The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-11-24
FREIGHT TRAIN HITS LANDSLIDE
ON CoEUR D'ALENE WITH
FATAL RESULT.
ENGINEER MEACHAM DEAD
Tender Rolls Over Body of Prostrate
Man and Crushes Him Fearfuliy-
He Lives Only Few Hours-Others
of Crew Escao- With Scratches
One Car Goes Into River.

one man is dead and three are in
jured. as the result Of a wreck which
occurred on the Coeur d'Alene branch
Of the Northern Pacific. early yester-
day morning when westhound extra
No. - ran into a rock slide near Iron
Mountain.
The dead:
OLIVER Il. MEACHAM of Missoula,
engineer.
The injured
II. II. Byrd of Missoula, fireman.
slight scalp wound. y. c. Brown Of
Missoula. brakeman, slight scalp
wound and minor bruises: ]. w.
o'Donnell. Missoula. conductor, scalp
cut.
The extra was composed of empties
which We're being sent west to Wal
lace. The engine was proceeding
slowly up the grade. its load Of Il
cars making speed impossible. and
had just passed Iron Mountain. Here
the track skirts the Missoula river.
the grade lying about - feet directly
above the water. The bank is almost
perpendicular and the mountain ex-
tends straight above ii. The spot
where the wreck occurred is just vest
of one of the sharpest curves on the
division. Melting snow and the
heavy rain of the past few weeks had
loosened II lot of shalc on the noun
tain and the track was covered with
three feet of il for about 10 yards. 1t
was impossible for the engineer to
see this, owing to the sharpness Of the
curve and the train struck before
anyone realized the condition of af-
fairs. The curve threw the engine off
at tangent and sent II and the first
car down the side of the hill. The
engine and tank rolled about 20 feet
and the car slid into the river.
Terribly Hurt
Meacham was caught by the tank
and when the engine left the track
the tank rolled clear over him. pin
ming him beneath II when II stopped.
He was fearfully crushed and cut.
Scarcely u bone in his body was un-
broken and although he was conscious
for three hours after the wreck thers
never was any chance Of his reCoY-
cry.
Conductor O'Donneil was riding in
the cupola when the train struck and
was thrown out onto the ground His
scalp was cut and his shoulder So
badly bruised that he could not usa
his arm. He ran 10 the engine. how
ever. and found Meacham and then
set out on a four-mile run for help.
He told the story of the accident As
follows:
Conductors Story.
The accident occurred III just 8
o'clock in the morning. We haa lust
pulled out of Iron Mountain and were
going up the grade at about 10 miles
an hour. We ran into the slide Just
as We were turning "A sharp curve four
miles west nf Iron Mountain. whore il
was impossible for us tn see the
track ahead at all. The curve Is one
of the sharpest on the road and is
regarded as u hoodoo. When the en-
gine struck | was sitting in the dog
house writing. The shock threw mo
right out IF the back window of the
caboose. | fell on my head and cut
my scalp and for minute | didn't
know where | was. | got up pretty
soon. however. and ran up to the
head to See what was doing | saw
the engine lying down the side Of the
hin and heard Msacham calling Tor
help L pushed through the brush
down tn the bottom and saw Mea-
cham lying there. He was conscious
but he Was tying under the tank and
| couldn't get him out. When he saw
IN" coming h" said. Do YOU think I'll
die, Jim?' | looked at him and thoughr
perhaps he had leg OF an arm
broken and said M, you're all right
Do you think So. tie said | didn't sa..
anything ot the fireman, 80 I ran back
and got Charley Brown. He Was ball
y smashed up. although he could
walk. and my arm Was 50 numb that
| couldn't use il. So | started oft
for Il farmhouse two miles hack [
was all in when | got there but I
found a couple uf men and Wa went
back. My arm had gotten limhered
up hy this time and We managed -
get Meacham ouI from under the
tank Then | saw how badly he Was
hurt When We picked him up could
hear the bones in his chest rattle and
l knew he WAS done for. We took him
10 the caboose. however. aad he lail
there until he died. HE aa> can-
sciaus until the last minute. about =
O'Clock and wouldn't let anyone
touch him bot me- worked with
him on work train service for while
last summer and kiader-he2rted
man l never knew
Another westbouud freight MAS Fai-
lowing No. - up rb, mountain and
the engine and cab..l>.. nf this train
Mere run into MiSsaula with the dead
man and his injured friends. getting
here ~ about ! O'Clock
A hissouia Man.
Oliver T. Meavham. The. dead man,