Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1912-08-03
IDAHO NORTHERN
HAS BAD WRECK
Special Stock Train Leaves Track Near Guffey.
Eighteen Hundred Sheep Killed.
Loss Estimated a. $4,000
ONE Is DEAD AND SEVEN ARE INJURED

Eight men were injured, one fat
ally, $25,000 worth of property de-
stroyed and 1900 sheep killed when
stock train consisting of 12 cars was
rolled down an embankment when th'
engine and tender left the tracks on
the Idaho Northern railroad about
vne mile south of Guffey yesterday
afternoon at 1870 O'Clock.
Too great speed while taking the
curve at the bottom of the Murphy
hill'' is declared to have caused the
accident. The only person to see
the train piled up, was Dave Pritch-
ard, a rancher who was riding near
the railroad track. He hurried to
the scene of the wreck and after a
hasty investigation, believed the en-
tire crew to have been killed and
carried that report back to Murphy
From Murphy the news was sent to
Nampa.
When the report of the wreck
reached this city a special train was
Immediately made up and Superin'
tendent Barnes, Drs. Kellogg, Ross
Murray and Calonge, and ]. M. Nc
Pherson boarded it. The run out to
the wreck was made in the fast time
of thirty minutes and relief reach
ed the injured train men in less
than an hour after the report of the
accident reached Nampa.
All possible attention was given to
the injured men who were placed on
the special train, made as comfort
able as conditions permitted and rusl
ed back to Nampa. Because of the
report that every man on the train
had been killed, large number OF
friends and relatives of the crew
were at the depot to meet the specia
Those who were most seriously IN
jured were taken at once to the
Nampa Hospital.
Brakeman L. V. Evans, who was
terribly scalded, died about an houl
after arriving at the hospital. He
was 80 years of age and has a wife
and child in Boise.
A. Sellers, a brother of William
Sellers, conductor of the train, said
Il was in the car second from the
rear when the train left the track
I was thrown to the floor AS soon
as | got ny breath | thought of my
brother. | has stened to the front oil
the wreckage and found him sitting
between the engine and tender.
asked him if he was seriously hur1
He replied, "No, | guess not"
assisted him to his feet, and as
did SO he fell over in faint. Severa
farmers had gathered by that time
They took him to a neighboring farm
house. / think the engine rolled
over twice. Sellers was the one
man on the train who was not in
jured.
Ten double deck stock cars were
demolished and the engine and tend
err badly smashed. A wrecking crew
has been at work last night and to-
day clearing away the debris. This
is the first wreck of any Importance
that the Idaho Northern has evel
suffered. While the exact cause OF
the train leaving the track has not
been determined. the blame seems
to point toward Engineer Jacobs who
was running it is alleged at an ex
cessive rate of speed, around a curve
where there was 2 per cent down
grade.
The county coroner is here this
afternoon and will impanel jury tc
determine the cause of the wrecF
and to investigate the death Of l.
V. Evans.
One of the party on the relief trair
said of the wreck when we got In
sight of the accident, | was convinc
ed that the report that the crew was
all killed must be correct. The EN-
tire train of twelve care and the
engine were piled up in space OF
not over three car lengths. Wreck
age and the dead bodies of sheer
made a grewsome heap. We were
happily surprised when search
showed that not a man was pinned
beneath the debris. Brakeman Evans
had been pinned In the cab, but had