The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-02-13
DIE in BURNING WRECK
Runaway Freight Train Crashes
Into Passenger Cars.
FLAMES ENvELoP MESSENGER

All of the Coaches Are Hurled From the
Tracks of the Northern Pacific Rail-
road Near Helena, Mont.--Forty Cars
Scattered Over tho Prairie The
Known Dead.
Helena, MoDt-The most disastrous
railroad wreck that has taken place in
the vicinity Of Helena for many years
occurred shortly before midnight, two
and a half miles west Of Helena.
A runaway Northern Pacific freight
train crashed into q passenger train on
the same line, wrecked it completely.
set fire to it, and up to 3 O'Clock in the
morning four persons, whose identity
is assured, were known to be dead.
The known dead are
J. N. Robinson, Missoula.
Charles Brickle, passenger conductor.
]. A. Jessup, express messenger.
Foster Senegal. merchant, OF Ellis
ton.
Brakeman Edward Brown was Sc
fiouslJ injured, but an examination
showed not fatally.
Many of the passengers who escaped
with their lives were injured. The
passenger train passed through Austin,
about eight miles west of Helena, on
time. Following it was a long freight
train made up of box and fiat cars load
ed with lumber and shingles. At Aus
tin the engine was uncoupled from the
freight to take water and the train was
left standing on the track. There is a
steep grade east of Austin, and by
some means the freight train got start
ed down the hill
The passenger train when it arrived
at the Montana Central crossing
stopped, when the engine driver heard
sound behind him that warned him
of danger. He started his train, but it
had gone but a few feet when the
freight crashed into the rear car.
There were but two cars in the train.
and they were smashed and thrown
into the ditch. The engine became I'M
coupled, but did not leave the track,
and Engine Driver Petty managed to
keep ahead Of the flying freight
The freight went Aprobably 500 feet
when it, too, went off the track. In a
few minutes fire started, and for hours
the cars and the lumber burned away
fiercely.
The crash of the collision was heard
by persons living in the vicinity, who
Immediately started for the wreck.
When they got there an awful scene
met their gaze. The combination car
was on fire, and pinned under mass
of wreckage was Jessup. He was con
scious and heroic efforts were made to
release him from his situation. Finally
the fire became SO hot that the rescu-
ers had to give up the task.
Jessup, still conscious, cried, cit is
hard to lie here and burn to deattN'
He struggled to release himself as the
fire took hold of his limbs, but the eff
fort was fruitless, and after a few
screams of agony Inconsistencies
came to him.
Exposed to full view, with blazing
shingles all about him and his bed a
mass of red hot Goals, was the body of
an unknown man. 1t was slowly con
sumed.
More than forty cars were scattered
over the prairie. Owing to the dis.
lance of the wreck from the city limits
and the absence of MIGRANTS, the rail.
road officers made no attempt to save
the wreckage from flames, and the
forty cars, including the two passenger
coaches, were consumed. The freight
cars were laden with lumber and
burned quickly The track was torn
up for distance of several hundred
yards, while several telegraph poles
were destroyed by fire, cutting off all
Southern and Western connections.
The bodies of Conductor Bricknell
and Inspector Robinson were thrown
forty feet from the scene OF the wreck
and were later found by searchers.