Washington State journal and Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1906-1907, 1907-08-14
TRAIN +.
WRECK
ROUNDING CURVE NEAR
MILAN, WASH.
NO ONE REPORTED KILLED, BUT
THIRTY ARE MORE OR
LESS INJURED.

While rounding curve about mile
west of Milan, Wash, at 1850 O'Clock
Saturday morning, train No. 4 of the
Great Northern was wrecked by spread
ing rails, and fully 80 persons were
injured. OF the injured most are suf-
fering from bruises and sprains, but
several of the passengers are in q
serious condition, and their recovery
is doubtful. Twenty-Five persons were
treated at the Sacred Heart hospital
at Spokane after the arrival of the re-
lief train.
That there were not many killed is
miraculous, for one Of the cars, the
smoker, when 1t left the tracks turned
over several times and landed on its
side at the bank of the Spokane river
This car was well filled win passen-
gers, and most of those injured were
in this coach.
Passengers assert that the spreading
Of the rails was caused by rotten ties
A number of them declare that they
examined the ties Immediately after
the wreck and found them all SO rotten
that the spikes could easily be pulled
from them. H. e. Owen, an insurance
man of Spokae, who was on the train
when the accident occurred, walked to
Chattaroy, distance Of four miles,
and he declares that not only at the
scene Of the wreck but for the whole
distance to Chattaroy defective ties
are in evidence.
Oficials of the railway company de-
ny that the wreck was caused by rot
ten ties, but assert that the rails
spread from some other cause.
Air had been applied to lessen the
speed Of the train when the curve was
reached and it was not travelling over
20 miles when the accident occurred.
The train was composed of mail
car, baggage car, smoker, day coach,
tourist sleeper, Pullman standard and
diner. The smoker was the first to
leave the rails and dragged the others
with it. 1t rolled completely over sew
eral times and landed at the banks OF
the Little Spokane river. The diner,
baggage and mail cars did not turn
over, as did the others. The smoker
Jared worst. The couplings held to-
gether and preveted the other cars
from rolling into the river.
Wilson Creek Local Wrecked.
Following closely on the disastrous
train wreck on the Great Northern
near Milan Saturday came a head-on
collision Sunday afternoon between a
heavy freight train-an extra east
bound-and the Wilson Creek local
passenger. westbound, which left Spo.
kane at 4:05. The crash came at
4:2O o'clock, two miles west Of Spo-
kane, near Fort Wright, just after
Conductor Frank SMITH of train No.
267 had finished collecting the tickets
OF passengers. Trainmen profess to
be at loss to know the cause Of the
wreck, but 1t was said the extra
freight should have taken the siding
at Hyland, eight miles from the scene
Of the collision, and allowed the pas
senger, which was running on sched-
ule time, to pass.
No one was killed. Those who were
injured received most of their wounds
in jumping from the moving train
when the cry that wreck was lev
table arose. In jumping down the
steep embankment frightened pas
sengers were injured by being
struck by rolling timbers and debris
from the coaches.
Engineer Ed Anderson and Fireman
Thomas Forsythe on engine No. 17S,
which was pulling the passenger train,
suffered the most serious Injuries.