Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-03-27
BURLINGTON TRAIN WRECKED
Eastound Passenger Derailed by Soft
Track Near Superior.
ENGINEER DEAD, FIREMAN HURT
Engine, Tender and Four Cars
Turn over when Embankment
CrumbIes Under weight
of the Train.


The first railroad wreck attributed d.
rectly to the Nebraska spring floods oc-
CURED at 2:ss o'clock this morning on THE
Burlington near Bosiwck, Neb,. nine
miles west OF Superior. when train No,
II, the Denver and ST. Louis passenger.
leaving Denver at 1910 o'clock yesterday
afternoon. went in the ditch.
Engineer Hall Temple was instantly
killed. his head being smashed and one
leg broken. Fireman Fred Raney had a
serious compound fracture OF the right
leg, his knee was dislocated and face and
body frightfully burned q. NJ. Cavlezel
had one leg slightly burnud. A few OF
the passengers were slightly injured. mono
of them seriously. The injured fireman
and the dead engineer were taken to their
homes In Wymore on a relief train.
For a long distance west of Superior
the Burlington road follows the Repub.
lican river. For number OF days the
Republican through the southern part Of
Nebraska has been out Of its banks. flood
Ing the bottoms. over all portions Of the
flooded section Burlington trainmen. fol-
lowing instructions from headquarters.
have been exercising the greatest pre-
caution. Consequently No. "a was moving
eastward slowly. going at speed not
exceeding twenty miles per hour.
Train Was Running slowly.
When Engineer Temple got his orders
at Red Cloud. the third station west OF
where the wreck occurred. they showed
clear track and the line in good condi-
ton. knowing Of the high water in the
Republican he was cautiously feeling his
way. Everything went well until he
reached the point two miles west Of Bost-
wick. where the river runs close to the
track. At that place there IS a grade
caused by the excavation OF the low bluf.
on the north bank Of the river. This is
something like a half mile In length.
Here the train was moving slowly, 1t be
Ing known that the track was soft. :,
No. II had passed about half the dis
tance over this fill when without a mo.
ments warning the embenkment to the
north slid off. deraillng the engine. the
mail and baggage cars and turning the
two day coaches onto their sides. The
train came to a sudden stop and the
sleepers remained on the track.
The engine rolled down the embank-
ment. stopping Just before 1t reached the
rivers bank. Engineer Temple was
buried beneath the wreckage. and IL Is
supposed was instantly killed by being
crushed to death. as he was dead when
his body was removed.
Fireman Raney was caught in the
wreckase and his legs terribly burned by
escaping steam from broken connee-
ton. The lower portion Of bis body was
crushed, but he will recover.
Passengers shaken Up.
The sudden stopping Of the train
awakened the passengers in the sleepers
and the men hastily slipping into their
clothes. got out and commenced the work
Of rescuing. Proceeding up along the
side Of the train. they were attracted by
the cries of Fireman Raney and with
the aid Of bars and shovels. soon had him |
released from under the coal of the cab !
and the twisted iron Of the tender and |
engine. The body Of Engineer Temple |
was found partially buried beneath his |
engine. having been apparently thrown |
from the cab. When taken out life was |
extinct.
Attention was Immediately directed to /
the passengers In the chair cars, a num- ]
Der Of whom were taken out through 4
The windows. as the cars lay on their
CONTINUED on Second PageJ