The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-09-29
BURLINGTON PASSENGER
WRECKED IN SN0WSTORM
Only Two Occupants Of Smoking Car
Escape Without Injury

From Saturday, Daily.
lis 4 binding snoWstormtheS North
burlington connection No.
Us coliidsd headonswith 4 special west
bound freight train yesterday morn
ina at Young's Point, four and a halt,
miles west Of Park City.
T~wenty-one are dead and nine in
iured a. s result sof the accident.
The accident was caused ~ the fail
ure Of the freight train to make the
siding and Nv the failure Of the engi-
neer 81 the passenger train to see q.
fag1nan, who had been sent ahead to
flag him. The engineers Of both trains
saw that the accident was inevitable
and with their hremen jumped TO save
themselves. The engine crews escaped
with the exception OF Fireman Ora
Babcock Of the passenger train, who
struck on a rail and was instantly
killed. &,
Cars Telescope.
The two engines were locked to-
gether and knocked to the south side
OF the track. The baggage 9 OF the
passenger telescoped the smoking car
and only two Of the occupants of that
car escaped without injury. The bag
gage car crashed through the smoker,
derailing 1t on the south side Of the
track, and sweeping passengers. furni-
+ steel and everything above the
floor Of the smoking coach into q splin-
tered mass at one end Of the a and
crushing the occupants to death. All
Of the dead were found within twelve
feet of the rear end Of the coach,
most Of them on top OF the wreck
age.
The condition Of both locomotives
would indicate that the engine crews
had done everything possible to pre-
vent q wreck before jumping to safe
u. The engine Of the passenger train
had the reverse lever pulled and the
air and emergency brakes on. while
the freight engines condition would
indicate that It was moving backward
when the accident occurred.
Cause 81 the Wreck.
Failure Of the freight train to make
the siding was primarily the cause o
the accident, hut there are severa
reasons given for this. According t,
one story the freight train left Parl
City under orders to make the sidin'
within six minutes, but owing to tn
condition Of the track it was impos
sible to accomplish it. Bystanders q
Park City are said to have remarke'
as the train left:
..They will never make the sidin
il No. 16 is on time and somethin
is going to happen"
Against this is the fact that no trai
crew is expected to accept an orde
that cannot be carried out and til
statement Of one of the railroad con
pany's officials that the freight trai
had is minutes in which to make th
siding and that such vas plenty {
time.
Could not Make the Siding.
The freight train evidently attemp
ed to make the siding, but Discovers
that the train was so long that It coul
not occupy it without one end owe
tapping. AS a result a flagman VIZ
sent ahead to warn the oncoming pa
senger. In the meantime to prevel
the passenger from crashing throue
the freight cars and having ever
worse disaster, Engineer Smith Of Il
freight train is said to have backed b
train on the main track so as to ha'
a head-on collision should n tai
place.
Engineer Beisenger could not s
the flagman, owing to the heavy snt
storm and fog, and he failed to mott
the torpedos, which the lagman thrt
at the engine window. When he q
see the train ahead of him, he shout
to his fireman to jump, put on t
emergency and the air brakes, pull
the reverse lever and jumped. ]
escaped unhurt. The crew of t
freight also jumped.
Terrific Impact.
The engines came together wi
terrific force. They were locked +;
and thrown to the south side Of t
track. The force of the collision dro
the baggage car over the platform
the smoking car and ~telescoped I
two. The passenger train had he
going so miles an hour just beft
the collision, but had reduced |
speed somewhat just before it pass
the first switch Of the siding to
miles an hour.
The baggage q and smoker "
reduced to almost splinters. while
end Of the day coach was cayed
The baggage q was thrown bot
side up on the north side Of the ira
while nothing hut kindling remains
the smoking above the trucks.
The occupants Of every coach In
train were badly shaken up. Mos