Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1910-11-17
TWO KILLED IN
FREIGHT WRECK
FAST FREIGHTS COLLIDE NEAR
WEISER WITH TERRIBLE
RESULT
Fireman and brakeman ON West
Bound Train Die Pinned Under
Mass of Wreckage.-Two Others
are Injured.

Weiser. Nov. 16.-Whether or not
the eastbound was running behind
or the westbound ahead of the sche-
dule, the railroad authorities would
not state today The blame for the
accident, according to investigation
which was made officially. and from
information which has been given out
lies with one train crew or the other.
The wreck was the most disastrous
which this portion of the state has
T Gently seen.
AS engineer Felsted of the west
bound train swung his engine INTO the
main track he saw the east train pull
ling into the siding. The brakes
were applied According to Witness
es to the wreck. the westbound train
was going at terrific rate of speed
All but three cars and a caboore of
the eastbound train had pulled into
the switch, when the westbound train
tore down the track, crashed into
the rear cars. plowed up the track
age for more than a hundred yards,
jack-knifed with the tender, and then
rolled down an embankment, pinning
Fireman Kelley and Brakeman Sny-
horst beneath it, and hurting Engi-
neer Felsted clear of the wreck, in
to a gully.
In one of the cars of the eastbound
train was Pfersich, with his six
horses and household goods, on his
way to Buhl. The car was utterly
demolished. and Pfersich was but
slightly injured and the horses es-
capped uninjured.
The three cars and the caboose
were thrown from the tracks. scatter
ing apples and general merchandise,
which we're stored in them, in every
direction
The screeching of the steam from
the wrecked engine, the crunching of
bending steel and shattered wood and
the cries and groans of the dying and
wounded mingled with the shouts of
the few rescuers who were at hand.
Kelley and synhorst could be seen
beneath the steaming wreck of the
engine, but when they were reached
Kelley was dead and Synhorst dying.
Frantic efforts were made to re-
lease Synhorst. but the great iron
tentacles held him fast, and before
the wrecking train could arrive from
Glenn's Ferry he was dead.
Pfersich was able to crawl from
the wreckage and was carried to a
temporary bed which had been made
along the track.
Felsted was in a semi-consciouf
condition when found. and was car
ried to a cot which had been pre-.
pared from the blankets of the ca
boose.
People began arriving from tho
nearest far mhouses a few minutes
after the wreck. and aided in the
work Of caring for the injured and IL
attempting to remove the dead.
Construction of a temporary track
was started as soon as the wreckinl
train arrived, and by afternoon traf
fic was resumed. Passengers ovel
the pony train this omrning were
forced to transfere.
Said Hosmer wilkins Of Weiser
who witnessed the wreck from a dis
tance Of a quarter Of a mile: "I saw
the two trains coming up the track
The westbound train was going at 4
terrific rate Of speed; in fact, it wa
going so fast that that was the onl'
thing that made me stop to watch IT
ct saw the eastbound freight enter
ing the siding.
Both whistles began blowing an'
the eastbound engineer apparently
threw on all force in an effort to ge
off the main line.
cit was apparent that the wrecl
was unavoidable. the only question
being just how many cars could D.
pulled out Of the main track.
Several Of the men Of the crew
of both trains jumped. and I saw tn
caboose Of the eastbound train emp
tied
'With the crash, and before tn
echo reached me. saw the enginee
Of the west train shot out Of hi
cab. and high into the air. Then ev
erything was lost in a mass Of stean
and flying debris"