Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1907-04-18
No. | IN DITCH. &C Ii.
Disaster to North Coast Limited. !.
Engineer Fisk's Log Borksn.
Two firsmsn Injured.
FIVE CARS DERAILED.
Both Engines Badly Damaged
Spreading Rail Said to be
Cause Of Accident.

Spreading Rail Said to he
Cause Of Accident.
8
No. l, the North Coast Limited, met
with a serious accident Monday night
about S:25 O'Clock just east OF this
city near the top of the hill about two
miles from the depot. The train was
running Is minutes late and was pull
ed by two big engines to make time
against a heavy head; wind from the
northwest. AS the train struck a
piece of newly laid steel, both engines
jumped from the rails, the second Ell
CINE leaving the track. first. Engineer
Henry Fisk was in the cab and had
his left leg broken and badly crushed
near the ankle. No other trainmen
F. were hurt except one of the tiremen
was Slightly injured. One engine
turned over on one side of the track
the other on the other side. Engineer
Mckenzie was in tfne other engine.
The mail car containing mail-clerks
Lounsberry, Murphy and Nelson was
overturned, and strange to say none
Of the occupants were injured. Post
office Inspectors Nv. R. Hinman of
Boston and A. r. Burr,of Ft. Wayne,
Ind, were also in the mail car and
Mr.. Burr was. Slightly injured.
The baggage Gear, smoker, day and
coaches left the rails and the trucks
were torn from the cars. The cars
themselves were not overturned, but
were run some distance on the prairie.
The place where the accident occur
red was, fortunately on a level piece of
track, just at the beginning Of curve
and near aisteep EN- bankment and the
train was slowing down to approach
the station. A heavy freight train
had gone over the rails few minutes
before the passengerlcame along, With
out accident, and the cause of the
mishap is supposed to be either a flaw
in one Of the new steel rails or a
spreading of the rails.
The two sleepers, observation car
and diner remained on the rails. The
heavy construction of the coaches un-
doubtedly saved the lives of passen-
gers or at leastnprevented serious in
juries. The track was badly torn up
for someJ distance, and it was neces-
sary to build a temporary track around
The wreck for the passage of trains.
This was not completed until after
noon.
The company sent the fire car at
once to thesscene Of the wreck expect
ing that danger would be found from
fire but nothing of.that kind occurred.
At first it was impossible to tell in
the confusion what casualties had oc-
cured and DR.. Sifton, the company
surgeon, and several doctors were
summoned to Iattend to the injured
should any bel found. With the ex-
ception Of Engineer Fisk and slight
injuries to two passengers in the
/ smoker, caused by being thrown
1 against the seats, no others were hurt,
/ which is considered little less than
marvellous from the way the coaches
were hurled about. ::The rails were
twisted and bent, the ties. scattered,
and track torn up and the wreck pres
ents a very serious appearance but the
property damage is not very great out
side of the damage to the engines, one
Of which is total wreck and the other
considerably so. The names Of the
two men from. NJ Moorhead who were go
ing west to take claims in Hettinger
county, were Dan Thompson and Jas.
B. johnson. They were some what
bruised, they said by tbeing thrown
against the seats, but continued their
4 trip west today. .gg s.3s @ s.
The company took good care Of all
I passengers and quartered them either
in the city hotels or in the sleepers
until vest bounds trains could be
again restored.
A large number. Of people from the
city visited the scene Of the wreck to-.
] day and last night and several photo
graphs .of the wreck were taken. The
wrecked cars can be seen from q high
building In the city. Aslarge force OF
/ men we're at once sent to clear away
the wreck and to build q passing track.
around the derailed train. "a little;
further along and the train would;
have struck ian emba anknent and the
fatalities Mi ight haye been far "a more { ns'l e
numerous.
gss The Wonderfu mome mentum of the
s;hansli tons 3 IS sood, g ateel and Llsll