Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1907-08-31
CONNELL
FLOODED
Mp. ROADBED WASHED
OUT WHILE IN USE.
ONE MAN KILLED AND MANY
CARS SMASHED-CROPS
ARE RUINED.

Hatton, Wash, Aug. 26.-Before a
moving wall of water seven feet high
and varying in width from rs to so
feet the roadbed of the Northern Pa
cifc between Hatton and Cornell
crumbled away in the coulee so sud,
denly that a freight engine pulling a
train ran over the trackless brink un-
awares. H. A. Piegner, riding on top
of the cars, lost his life.
The track is destroyed in spots for
a distance of several miles, freight
and passenger trains are stalled on
both sides of the washout. The water
swept down upon Cornell and caused
some property, damage there, moving
structures so feet from their founda-
tons and scattering debris for miles.
So far as known no lives were lost at
Connell
The havoc was intensified by an
other cloudburst following the first, al
though the greatest quantity of water
was carried by the initial deluge.
At 2:30 o'clock in the afternoon the
first cloudburst discharged it's rivers
of water about a mile and half south
of Hatton. So resistless was the great
weight of water and so swiftly did 1t
run that no earth made right of way
, could hold and the roadbed literally
melted away. The water then was four
feet deep in the coulee. 1t was Just
after the havoc had been wrought that
a freight train had gone about a mile
was overtaken by the flood Engine
1897 was ditched, dropping more than
20 feet but the tender remained in
such a position that the cars following
pressed upon the obstruction and nine
were teescoped. On the third car
back of the tender sat Piegner, who
had been warned not to get aboard
the train, as it was not due to stop
at Hatton. His car was loaded with
ties and timbers and the man was
tossed to the ground in an almost in
extricable mass of heavy wood. One
leg was torn off and the other leg
broken and mangled in such manner
that the bone protruded. The head
brakeman, who was near Piegner, was
hurled for distance Of so feet, his
body clearing the cOulee, also a barb
wire fence and alighting in a grain
field. He escaped, as if by a miracle,
with hardly a scratch. When the en-
gneer felt the engine sinking he call
ed to the brakeman to look out, then
clutched the cab window and dropped
10 feet with the superstructure. When
the engine struck the ground the cab
broke loose, the engineer got clear and
landed on his feet. The fireman
meanwhile had gone out by the gang
way and landed on his hands and
knees, also unhurt The fireman was
Immediately sent back to flag another
train coming behind. BY reversing
I his lever, the second train was brought
= by the engineer to a standtill in time
TO prevent crashing into the freight in
front
Three bridges are out between Hat
ton and Connell. Wheat in the fields
nearby Is destroyed, being crushed to
the ground.
Piegner, the only victim of the rail
road wreck, was about 40 years old
and leaves wife and family at Con
nell. His wife is in bed, the sto1l
having made a visit three days ago.
There are two other children. Piegner
was in search of work he told his res
euers, for he lived an hour and half
alter the timbers were taken from his
body. He asked that he be taken at
once to Cornell to his wife and little
ones, but died just before medical aid
reached him.