The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-29
BRIDGE GUARD RAIL
SAVES MANY LIVES
John H. Hancock Tells of Los
Angeles Limited Wreck at
North Platte.
MIRACULOUS ESCAPE OF
SEVENTY-FI PERSONS
Spot Was Ideal for a Bad
Wreck, but None Was
Injured.

Many Utah persons were on the Los
Angeles Limited, which was deyailed
while going over Union Pacific bridge
on the North Platte river in Nebraska,
and p number of them were imperlled
by the accident Amongst them were
John f. Hancock, son Of George f..
Hancock. and Mr.. and Mrs. Z, O. Lee
Of Salt Lake, Police Chief Browning and
wife of Ogden, and Professor l.. D..
Ball of The Agricultural college at Lo-
gau. Judge Lee and his wife received
injuries. but the others were unln-
jured. They were passengers IN a car
which tipped over. ,
The train was approaching North
Platte about clock for its west
ward trip While oi the bridge across
The river the fiange OF wheel on the
baggage car broke and the wheels were
deralled. The baggage master would not
give the signal 10 stop until the train
had cleared the bridge. BY that time
al the cars were derailed- The pres
cuce of mind of the baggage master
prevented the train from being thrown
into the water.
Returning From School.
M Hancock was returning from
school at LawrenceYille, n. j., and
was a passenger in the first standard
Pullman. He tells the following story
of the accident: ''The tram was com
posed of an engine, baggage car, tour
isl. diner. two Pullmans and an OBJ
servation car. 1t carried about seveaty.
FIVE passengers About Q clock Tues
dav night while we were crossing the
North Platte river, Just east OF the city
of that name, the fange on the wheel
of thc baggage car broke and the tram
was dcrailed The baggage master
was nearing the west end OF the bridge
he did not pull the emergency air
brake until after the bridge was
crossed. Afterward il was found by
measurement that the wheel had broken
$40 Yards east OF the west end OF the
bridge
1.-The bridge was in single-track tres
tie about twenty feet above the water,
which was, at the west end, many feet
deep. The situation was ideal for
bad wreck as on the west the north side
nf the embsnkment descended steeply
distance OF about 40 feet TO a swamp.
That the hand of Providence prevented
4 terrible wreck was found in two
facts, the guard rail prevented the de-
rallied cars from leaving the trestle and
the lucky turning of all the deralled
cars 10 the SDuLn pGSNGultu iH'iu AiOll
going down into the swamp,
Hurried From Car.
"'When the shock of the humping
over the ties and the sudden stopping
had passed the passengers hurried from
the car III which ] was travelling to find
hat the train had broken in two and that
the only part of it on the rails was the
engine to which was attached the bag
gage. tourist and dining cars. The rear
trucks were from under the diner and
The end of it was in splinters where it
had been dragged. The two portions
Of the train were hundred yards apart.
The sleeper second from the observation
ear was turned on its side and its
trucks were mixed with those Of the
diner. All passengers gave assistance
10 those in the overturned car. Nobody
seemed excited except one woman who
called for her son and she calmed down
when she found him unhurt. The CON
ductor came hurrying back saying, My
God. how many have been killed?'
When he found no one was he thought
IL miracle.
Mr.. Hancock says no one was found
to have more than trivial injuries,
though the company's officials settled
all claims for damage, the 'all' being
within $1,000. The passengers were
taken TO North Platte and sent west.
ward on the next train.