Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1911-08-18
I|i|'lJR
AC,C,Il..')E
Train Runs Down Automobile Il
Crossing in West Watertown
Auto is Demolished.
MEN ESCAPE SERIOUS INJURY
Driver Of Car Thought He Could
Gross Before the Train
Reached Crossing. &

4 H F.. 4
One of the worst automobile acci-
dents ever known In the; state occurr-
ed about Z: 80 Wednesday morning on
one Of the crossings of the Great
Northern railway on the way to the
lake.
II appears that I'D. Hauff, one OF
the proprietcrs Of a garage. was at
Lake Kampeska the day before when
a man by the name of Dennis Burns
CT iroquois, came to him and asked
him to look at his Ford cor, saying
that he had sprung an axle. Mr.. Hauff
examined the car and told the man
that the car would have to be pulled
to town before 1t could be repaired. U
Mr.. Hauff took Mi. Burns to the city
in his automobile and made arrange
ments to have Andrew Stormo. his
partner in the garage business go
with Mr.. Burns the next morning and
bring the Ford car in with Mr. Stonr
mos big 40 horse power Pullman car.
Mr.. Stormo and Mr.. Burns started
for the lake early in the morning.
Both men were sitting in the front
seat. They ran to the railroad cross-
| ing at the rate OF about fifteen miles
an hour.
A. G. Youngquist and Earl McBath
we're coming in from the lake with an
auto and had stopped on the west
Eside OF the railroad crossing to wait
| for Dakota Central engine and,
freight car TO- pass These men say.
that the engineer did not blow his.
whistle until he was about fifty yards
from the. crossing. 1t Is said that
Mr. Stormo evidently did not see the
engine and box car until he was al:
most onto the track as he tried to-
! stop his car and did slow down and
then let it go hoping to get by before
d the train passed. However, he dfds
not succeed and the box car which
was heavily loaded with wheat
struck the automobile right in the
middle and rolled It along the track
for about one hundred feet. In
The automobile, which was big
4G horse, five passenger Pullman,
costing about $1,SO0, was pushed a.
lcng sideways and rolled over and
smashed beyond all hope OF repair.
The frames were all twisted, top and
wood work smashed into kindling
wood. The only things which
were not totally wrecked were the
engine, radiator and the pneumatic
tires which still retained their air
after the accident Earl Barr, who
conducts an automobile garage in the
city said he would not give over $500
for the machine In its present contii.s
| ton.
How Messrs. Stormo and Burns es-
capped death in this terrible wreck is
more than any one can figure out who
viewed the remains of the wrecked
machine. .......l
Messrs. Youngquisr and McBath
shouted to the train crew to stop and
together with the train men they
picked the unfortunate men out of
the wreck. Both men had been push
ed to the back seat and Mr.. Stormo
had his head showed thru the glass
wind shield and was bleeding quite
freely. He was otherwise bruised up
but 1t is thought that he win have
no serious results from the accident.
1t was some little time before the
rescuers could locate Mr.. Burns as he
was completely buried in the wreck
The rescuers thought sure he was
dead, but after removing the debris
he was found to be alive and was tak:
en- to the hospital where he will PRO.
badly recover.