cars in the yards, and it is supposed
that the passenger train had made up
more Of it's lost time than had been
anticipated by the crew of the switch
engine.
The engineer and fremen on both
the switch engine and that of the pas
senger, when they saw that a collision
was inevitable, leaped and saved their
lives.
The baggageman had a narrow es-
" cape from death and sustained serious
injury. He was pinioned down be-
meath a pile of trunks which was over
turned upon him, and had to be dug
out by the rescuers.
A coroner's inquest was held and a
verdict returned that the wreck was
caused by the incompetency of the
switching crew in charge of the freight
train. The 500 line management was
declared negligent and careless in en-
ploying inexperienced men:
Philosophy of Exercise.
A writer in Medical Brief has this