Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-11-03
MACHINE ENCLOSED
Thought That Couple Failed to
Hear Warning Blast Of the
Whistle
RESPONSIBILITY FOR
TRAGEDY NOT FIXED
Train and Engine Crews Exam
ined Last Evening Dead
Were Lehr People

Fred Lefferman of Lehr was fatally
injured and his wife instantly killed
at 2.4l yesterday afternoon, when
Northern Pacific train No. Z, steaming
at rate of forty miles an hour,
struck their car on the Apple Creek
crossing, east of this city. The car
was hurled hundred feet from the
track, both Of the passengers being
elected in mid.air. The body of Mrs.
Lefferman fell SO feet from the cross
ing, while Mr. Lefferman, in dying
condition, was picked up almost 100
feet from the scene Of the collision.
tered over an area Of $50 feet.
lefferman Died Enroute.
Engineer J. F. Kellum. who was at
the throttle, applied the air immed-
lately the crash came, stopping his
train within its own length, and i'm.
mediately backing up to the crossing
The train crew found that Mrs. Letter
man was dead, and her body was not
disturbed. pending the arrival of the
coroner. Mr.. Lefferman, however, was
still gasping, and, according to one Of
the witnesses, had sufficient strength
left to swallow a few drops of water
offered him. He was placed In the
baggage car. and No. Z proceeded to
Bismarck. At Pierce, Conductor G. E.
Williams Of Fargo, in charge of the
train, found the injured man still
alive. His death occurred somewhere
between that point and the 500 cross
ing in Bismarck, where the conductor
again visited the baggage car and
found life extinct. ''> a-
Stalled Ensine-side Curtains.
No real light on the cause of the
accident was shed by the inquest
which Coroner Anton Beer conducted
at Lucas chapel last evening. The
testimony of Engineer J. F. Kellum
and Fireman c. l.. Jahnke of James
town, Conductor G. E. Williams of
Fargo and Mrs. Nick Bohn, who re-
sides in the section house at Apple
Creek, all tended to show that an
abundance Of warning signals had
been given by the oncoming train, al
though a very few seconds elapsed
from the time the curve east of the
station at Apple Greek was rounded
until the crash occurred. Engineer
Kellum and Fireman Jahnke were
certain that when they reached the
straight piece of track extending
about 1000 feet east from the crossing
the latter was clear. The engineer
testified that he gave the usual four
blasts of his whistle three times In
traversing this thousand feet. The
fireman stated that he looked out
from his position at the left side OF
the cab when the engine struck the
straight-away and that no automobile
or other obstruction was in sight. The
fireman then descended to the deck Of
the locomtive to attend to his fires
and knew nothing of the crash until
the engineer cried, We've hit an
automobile!" Engineer Kellum stated
that the automobile did not become
visible to him until a second before
the engine struck it, and then he saw
only a small portion Of the front end
OF the machine.
Eye Witness Talks.
Mrs. Nick Bohn was at the front win
dow of the section house waiting fol-
the train to pass when she first saw
the automobile half mile away. IL
attracted her attention as it came over
the hill east of the crossing travelling
at snail's pace, and the danger o.
the cars being struck Immediately oc
Cured to her The car had proceeded
to a point where it was concealed by
the loading platform, at the south side
of the track, near the crossing, when
the train rounded the curve. She saw
the automobile struck. The car, she
testified last night, was overturned
throwing the occupants out. 1t die
not appear to her that the machine
was thrown into the air or projected
any distance. The engine. she stated
struck the rear end of the machine
States Attorney Berndt called the at
tention of the witness to the fact thai
the car was found some distance from
the crossing, which fact did not tall,
with her statement that the machine
was Immediately overturned. Ensin
eer Kellum explained this apparent
discrepancy by stating that the hui
of the car caught under the pilot o.
his engine, and that it was carried
n201110no0 "a H010 TVol