The Dickinson press., 1908-08-15

The Glendive knights Templar are
experimenting these arrangements for
Mr.. Litch's comfort
J. {. Wilson, express messenger, who
formerly made Dickinson, his head
quarters, was at first reported dead but
he revived and lived several hours. He
was terribly burned but his first thought
was of duty and of getting someone to
take his place at once that the express
car might not be looted. He died early
Tuesday morning his last thought of his
wife and three little ones in St. Paul.
The bodies of three unknown tramps
were taken from the ruins.
Some Fl passengers were more or less
seriously injured, requiring hospital care
in Glendive and eight or ten more re-
ceived slight injuries but were able to
proceed east Tuesday.
A telegram received by Mrs. Robert
Neil of this city from her son, John, of
Forsyth saying that he was all right
was the first intimation his relatives and
friends here had that he was on the ILL.,
tated train. He was on his way to join
his wife in Wilson, Wisconsin. He was
thrown from the car and received painful
burns on face, hands and legs between
the knees which necessitated hospital
nursing. His condition is not considered
serious but his brothers, Robert and
Angus, of this city went to Glendive
Tuesday. w..
H. D. Oliver of Mandan, train electri-
clan, suffered injuries to head and arms
and badly burned. hands but is not
seriously hurt.
/ J. G. Snodgrass of Lennon was struck
in the chest but his injuries did not ap-
pear to be serious.
Conductor Nichols was in the day
coach and received quite bad face
wound but his first thought was for the
passengers. =,
Miss Elizabeth Tschirhart was pas
senger on the wrecked train en- route to
Dickinson to spend her vacation. Con-
ductor Nichols found in her an. able
assistant in carrying for those needing
attention and he did not hesitate to say
SO when in Dickinson Tuesday.
Supt. B. o. Johnson was in Billings
when the call for help came but Supt.
J. M. Rapelje, recently transferred from
this division, was fortunately in Glendive
and at once assumed charge.
The relief train was made up of four
cabooses and Mr.. Rapelje's private car.
and carried three Glendive doctors
Doctors were also called to the scene
from Beach and Wibaux and arrived on
No. 3.
| When the relief train reached the
scene ofthe disaster, the injured had
been removed from the wreck and dis.
posed upon the grass near by but were
suffering intensely and the trip to- Glen
dive in cabooses and the removal to the
hospital in that city was not conducive
to alleviating pain. Everything possible
was done to provide for their comfort
and the passengers are a unite in praise
of Conductor Nichols and the officials OF
the road for their kindness and good
judgment under terrible stress.
! Quite crowd gathered at the Diclin.
son depot Tuesday when the transferred
passengers from ill-fated No. went east
and listened to their thrilling reports Of
the accident. The look. of horror and
awe on their faces was very apparent az
if they still saw the awful scene.
The Yellowstone division has been
unusually free from distressing accidents,
that Of Monday afternoon being the
worst in its history. 1t is the policy OF
the road to replace wooden bridges with
iron as rapidly as possible to prevent
such calamities. The bridge which
caused the wreck of Monday was a
nine-span wooden structure, I5o feet long
and, situated as it was at the curve, L
proved doubly dangerous. How the fire
/ started will never be known. One crew
passed over it just before noon and
another between two and three o'clock
and saw nothing wrong. The generally
accepted theory Of the origin Of the fire
is that it caught from passing engine.