Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-11-22
Isaac |. Wright Engineer Instant
" Killed Funeral al New
London Tomorrow.

mail train and freight train six miles
west Of here last night. The engineer
and fireman Of the fast mail are the
dead. The most seriously injured is
a St. Paul man.
The accident was caused, it is
said, by failure Of the freight train
crew to obey orders. The dead
Isaac Wright, engineer, Devils Lake,
n. D.; Michael O'Leary, fireman,
Devils Lake, N. D.
The injured Ned Price, express
messenger fast mail, ST.. Paul, ribs
broken, hurt internally; not expected
to live. r. G. Wynn, conductor fast
mail, Devils Lake, injured on head.
William Rodinbaum, brakeman fast
mail, injured. Dan Healy, mail clerk,
Devils Lake, back injured. jenkins,
mail clerk, Devils Lake, injured on
head. ..s...s
FAILED TO SEE SIGNBOARD.
5tThe freight train had orders to
take the siding at Tunbridge, five
miles west Of here. Engineer D. w.
Acker Of Minot failed to see the sta
tion signboard on account Of the
heavy snowstorm. Shutting off steam
he nermitted the train to roll along
slowly while he kept a watch out Of
the window for the sign.
Suddenly the headlight Of the fast
mail, No. %, came into view. At a
fifty mile an hour speed the train
plunged through the storm. Acker
says he first tried to reverse and
start backing. He had not en- ugh
time to do that. Calling to his fire.
man to jump, he set the brakes and
sprang from the cab.
"a moment later the crash came.
The freight engine was demolished.
The heavy locomotive Of the mail
train bored through it and into the
first car Of the train. Then behind
came the line Of heavily laden mail
cars to push the tank, with it's tons
Of coal and gallons Of water, on to
the rear Of the engine.
Engineer Wright caught, appar-
emily, in an effort to jump, was
crushed between the sliding window
Of his cab and the gate Of the tank.
AS he was showed into the boiler head
his body was released only to fall be-
side the boiler, which a second later
exploded with a thunderous report.
FIREMAN TRAPPED IN CAB.
Fireman O'Leary was trapped on
the deck Of his engine. With the fire
door open, a shovel Of coal in his
hand ready to throw into the irebox,
he had no opportunity to escape. The
steel armored tank jumped upon him
pinioning him against the hot boiler
head where later his body was found.
9'The mail clerks in the first car
| Of the train, as is usual in similar ac-
cidents, were given no warning. Their
first notification Of the accident was
the crushing in Of the head end Of the
car.
'Price, the express messenger, was
caught in the forward rush Of the
contents Of his car at the sudden i'm
pact. Thousands Of pounds Of ex-
press matter was thrown about him,
battering him to the floor. When the
first seconds Of terror were over
members Of the crew found him half
buried beneath the heavy parcels and
dug him out.
"The others injured we're .occu-
pants Of the first two>cars Of the
fast mail, both Of which were par
tally smashed. Only one car Of the
freight train was demolished, but
many were thrown into zigzag posi-
tions across the track. s =s52. 5s.5..2
SPECIAL RELIEF TRAIN SENT
One Of the crew members walked
| to the station here to seek relief. A
special train, with physicians and
nurses aboard, was started almost
Immediately, and brought the injur.
led back. They were taken to th,
Good Samaritan hospital.
Wrecking crews worked all nigh
clearing away the debris Of the &C,
cident and for hours it was feared
that under the piles Of iron, that. .hat
been the engines there might b,
found the body Of another man
j Sufficient progress had been made b,
morning, however, to- determine tha
1.-THE list Of dead contained only tn,
/ names Of the two.
Engineer Wright, the first off th.
j dead found, was one Of the pionee
railroad men Of North Dakota. Year,
lago, when. the Great Mort thern firs
/ was built. throu ugh this state, Wrigh