The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-10-11
TWO MEN WERE KILLED

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Engineer Sumner and Fireman Wei.
land Lost Their Lives in a Bad
Collision Monday Morning.
The engineer. Denny Sumner, and
Fireman Weiland, manning the en-
CINE on the first section Of No. 81
of the Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul
railroad, yer killed Monday morning
as the result of a collision, which
happened in the yards of the company
a short distance southeast of the
city, in the vicinity of the electric
light plant.
What lead up to the accident Is re-
lated by Floyd Bond, the fireman on
the switch engine. The switch en-
CINE was attached to a train of 81
cars of stock and had gone out on
the main track of the Sioux City and
Dakota division, but was still with
in the yards limits, in order to back
the stock in on a switch. Floyd said
that in looking down the track he
noticed a freight coming along at
a good speed, but just how fast he
was unable to state. He realized,
however, that there was some danger
if the train failed to stop. Julius
Plante was in charge of the switch
engine and Floyd seeing that the
freight engine was not slackening its
speed called to Julius that he wasn't
going to take any chances and that
he was going to jump. Plante APP
piled the emergency air and at the
same time Floyd jumped from the
engine, closely followed by Plante.
Floyd said that when he first no.
ticed the freight engine coming up
the track it vas less than a quarter
of a mile away, and there was no
time to do anything. Their engine
came to a full stop, just opposite the
sign where the engineers are requir-
ed to stop, 400 feet from the railroad
crossing. When Plante and Bond
jumped they rolled down the en-
bankment and on arising to their
feet they saw the two engines come
together.
Immediately the two monsters
were enveloped in steam escaping
from the broken steam pipes and for
fully ten minutes nothing could be
done. When the steam had left the
engines a fearful sight met the gaze
of the men. In the cab of the freight
engine sat Engineer Sumner, to all
appearances dead. Help was at once
secured and he was lifted from the
engine and laid on the grass. In the
meantime, DR.. Freyberg, the COM
pany's physician, was summoned, but
even in the short time he arrived his
services. were Of little use, for the
engineer died within a minute or two
after. Mr.. Sumner was seated in his
cab after the crash came and he was
found leaning forward on the boiler
head of his engine, and his body had
been enveloped in the escaping steam
oO iaI ~ Ndo lllCl any SCdluCu W
death. When his flesh was touched
it simply fell off down to his waist.
One of his legs was nearly cut off
and the other was broken in several
places. Other than this his body
was not bruised to any extent. His
remains were taken to Broadbent's
undertaking establishment. Mr.. Sum-
ner has a wife and two children liv-
ing at Sioux City, and they were in
formed of the sad death of the hus-
band and father. The engineer was
about 80 years old.
The fireman, whose name was
Weiland, was killed instantly. From
his position in the engine after the
collision, the supposition is that Just
before the engines met he had turned
around to throw some coal into the
freboH, as his body was pinned in
between the boilerhead of the en-
CINE and the coal gate of the tender.
He was a new man at the business
and it was his second trip on the
road. For three hours the body of
the fireman laid in that position, par
TALLY doubled up, his head half turn
ed up against the Goa! gate, and in
that position he vas viewed by hun
dreds of people who hocked to the
scene of the wreck as soon as they
heard of it. His body was taken out a
little before 1 O'Clock and removed to
Broadbent's. One arm was torn
nearly out of the socket, and there
was a great dent in his forehead, as
if the skull had been pushed down
ward and broken, and his entire body
was crushed from being pinned in