Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-12-20
AWFUL WRECK
AT ODESSA
Roy Devaney, 4 Former Willmar
Boy. on lllialcd Train and
nelped Rescue Work.

uC1R AGSCuG UOEAe
Roy Devaney, who was in the
Odessa wreck, and was one of the
most active in recovering dead bo-
dies and releasing injured passen-
gers, is spending his Christmas lay
off at Willmar,his old native home.
In an interview with the Willmar Tri-
bune he gave the details of this aw-
full catastrophe, which in the main
agrees with the account published
elsewhere. Mr. Devaney is a. loco
motive fireman on the Milwaukee with
a run between Marmarth and Mo-
bridge, and was coming to Willmar
for the holidays. The Mrs. Richards
who was killed in the wreck was the
wife Of his railroad superintendent.
At Aberdeen Mr.. Devaney tried to
get berth in the illfated sleeper.
There was an upper berth to be had,
but a young main by the name Of Har-
ry Ray secured the berth ahead of
him. Mr.. Ray escaped with some
minor injury, however. So he made
himself as comfortable as he could
in the day coach, the second from
the sleeper. He was asleep when the
crash came. He was thrown from
his seat across the aisle against the
side Of the seat on the other side and
landed OIL the floor. When he first
awoke he did not realize the serious
ness of the case. The women and
children in the car were crying, but
he told them that there was no dan
ger, as he thought the car had only
been bumped in the too sudden set
ting of brakes. He went to the door
but could not see anything in the
dark. He went back and put on his
overcoat. When he came out the
darkness prevented him at first from
seeing what had happened, but he
was soon to be called into action
With sailor boy he helped take out
all of the dead bodies from the
wrecked car. The chef of the din
ing-car and the Odessa policeman
assisted. The four worked valiant.
ly in getting into the wrecked cal
which was made of steel. With {
sledge the policeman and Mr.. Devan.
ey forced out the window frame ant
made an opening sufficiently large tt
permit the handing out Of the injured
and dead. These were laid on sleep
ing car berths and carried to tn
nearby depot. Mr.. Devaney carrie'
one Of the injured ladies from tn
car to the depot, Mrs. Addie Deutscl
who had a sprained ankle. He ais
assisted the injured fireman to 1
place of shelter. In the excitemen
of the disaster no one had time t.
think of the awfulness of the catas
trophe, and as Mr.. Devaney express
ed it, 1--WE don't want to think abou
it afterwards" As to the causes O
the accident, Mr.. Devaney did no
talk much. "There were six chan
ces against one that such an acciden
could occur and the one chance fo
an accident won," he said. Mr.. De
vaney's father was the engineer o
the freight which was run into a
Pennock several years ago, whe1
three travelling men were killed an,
injured. Mr.. Devaney, ST., lost hi
position then, simply because tn
hind Aagman did not want to get on
in the cold to do his duty.
Odessa is the first station east o
Ortonville on the Milwaukee, and
about sixty miles west of Willmar.
The casualty list of the Odess
wreck finally reached ten dead an
twenty three injured.
The following is one of the earlies
press reports Of the accident:
Odessa, Mimi, Dec. l8-Ten |
twelve persons were killed and 6
many injured, some Of them serious
ly, near this station about a. m. tt
day, when a fast silk train on tt
Milwaukee road crashed into the G.,
lnmbian, one Of the crack trains
that railway system, also runnir
east. @..5 #
The sleeping car of the Columbis
which had been attached at Abe
deem and was said to be Of light
construction than the other cars
through coast trains, was telescope
by the engine of the silk train at o.
end and by the heavy dining car
the other end. Only two cars we
hurled from the track, the sleep
and the diner. The sleeper contai
ed twenty-seve passengers when
left Aberdeen in the middle Of t
night. ...-
Ten bodies have been taken fre
the wreckage and all but one iden
fed. There is some reason to belle
other bodies are still under the deb
and men are at work in the ruins T
total of the dead may reach twel'
All on the injured list it is believ'
will recover.
AS fast as tho hndias Wara tax