Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-24

| BY Associated Press.
| ST. PAUL, Dec. 23.-Loaded to it's full
capacity with people going to their
homes in the east to spend their Christ
mas holidays, the south-bound train on
the Minneapolis, st. Paul & Sault ste.
Marie crashed into a 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 has since died of his injuries.
Twenty-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 completely tel
escoped by the baggage car, and only
two of the occupants Of this car es-
capped 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 dead and wounded
were piled into a great heap with the
wreckage.
Rescue Party Formed
A rescue party soon was formed and
the work of taking out the dead and
injured was begun at. once and con-
| llnueQ throughout the nlSnI.
The little hospital was crowded with
those hurt, and the hotels were con-
verted into emergency hospitals where
the other injured were cared for.
| There are but four physicians in En-
derlin, and a special train with physi-
clans and nurses was hastily made up
at Valley City and was rushed to the
scene.
Wreckaqe Takes Fire
The wreckage took fire from the over
turned stoves used in heating the cars
and there was a race between the res
cuers and the flames.
By almost superhuman efforts the
rescuing party managed to fight off the
flames until all of the dead and injured
had been removed from the wrecked
cars, which then were allowed to burn
Only a few passengers in the day
coaches were injured. and in the sleep
ers, one of which left the track, there
were no casualties.
Was Making Up Time
The train which was wrecked was the
south-bound accommodation running
between Moose Jaw, Canada, and st.
Paul.
1t is due here at II AS p. M, but last
night was nearly three hours late.
The engineer was running his engine
at a high rate of speed in an endeavor
to make up the lost time.
A switch engine was shifting a cut of
box cars in the western end of the yard.
and had just pushed them on the siding
as the accommodation suddenly swung
into sight around the curve.
Head-on Collision
The siding was not long enough to
allow the box cars and the engine to
clear the main track and a head-un
collision ensued between the switch en-
gine and that of the passenger train.
Both locomotives We're practically
crashed through the smoking car, tel
escoping 1t.
One of the day coaches was also de-
rallied, but only a few passengers in
this coach were injured.
The other day coaches and the sleep
ing cars did not leave the track.
Responsibility Not Yet Placed
1t is impossible to learn who was 1T
fault for the accident. 1t is said that
the switch engine had been given a
portion of the running time of the pas
senger in which to shift the cars in
the yards, and it is supposed that the
passenger train had made up more of
its lost time than had been anticipated
by the crew of the switch engine.
1t has so far been impossible to secure
list of the injured in the wreck
Claim agents and other employees of the
railroad have taken charge of the in
jured and absolutely refuse either to
give out list of those hurt or to per-
init newspaper correspondents to secure
the names i'm other ways. The news
paper men on the ground have entered
a strong protest against this action on
the part of the railroad officials, but so
far 1t has been without avail.
The coroner this afternoon impan-
eled jury and began at once an in
Vestigation into the cause of the wreck
The engineers and tiremen on both
the switch and passenger engines, when
they saw that a collision was inevlta-
BILE, leaped and saved their lives.