Morris tribune., 1916-07-14
TRAIN WRECK DUE
TO BROKEN WHEEL
Train Crew Leaps to Safety
when Five Freight Cars are
-. Derailed Near Cyrus

Bert Betters, Northern Pacific
freight brakeman whose home is in
Morris, was injured and several of his
companions had miraculous escapes in
a freight wreck in which five cars
were smashed and derailed after eight
hundred feet of track had been torn up
one miles east of Cyrus shortly before
six o'clock Saturday afternoon. The
caboose in which the men were riding
was hurled off a six-foot embankment
into a slough of water four feet deep
and left tottering on its side. Some
of the men leaped in time to prevent
death or injury as they found soft
places in the mud and water. One of
the men who failed to get out of the
car followed it into the slough where
he crawled out over the waters edge.
Betters was brought to this city i'm
mediately after the accident. His
injuries are not regarded as serious al
though they ara painful. The loss
to the railroad company will be heavy.
A broken fange on the rear trucks
of box car is believed to have caused
the wreck. 1t was the first to leave
the track and as the trucks were
ripped out the ties and rails gave
way. A tank car, filled with gasoline,
was the next to leave the track and
toppled over falling into the ditch on
the south side, followed by another
box car. The caboose with a box
car in the rear went off and toppled
into the north ditch. One of the
freight cars was completely demolished
while others were more or less dam
aged but all were found with the
trucks missing. A wrecking crew
from Staples arrived at five o'clock
next morning and late Sunday after
noon had the Wreckage cleared and the
tracks repaired sufficiently to resume
traffic
Early Sunday morning automobiles
from Morris, Cyr.19, Starbuck and
other points began a1 ~TlYlng at the
scene with people who cam> 10 we"
the wreck and secure snap shoIs'
Smokers were warned away by the
Wrecking crew foreman who vas
particularly anxious about the gaso-
line tank which was lying half way
down the embankment, completely
overturned, and from which a steady
stream of gasoline was filling the
slough, One of the amusing sights
was the eagerness of some of the resi-
dents of Cyrus to secure oil. They
came with pans, cans, kegs and barrels
but each waited patiently for their
turn at the lake. Finally one more
impatient than the first, knocked the
top valve out and after that the salv-
age became small. All the spectators
were interested in the work of the
Wrecking crew and the derrick which
lifted the trucks from their hiding
places in the mud, The automobiles
came to the wreck scene through q
path leading through farmers marsh
meadow and in coming and going some
of them became mired.
Because of the wreck the passenger
train due into Morris at $40 p. m.
could not pass and the travellers were
transferred to a coach sent from here
to get them. The passenger train was
backed into Starbuck where it re-
mained over Sunday.
AS a result of the wreck Cyrus con-
fectionery stores and refreshment
stands did thriving business with
the visitors who came. By noon all
the pop and bottled drinks had disap'
peared. Anaemic home made lemon.
ade was substituted while a friendly
town pump shook hands with young