Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1906-07-20
FREIGHT TRAIN RUNS
DOWN MOUNTAIN GRADE
Piles Up In Terrible wreck-kills
Part of Grow and Injuries
the Others.

DEAD ana BRAKEMAN sam Wylle was
severely injured as the result of the
wild runaway, derailment and wreck
of Southern Pacific freight train No.
222. a few minutes after noon on Sat
urday, ON the north side Of the Siski-
yous. just south of Ashland. The
wreck is the most disastrous in the
history Of railroading on the Siski-
yous.
The other members of the train
crew, who were Conductor Louis
Hilty, Fireman Galbraith and Brake
man Ranse Morris, were more fortu-
nate than their companions and came
through the frightful experience
without injury. Two hobos riding
between cars behind the locomotive
had every stitch of clothing torn from
their bodies but were otherwise unin-
jured.
The train, drawn by one Of the new
big mountain climbers, and compris-
ing II cars was piled into an inde-
scribable mass of wreckage at the east
end of the siding at Clawson. Ave
miles south Of Ashland.
Lockerman. the head brakeman, was
picked up more dead than alive under
mass Of the wreckage of the first
four cars which were jammed into
the space of one. Wylie was pitched
off further back on the train. Fire
man Galbraith had crswled out Of the
engine cab on top of the cars to try to
help set the end brakes, but unble to
hold his feet in the whirlwind Of the
onrushing train crawled back to the
cab. The next thing he knew he was
pitched somehow through the engine
cab window. and got only a scratch.
Conductor Louis Hilty from his sta
tion in the caboose had also climbed
on top the train to lend his help at
the brakes and with the rear brake
man Ranse Morris was on the last
four cars Of the train which were not
upturned, when the derailment came.
| Quickly as possible the injured men
were removed from the wreckage and
taken TO Ashland on a section car,
Conductor Hilty Of the wrecked runa-
way train. coming down the track
ahead of them to flag the first section
Of passenger train No. 10 which he
met two miles out Of Ashland
In the wreck, Steiger. who stuck 20
his post, was pinned beneath the en-.
gine by the right leg in such way
that he was terribly scalded before he
could be extricated. AS the doctors
worked with him, he was heard to
murmur. Let 90 boys, I'm all scald.
ed" The doctors gave him hypo.
dermic injection of morphine which
tended to ease his pain.
Brakeman Lockermsn's injuries
consisted of severe decorations about
the head and body. the skull being
crushed behind the left ear. He was
conscious when brought to Ashland
and was gritty to the end As sooD
as the physicians had dressed his in.
juries. he was borne to the rooms of
his sister in the Imperial Flats, where
death soon relieved him of his suffer
ings Brakeman Wylie is suffering
from the effects of a broken arm and
several cuts about the face.
As soon as the injuries of the
wounded men could be carefully
dressed special train which was to
take them to the hospital at Portland
was made ready and started out with
Wylie and Steiger at about 8 p. m.
Just before reaching Roseburg at
about Z 80 death relieved Steiger from
his agony. He leaves wife and
young baby in Dunsmuir besides a
host Of friends among whom he was
always very popular.
The Southern Pacific has always
been very fortunate in it's experience
in moving trains on the steep grades
OF the Sislyou MOUNTAINS, and have
had very few accidents. Not little
of the credit for this is due to the
coolheadedness and bravery of the
men who manage their freight and
passenger trains with hundreds of
lives daily.
Saturdays occurrence was no excep.
tion to the rule, and the engine aud
crsw Of freight No. 222 all faced death
in wild ride down the north side OF
the mountain. They endeavored. un-
til the train no longer held the rails,
to stop its tremendous ana furious
rush towards Ashland. and ..all went
down in the wreck.
! Speculation is wide as to what
would have happened IL. instead uI