Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1914-06-25

WATxRxOWN, n8
nice way to he treated an one we
ding TIN. It didn't sesnn fair
hare never entirely lost that telling.
There was complete silence when
we reached the bottom. and tie car
stopped rolling Everything seeraed
Ito have stopped, and / remembered
wondering H / were dead, Ii was as
black az Ink. and ! couidn't see j
thing felt something soft under
me. andswas afraid TO move lest / hurt
somebody. asked my wife II she
was there and I was mighty plad to
hear her voice, very feeble and low,
assuring me that she was alive and
thought no bones were broken. i felt
then that worse things might have
happened. CROPPED around until l
grasped her hand, and tried to raise
her. A chair seat and back were over
her body, pinning her to the bottom
Iof the car. BY selling q chair sup
port which | discovered ii the dark
ness above me. and using that for
leverage, managed to lift on the
debris. and raised her to a. sitting pos.
|ture. We were both bleeding freely
from cuts IN the head and arms. NY
wife felt very sick and cold and l
wrapped my ~overeoat around her,
Some men then came along with Ian.
terms and carried my wife over to
the station. I was helped out OF the
car and also conducted to the depot,
Everything was quiet ia the car while
the injured were being removed from
the wrecked coach. There was gr0an-
ing and cries, but 1t was scarcely
audible where we were. / guess ev-
|eryone was too stunned to make much
cutlery
I'VE We're removed from the station
to the baggage coach, which remained
on the track with other coaches, and
reached ST. Paul about a couple Of
hours after the accident. We we're
hurried owe to st. Lnke's hospital
where we were well taken care OF. we
were there over three weeks. we
received the very best Of attention at
this excellent Institution, and we shall
never forget the Kind treatment acs
corded us.
THE accident was caused by the
absence of a switch brake band and
a cotter pin that was an inch too
short. The passing OF the train oyer
the rails caused the cotter pin to
jump out, and thus allowed the switch
to fly open. The fort part of the train
passed safely over, but the car we
were In took the open switch. The
couplings held and jerked the car
back onto the ties on the main line.
The car went yer the bridge on the
ties, and fell over the embankment on
the other side of the bridge. The car
rolled and fell about thirty9fve feet.
There were SO people in our coach,
one of whom, a young lady, was killed,
sixty-six were injured, and two es-
capped injury. 1t is 9. wonder to me
how more were not killed. Probably
the fact that 1t was a steel coach ac-
counted for this. When the car over
turned the car seats and backs all fell
ont, which added to the confusion and
danger. should think the car seats
and backs should be SO fastened In
that they could not break loose in this
fashion. OF course cars are not sup.
posed to behave as ours did, but once
in q while they do, and the breaking
loose Of these seats and backs as they
did added distinctly to- the danger we
were exposed to. The jar when We
first hit was so terrific that v some
of the iron chair standards were jerk
ed loose from their fastenings. Most
of the injuries were caused by broken
glass, and I should think some glass
could be used that would not break
SO easily. There are kinds that you
cannot break up with a hammer, and
] think some glass Of this kind could
be used on cars to distinct advantage.
anyway, We are glad it was nc
worse, as It might have been, and
both my wife and ] are very thankful
we escaped as we did
Pinchot Versus Perkins
In Progressive Party