The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1910-04-08
ANOTHER FRIGHTFUL WRECK
Three Men Killed and -Four Injured at
Peshastin Last Saturday-Two of the
Dead Leavenworth Men

ceived from the Peshastin Office that
wreck had occurred and several mel
were hurt and one killed. An engine
and several cars were Immediately got
ten ready and sent to the scene, which
IS three and a half miles east of thi.
place. Dr.. Hoxsey, the railroad ply
sician, was on the relief train, which
returned at 6:15 with the body Of Os.
car McCracken, who was instantly
killed and badly mutilated. A. S.
Williams, whose family resides here,
was so severely injured that he died
about 1880. The other three who were
brought here, Charles Tegeler, bridge
carpenter. whose home is in Bremerton;
James Fay, of Monitor; Knud Knud-
son of Georgetown and c. Mehan oi
Seattle, cattlemen, we're put aboard
No. 43 at nine o'clock and taken to
the Everett hospital. Tegeler died on
the train about half way between here
and Everett. Mehan, Knudson and
Fay are in the hospital, the latter only
slightly hurt and will be out soon.
None of them received more than
severe bruises and a number of minor
cuts. Louis Brender, son of F. L.
Brender OF the Chumstick valley, was
one of the passengers on the ill-fated
train. He was sitting just opposite to
McCracken, who was instantly killed,
and says he does not know how he got
out alive. He was considerably bruised,
but otherwise unhurt.
The following account of the un-
fortunate accident is considered accur-
ate. Engineer Roberts was bringing
his engine from the Manchester branch
to Leavenworth for repairs. The west
bound local freight, which carries pas
sengers, took the siding for No. at
Peshastin, and after the passing had
just begun to back out on the main
line at the east end OF the switch, near
which there is curve obstructing a
clear view of the track, when the en-
gine which Roberts was running struck
the rear end of the caboose. Roberts
says he had just time TO reverse his
engine when he caught sight of the
freight train coming in his direction.
He and his fireman jumped and are un-
injured. Conductor Aldridge, who had
charge of the train, instructed Brake;
man McCracken, who was killed, just
before backing out OF the siding, to go
back and protect the rear end. He,
probably thinking there was nothing on
the line to look out for, sat down in
the caboose and was killed. The ca
boose in which the injured were riding
was jammed into fiat car and fairly
reduced to kindling wood.
Oscar McCracken had lived here for
three years and with the exception of a
few months when he acted as town
marshal, last summer, he followed rail-
roading. He was over six feet in
height and as fine specimen of physi-
cal manhood as one will meet in a
days travel. He was popular among
his fellow employees but was considered
reckless about obeying rules. The re-
mains were prepared for shipment to
his old home, Cameron, Tenn, at the
undertaking establishment of Mrs. A.
J. Martin.
A. S. Williams, who died shortly
after being brought here, had made
Leavenworth his home for ten or eleven
years, coming from Texas. His family
has always resided here. For the past
year he had been engaged in brick
making enterprise at Cashmere, and
spent most of his time there, coming
home nearly every Saturday to spend
his Sundays with his family. He was
an excellent, sober and industrious citi-
zen. He leaves a wife and four chill
dren, who have the sincere sympathy
Of the entire community in their loss.
OF Charles Tegeler, the third man to
lose his life as the result of a most un-
fortunate accident, little is known be-
yond the fact that his home was in
Bremerton, Wash. He worked here
last winter on the new depot for six
weeks and made a number of acquaint-
ances who speak highly of him.