The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-02-05

laboratory run INTO II Train, ne ) crazy.
did all we could, but the weather
conditions We're all against us and
here is one thing to remember
we had been running thirty miles an
hour instead of fifteen, we'd have
killed the whole crew on the plow
and some of us would not be here to
tell about it, either"
Mr.. Adkins testified to the same
opinion that they were very fortunate
TO get out of the affair as we'll as
they did. He is improved despite 2
badly bruised hip and a cut in his
head that required five stitches.
He said that the men lost every
thing they had in the caboose, clothes
and all, when it caught fire and
burned up a few hours afterward
He was imprisoned under the wreck
age with Engineer Kaisersatt and his
legs were thrown over the latter's.
which prevented Mr.. Kaisersatt from
arising.
Finally, by an almost superhuman
effort, Mr.. Adkins was able to raise
some of the debris and himself long
enough to permit Mr.. Kaisersatt to
crawl out. Then the other trainmen
rescued him. Kaisersatt then al
all the way to the rear coach, bare
headed and ~mittenless. and the next
Mr.. Adkins saw of him was when
the passengers and trainmen were
making him comfortable by remov-
ing his shoes and stockings and chat
ing his arms and legs.
One tragically funny incident took
place, according to Fireman Hagen.
He found Roadmaster Crabs lying
in a dazed condition in the caboose
and tried to raise him and get him
back into the coaches. Mr.. Crabs
would not go until he had his cap.
Mr.. Hagen found one, which after
ward proved to be Conductor Blak-
les. clapped it onto the roadmaster's
head, and then Mr.. Crabs crawled
out over the top of the caboose,
thence to the ground.
Mr.. Crabbs does not remember a
thing about the accident. He can
not ccoun for his ability, in his con
dition, to get out of the caboose the
way he did. and did not know until
afterwards that it was Mr.. Hagen
who found him and who placed the
cap upon his head. He has no lucid
account of himself until after his re
covery in the coaches.
Two travelling men testified that
they remembered seeing a light flash
by the window and hearing a man
shout, but thought nothing of ii at
the time. Brakeman Adkins is of
the opinion that had they told Con
ductor p. j. Hooval at once. he
would have investigated and thus the
accident might have been prevented
Mr.. Adkins also stated that Lars
Westby was not the only hero of the
crash. Fireman Hagen and Conduc-
tor Hooval walked back TO Garden
City in the storm and, although
nearly frozen, kept on until they
reached the station to report the de-
tails of the wreck and to find Westby
whom they though was lost some
where in the drifts.
All the railroad men are praising
these fellow workers. especially
Westby, for their heroism in doing
all they could to prevent the acct
dent, as well as TO alleviate the con
ditions of the passengers and their
injured comrades. 1t was heroisnl
of the highest type, and if Andrew
Carnegie wants TO award any more
hero medals, we vote solid for these
three men who showed that in a
crisis they thought nothing of them
selves, only of the others. whom they
deemed needed assistance far worse
than themselves. In the history of
this division no names can come any
nearer the top of the hero page than
the names of Lars Westby. Dan Ha-
gen and Peter Hooval.