The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1916-03-09
TWO MEN b5RN IN
PASSENGER WRECK
SOUTH DAKOTA CENTRAL PAS
SENGER GOES THROUGH BURN
ING BRIDGE-DESTRoYED
MAN HELD BY WRECMGE LOSES LIFE
Score Injured When Red Hot Stoves
Roll Down Car-Heroic Work
Saves All out Two

lNO peOple are uedu anu uediiy Il
dozen seriously injured as a result of
a wreck of a South Dakota Central
train eight miles south of Watertown
at 1880 o'clock last Saturday morning.
The engine, combination mail and bag
gage car and the day coach, which
was second in the train, plunged
through a burning bride landing on
ends in the bottom of the creek neatly
thirty-fve feet below. The chair car
because a veritable furnace when the
stoves used to neat the car rolled down
the car spilling the fire on the passen-
gers caught in a tangled mass of
wreckage and seats.
The dead are George S. Lovejoy,
mail clerk and Frank E. Dooling, a
travelling man, of Denver, Colorado.
An eye witness, T. w. Berg, a travel
ing man, of Sioux City, Iowa, was in
Bookings Sunday and in telling of the
wreck said even though being hurt
rather badly he was taxed to the limit
in giving aid to the injured. OF the
thirty-fve or so passengers on the
train only a few were able to be of
assistance and the raging fire made it
necessary to work fast to emove the
women and children from the burning
car. Mr.. Berg said:
Hardly twenty minutes were pass
ed before the ears were a mass Of
smoking embers. Everybody was UNI
nerved by the sudden shock and by
hearing the groans of those in the
burning car. When | got into the car
where Mr.. Dooling was fastened under
some twisted pipes and rubbish he
was pleading for someone to kill him
before the flames took his life. The
fire was burning his feet and | tried
with some others to remove the unfor-
tunate fellow but l Don saw that it
was impossible. | could not see his
face but understood that he was identi-
fed by a woman who had been talking
to him just before the crash came. l
could not stand by and hear his plead
ings and l left to where l could be of
service. The wreck occurred about
1880 in the morning and it was noon
before surgical aid was given those
more seriously injured. An engine and
caboose arrived from WATERFOWL about
$50 and the passengers who were only
slightly injured and those not injured
were taken back to Watertown. What
l can't understand is why this was
done, and the seriously injured left. 1t
was a tragedy of plumbers. The more
seriously injured did not reach Water
town before nearly noon. l was riding
in the smoker which was the rear car"
The list of the injured follows:
Robert Maxwell, engineer, of Water
town, severe cuts and bruises in head
and arms.
E. c. Holt, Watertown, hip bruised.
P. T. Burgess. Watertown, head and
arms badly bruised and cut.
Mrs. Thornt Anderson, Cloverdale,
Iowa, sustained a serious cash on the
forehead and cuts and bruised about
the body.
w. ]. Dunn, fireman, WATERFOWL, cut
on head and arms.
Mrs. A. w. Anderson, Thomas, and
infant daughter Helen and Sol Sores,
all badly burned and bruises.
Mrs. Stubble, ~Castlewood, dislocated
ankle.
Mrs. Ethel Anderson, Hayti, bruised
ankle.
Rev. E. E. Hager, Hayti, leg badly
bruised.
1t is said the bridge where the wreck
occurred caught fire recently and it is
the opinion that the fire had not been
entirely quenched. The statement Is
credited to Engineer Maxwell that he
saw the burning bridge but was unable
to stop the train until the engine and
tender was well across. The bridge
gave way hurting the engine and ten
der from the track. The engine rolled
down the e~mbankment thirty feet be-
yond. The mail and baggage fell
through the burning bridge to the
ground about t~hirty-fve feet below.
The smoking car was the rear car and
it stopped just at the end Of the bridge,
the middle car was held by the rear
coupling and the free end fell for
ward and hung at an angle of about
forty-hve degrees.
There was some question about the