Lovelock tribune. (Lovelock, Nev.) 1898-1912, 1907-04-12
FATAL WRECK AT
BROWNS STATION
Engineer Hampton Is Killed and 9th.
GrS Injured.
No -Four Goes Onto Open Switch In
TO Rear of Freight Train Autos
Go to Wreck from LoveIock.

Monday morning word came that
No. 4 was in wreck at Browns, II
miles west of this station, and that
the engineer and many others were
killed. A message came for all a..
vailable physicians to be sent down
at once. Upon this report getting
out about town many were greatly
worried about friends whom they ex.
pected on that train, and soon three
Autor were spinning down the road
to the scene Of the wreck. In the
first car out-one of the Humboldt
Auto Co.'S new Mitchell cars-was
the TRIBUNE man. The run to Browns
was made in so minutes, some of the
road being quite rough.
Upon reaching the wreck a con-
fused mass of engine, box cars and
freight cars met our gaze, while the
crowd of spectators were 10 oking in
the wreckage for some memento Of
the disaster. The body of the brave
engineer had been taken from the
wreck and placed in Caboose, and
DIR. Scott, who had gone from Love-
lock on an engine, had nearly com.
pleted dressing the wounds of the in
jured. Briefly told, the dead and in
jured were:
Frank c. Hampton, Engineer. kill
ed instantly from inhaling escaping
steam:
A. G. Mcdonald, fireman, bruised
about head and face, by falling coal.
Carl Davis, coal passer, face bruis-
ed from falling coal:
John Shaw, fourth cook in diner,
left foot slightly scalded:
Wayne McChristy, bruises on head
and back sprained:
Mrs. Wayne McChristy, confusion
of hip and other bruises:
Fay Bowden, arm bruised.
In speaking of the wreck Fireman
Mcdonald said that Engineer Hamp-
ton had whistled for the board at
Browns and remarked that if they
we're stopped they would take on
more coal. Mcdonald shoveled more
coal into the furnace and as he went
to get onto his seat again he noticed
that the engine was taking the sid
ing, straight into the rear of the
freight, standing on the siding, not
two car lengths ahead. He started
back over the tender to escape, not
ing that Engineer Hampton had set
the emergency and shut off the pow
er. but did not have time to revise
the lever before the crash came.
Just as Mcdonald got to the top OF
the tender the clash came and he was
thrown back into the Cab, while the
coal came tumbling down upon him
and nearly buried him. He soon
struggled out from the heap, with
but few bruises about the face and
head.
But not SO fortunate was the brave
engineer-Frank {. Hampton. This
was to be his last rum. ''just one
more trip, he had told the wife and
daughter, as he left them in Reno,
then | will quit the road and take
life easy" 1t was his last trip,
but the widow and daughter, with
breaking hearts and tear stained eyes.
greet the lent form of their loved
one. Poor Frank, he was faithful to
the last and the many lives that so
miraculously escaped death are a
tribute to his bravery and faithful.
ness.
After the first confusion had pas
sed the lifeless form was dug out of
the coal and debris. the hand still
grasping the throttle. aud taken to a
caboose of west-bound train, which
was standing on siding just clear of
! the wreck, and in which son.in law
was sleeping at the fatal moment
Death must have been instantaneous,
for with the clash came escaping
steam, one breath of which would
have been fatal. On the one side
was the fireman alive and safe, on the
other the brave engineer, dead at his
post.
AS we looked at the open switch
standing locked and with the wheels
of about the fifth coach just starting
onto it the cause of the wreck was
plain. "A to WHO had thus left the
death trap-it is a hard matter to
say. The crew of the freight train
claim that their engine had run up to
the rear of the train, back over the