The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-05-29
ENGINE AND CAR OF PUGET
SOUND SUPPLY TRAIN co
THROUGH BRIDGE,
BOX CAR is DEMOLISHED
Attempt to Run Train Over VI.
FIRST m'ssouIa River Bridge on the
New Line Results DisastrousIy-
Brakeman and Engineer Are Slioht-
" lnlured--Mosul in River Bed.

While an attempt was being made
yesterday afternoon to effect q cross
ing OF the Missoula river at The first
Fuget Sound bridge, about two and a
| nan miles west of Missoula. the en-
| slhe and one car broke through the
| bridge and now rest in the rushing
torrent in the main channel af tba
stream. j. A. Armstrong, the head
brakeman, and James Skinner. the en-
| glheer, We're injured. The box car was
, utterly demolished, its contents washed
aoWn the stream, and the engine
Which IS OF a heavy freight class, now
/ fests with the front end deep in the
| river bed and the rear trucks resting
against the bridge piling.
The train, which was composed Of
| the engine, one box car, containing
baggage for a Greek laboring outfit
working just west of the first Mis-
| soula river crossing, and the caboose,
was in charge of Conductor #. f. Or
CUT ana was made up in the Mis-
soula yard about noon yesterday for
| the express purpose of carrying the
| carload of baggage to the Greek la
| borers and TO take Assistant Paymas-
| ter G. f. Bailey to the east end of the
| bridge, where he was to transfer to \.
| train waiting at the west end Of the
bridge to convey the official to the
many laborng camps on the west end,
OF the division, where he expected to
distribute pay checks to the various
employees Of the new line. Ae
The train left Missoula at about
l2:3o yesterday afternoon, and word
was telephoned from a residence near
the crossing at / o'clock to the effect
that the engine and the baggage car
had crashed through the bridge and
| several members of the train and en-
gine crew had been seriously injured.
The car containing the baggage had
been placed ahead of the engine and
instructions given the crew that the
contents Of the car We're to be trans
ferred to a car in the train on the
other side of the river
Bridge Weak.
1t appears that an attempt was made
TO push the car over the bridge, which
had been previously reported in a
weakened condition, due to the heavy
How of water through the two chan
nels The train had successfully
passed over the first span, which is
of steel, and had reached point about
80 feet out on the first span of the
temporary structure when the piling
spread, dropping the car and engine
INTO the stream. brakeman Arm
strong was riding on top of the box
car when the plunge was made, and
was unable to protect himself in any
degree, and was caught in the mass
of wreckage, sustaining a number OF
severe bruises and sprains. He man.
aged to grasp some of the floating
debris and by the aid of this succeed
ed in drawing himself from the rap
idly flowing current to one of the
stringers of the temporary bridge.
where he was rescued by workmen.
Later the brakeman was carried to a
nearby farm house and brought to st.
Patrick's hospital for attention.
The escape of the engine crew from
instant death is little short of mar
velous, as the entire engine left the
track and stands head down in the
river. The engine tank and the ca
boose remained on the rails and suf-
fered little damage
Conductor f. E. Orcutt and Paw
master Bailey We're both In the cupola
of the caboose when the crash came,
but We're fortunate enough to escape
injury. The contents of the improvised
baggage car We're carried down tho
stream and will probably never be re-
covered
The bridge where the accident oc-
Cured is known as the first Missoula
river crossing, and was declared un-
safe for traffic on Thursday, and no
attempt has been made to use the
structure since the official bulletin de-
claring it unsound was issued Just
before noon yesterday the presidents
special, conveying President Fl. r. Will
liams and General Superintendent H.
b. Earling and party east. reached the
west end of the bridge. where trans
fer of all was made to road convey
ances, in which the party reached Mis-
soula.
A wrecking outfit and pile driver
have been ordered rushed from Butte
to the damaged bridge, and an at
tempt will be made today to raise the
Mogul from its watery resting place.
Marshall accompanied the presidents
special east yesterday and returned
last night. He will hold an investi-
cation this morning in an attempt to
fix the reSpOnSibility for the diSa Ster