The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-24
North Dakota Train Crashes Into
Switch Engine
81 ARE SERIOUSLY INJURED
Fatalities In Telescoped Smoking Car.
Crowds Going East for Holidays
on Minneapolis, ST. Paul and
Sault Ste Marie Road.

Enderlin, y. D, December 23-Loaded
to its full capacity with people going to
their homes In the east to spend the
Christmas holidays, the southbound train
on the Minneapolis, st. Paul and sault
Ste Marie crashed into switch engine
In the west end of the railroad yards at
this place at 2:10 o'clock this morning.
Eight men were killed outright and one
since has died of his injuries.
The list of dead follows:
Charles Backus, Bergen, N ID.
NJ. J. Yolkering. Anamoose. N D., en-
route to visit his mother at Osceola, Wis.
John satterburg, Anamoose, n. d.
Tony eileen, Yolva. n. D.
d. j. Berresford Medicine Hat Alberta.
Nj. Rosenbaum, Volva. N. d.
W. J. Danlelson. Sheldon, n. D.
A. o. Anderson Starbuck, MINI.
On unidentified man.
Thirty-seven were seriously injured, and
It is likely that the death list will be
added to. All of the fatalities occurred
in the smoking car. which was complete
ly teeseoped by the baggage car.
Here also were most of those who were
injured, only two of the occupants of this
car escaping injury.
Crowd Standing.
The car was crowded and as the whis >
tie had just sounded for Enderlin al
most everyone was on his feet when the
crash came, and the dead and injured
were piled into almost inextrlcable
masses.
AS this point is a divisional headquar-
ters of the road a rescue party soon was
formed, and assisted by citizens, the work
of taking out the dead and injured was
begun at once, and continued throughout
the night
The little hospital was soon crowded to
its full capacity with those hurt and the
hotels were converted into emergency
hospitals where the other injured were
cared for.
The wreckage took fire from the over
turned 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 all the dead
and injured had been removed from the
wrecked cars. which were then allowed
to burn to get them out of the way.
Only few passengers In the day
coaches were injured. and in the sleepers,
none of which left the track, there were
no casualties.
Two Hours Late.
st. Paul, Dec. 23-The train wrecked
was the accommodation which runs
from Moosejaw, Sask. to st. Paul
1t is due at Enderlin at 11;45 p. m.
but last night was about two hours
late. The engineer was running at
high speed in an endeavor to make up
lost time. As he swung around curve
just before entering the yards at Ender-
lin, switch engine was shifting "A string
OF box cars onto siding. The cars did
not clear the main track, and the pas
senger engine collided head-on with the
switch engine. Both engines were to-
tally wrecked. and the passenger cars
were thrown in confusion down a small
embankment at the side of the track
Several of the day coaches were turned
bottomside up.
1t is said the switch engine had been
given a portion of the running time of
the passenger train in which to shift
cars in the yards, and it is supposed
that the passenger train had made up
more of its lost time than had been an
tlcipated by the crew OF the switch en-
gine.
The coroner empanelled a jury and be-
gan at once a rigid investigation into the
causes of the wreck. Both engine crews
saved their lives by jumping.