The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-06-09
CARS ALMOST T0PPLED OVER
Several People We're Slightly
Bruised, But None Badly
Hurt In Accident
From FRIDAYS CaIly.

train going at high rate of speed,
without badly injuring any of the
passengers or crew, seems little
short of miraculous. Yet this is just
what happened to Passenger Train
No. of the Omaha while approach
ing Mankato about mile this side
of Minneopa station yesterday after
noon at $40 o'clock
The train was a little late. What
was its rate of speed is uncertain.
Some of the train crew say it was
35 to 40 miles an hour Earl Up
dixie of Luck, Wyo., one of the pas
sengers, whose wife was hurt in the
wreck, declares that it was going
much faster.
The train had almost reached the
white post, which marks the distance
of ninety miles from st. Paul, four
miles from Mankato. when the ten
der left the rails. This dragged 9TH
er cars off. The shock and the
noise instantly brought the alarm to
Engineer Ed Foot and he threw on
the emergency brake. There is much
admiring comment on the skill with
which he brought the train to halt,
without giving any more of a shock
to the passengers than was absolute
ly necessary.
Of all the nine cars that were back
of the tender, only one, the observa-
ton car at the rear, remained on the
track. The train was stopped in
space of about it's own length. Back
of the tender the mail car. baggage
car, five coaches and the dining car
were dragged from the track in
quick succession.
Train Broke in Two.
The train broke in two between the
third and fourth car. Here was left
an open space of about two car
lengths. Back of that five cars were
derailed. The middle part of the train
was thrown far to the right of the
track and the cars here stood on one
edge, their floors slanting at an angle
of about forty-f five degrees.
The track for train length was
very badly torn to pieces. Rails, ties
and earth were mingled in a shape
less mass. The trucks were torn
loose from five of the cars. So vio-
lent was the force of the impact of
the derailed train against portions OF
the track that one of the great rails
was bent around in the form of a
horse shoe. Many of the windows
were broken. In some places the
trucks plowed themselves right down
into the roadbed, literally buryins
themselves.
What Caused Wreck?
What caused the wreck was a
question nobody seemed able to an
swer. Superintendent James Welch,
who was soon on the scene from ST.
James, said he did not know. 1t ap-
peared, however, to be the consensus
of opinion among the spectators, that
the derailment was due to rains,
which caused softness in the road
bed. One young man picked up a
piece of rotten wood, which he said
came from a tie, and he thought that
told the story.
It seems that the locomotive stayed
on the track, because of its weight
The tender, being lighter, left the
track, and dragged off eight cars.
Mr.. and Mrs. Earl Updike of Lusk,
Wyoming, were in the observation
car at the time of the derailment.
This car was at the rea. end of the
train There were eight people in
the car at the time, seated in wick
er chairs. Mrs Updike was on her
4 way to Rochester, Mimi, to have her
eyes doctored
% Cars Stopped Suddenly.
~ "The first we knew OF anything be-
ing wrong" said MI. Updike at st.
Joseph's hospital last evening, "was
the sudden stopping of the car, while
we and our chairs went right on. The
passengers and chairs were instantly
piled in a heap against the wall.
quickly got Mrs. Updike out from the
mass of people and furniture. She
was unconscious. After she came to
herself, she was able to walk, with
the assistance of two men, from the
car to an automobile, in which a
stranger very kindly brought US to
this hospital"
Mr.. and Mrs. Updike were taken to
the hospital by Miss Alma Olson in
her auto.
Mrs. Updike was examined last
evening by a local physician. The
doctor said he was not sure whether
she had suffered the breaking of any
ribs or not. She seemed to have
suffered greatly from the shock. Mrs
Updike was the only patient received
at either hospital from the wreck.
MT. Opulhe 10 d otoSh h'huiSi o.
Lusk.
There were others, however, who
were more or less hurt. Gust Helm
chef in the dining car, and Andrew
Murdoch, the second cook, were
scalded about the legs. w. Fayo, the
third cook, suffered from having one
of his feet wrenched. John Night
ingale, mail clerk, suffered from the
shock of the wreck.
Train Was Little Late.
Train No. II is due to get to Man
kato little ahead of No. 4, but yes
terday, owing to the lateness, of No
4, No. IL was ahead and went right
on to Mankato There word was re-
ceived by the train crew of No. AZ
misfortune, and No. IL went right
back to the scene of the wreck ant
took the passengers. No. II was an
nulled, and the equipment proceeded
TO the twin cities as the new No. A
1t was indeed remarkable how soor
a wrecking crew was on the scene
coming in all the way from Mendoza
The wrecking train, with its BIZ