The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-06-02
FRANK french, FORMER GRAND FORKS
RESIDENT, DIES At THE THROTTLE
Struck the Dsr. Getting =, .,;as1 That Was Blocked
Against the Train-stores Dhe. q to Actual Man
ner in Which Accident Happened
ENGINE AND Three CARS PLOW THROUGH
GROUND FOR A DISTANCE Of 200 FEET
Nick Becker, Fireman, Only Slightly Injured, Jumping
When Locomotive Left the Rais-Members of Fami-
ly Residing Near Scene Says Proper Blasts Given.
THE DEAD.

THE DEAD.
Engineer Frank French, aged
Ab0ut 40 years, Barnesville, Num-,
survived by wife, two sons and
daughter.
THE INJURED.
Fireman Nick Becker, aged 80,
nose cut and severe bruises. Suffer-
ed hemorrhagee; Is at Moorhead hos.
pitaL
Dr. w. T. Hamilton, Havre, Mont,
Leg Slightly bruised.
d. s. Ferguson, Minneapolis, hand
Dr.. T. A. Ewart, Chester, Mont, leg
bruised.
Mrs. Judas Greenwald, FAN City,
Neb., body bruised.
Mrs. A. w. Wells, Sioux Pass,
Mont, hip wrenched.
sims Randall, Fergus Falls, Minn.,
severe shaking up.
Other passengers were severely
shaken mp.
Tho Oriental Limited. the Great
Northern's finest and fastest train.
known on the schedules as No. /, was
derailed and thrown into the ditch
about q mile east Of Moorhead. Sun
day evening, resulting In the death OF
Engineer Frank French, Of Barnes
Vile, formerly Of Grand Forks, an
old-time employe Of tho railroad COM
pany, the injury Of Fireman Nick
Hscksr of Grand Eor,.s aRd @ .s sexsEsAae eye q
The Oriental Limited was running
at extra speed to make up. lost time,
being about forty minutes behind its
A..NAA Ak <SaA
wreck occurred was probably making
forty miles an hour. With little warn
ing the engine jumped the track, drag
ging the mail car, baggage coach and
smoker after it: plowed the ground
UP for q distance Of perhaps 300 feet,
then buried its nose in the soft earth
and toppled over on it's side.
Dies at His Post.
Engineer French died with his hand
on the throttle, having made no at
His body lay pinioned between the
frebox and the tender for hours be-
fore wrecker arrived and made 1t
possible to remove his remains. The
gangway plate between the engine and
tender had broken in two, and the
engineers leg had slipped down be-
tween the pieces and was apparently
cut In two.
Fireman Becker jumped before the
engine toppled over. DR.. Fulton, vet
Urinary surgeon, was among the first
to reach him. and he was taken by the
doctor to the Moorhead hospital.
just what happened, nor how It hap
pened.
Cause Of Wreck Unknown.
Much mystery surrounds the cause
Of the wreck, conflicting statements
being made by parties directly con-
cerned.
The point at issue depends on with
or the dead engineer ran past q block
that was thrown against him and was
therefore automatically thrown from
the track by the derail.
The wires connecting the deraii
with the signal tower were bent and
broken and twisted out of shape BY
the derafled engine and coaches. 20
that apparently nothing concernine
the cause can be learned therefrom.
twill probably require an ofiicial In
vestigatton to dtermine Just what hap.
Say He Blew Twice.
The. wreck. occurred near where
the Northern Pacific ana Great North.
ern tracks GROSS. Just east, OF the
interlockers and practically. at the
point whore the wreck occurred live
the families Of II. F: ana 6. IL. Ed
wards. ono family on each side OF the
Mrs. n. F. Edwards said that thew
Limited came tearing alons. ana IN M. ~.
val they looked out to watch it - ~.
She says Mr.. Edwards remarked hon
last the train was going. 3They esti.
mate It at not less than 20 or "a rniia.
N hour. Mrs Edwards says that ti,ev
are positive they heard Enrines,
FTench blow the usual long WHITE 81
y sisna!A Tor crossing, ana that IN.
Meoiately thereafter Me blew two
nor Diasts. which would mean thai
s.s =, - 4 AHoWleoeed clear track ahead.
Il. IeM the Same Story.
the members Of the other Edward.
.ay teHs practically the same storv.
ao q. - Iosponee to repeated questions
.n ordef 70 establish the fact beyond
~. S 9uestlon, they insisted that
.Hsy ~ nessd the whistle signals ias stat
Mr.. Edwards said il lookaa !. .
tno0gh Engineer French ha6 h.sr
sNen clear track, ana that fhAn n, :
qeraM had been thrown On hinn II, ~
aer e allow 9 Northern Pacidc frsin
through fifst. ',s &, ~ n. !. Is. !. .an ai'
Iowsr lEan,s stateu nent. IL
s re- tsANl -, day tower man. 49, an
io4Ey :at the time the wreck occurrsd.
- - JUL shout to turn the tower
SI'')1ll