Omaha daily bee., 1921-06-17
Five Dead, Toll
OF Train Wreck
Il. Near Chadron
Three Cars Plunge Into High
Water-Smoker Pinned
Under Chair Car Is
Death Trap.

Confusion in the black OF the nlSnt
caused doctors and rescuers from
Chadron, who were sent to the scene
by the dispatcher, to send conflicting
reports of the number of dead, one
early report going as high as 40.
Complete list of the dead and in
jured was soon wired to Fl. E.
Dickinson, general superintendent at
Omaha by railroad officials at the
scene of the crash.
The dead were taken to Chadron
in relief trains which were hurried
to the scene, and the injured were
removed to hospitals in Chadron and
Hot Springs, S. D.
F. M. Stewart of Gordon, one of
the FIVE men killed, was a salesman
for the Hughes Grocery company of
Omaha. Frank Bosner of Lander
and c. M. Buck of Grand Island,
who lost their lives when the smok-
er plunged into the creek, also were
statesmen. Buck represented the
Liggett and Myers Tobacco COM
pany.
r. c. Scott, Chadron, baggageman,
was killed when he vas hurled from
his car by the force with which it
struck the creek bank in the plunge
from the bridge. His body was re-
covered from the water early yester-
day morning.
Dies in Hospital.
B. F. Skiles, mail clerk, Chadron,
died of internal injuries in the hos
pital at Chadron. Little hope for
his recovery was held when he was
taken from the combination mail and
baggage car which had been tele-
scoped with the tender of the engine.
Miss Ruth Becker of Crawford,
Neb., was first reported the only
passenger on the train to escape un-
injured.
Another, however, proved to be
w. w. Finger, soldier from Chey-
enne, who was travelling as escort to
the body of another soldier named
Mccoy to Hot Springs. The casket
was not recovered from the baggage
car until 2 a. m.
Three Omahans Hurt.
Three men from Omaha are
among the injured at the Hct
Springs hospital. Their hurts are
not serious. They are:
Conductor H. H. Fickbohn, 2532
North Sixty-fourth street; c. F.
Warnecke, 1926 Webster street, and
Joe E. Reefe, 36Ol North Nineteenth
street.
Warnecke is salesman for the A.
c. McClurg company and Reefe
salesman for the United States Rub
Der company.
D. C. Brink of Chadrcn, district.
claim agent; A. Roundseville, Chi
cago, assistant chief engineer, and
Wymer Dressler, Omaha attorney,
were on the Pullman car.
They were hurled from their
berths and, upon investigation. as
sumed charge of the relief work
among the injured until the special
train from Chadron arrived.
Most OF the wreckage was removed
by 2:30 p. m. yesterday, more than II
hours after the first crash, but rail-
road men said service over the line
could not be resumed for three or
four days because of the necessity Of
rebuilding the wrecked bridge.
Pile drivers from Casper, Wyo.,
and Chadron were put to work on a
new structure as soon as the wreck
age was cleared. The Burlington
railroad sent a wrecking crew from
Alliance by way of Chadron to assist
in the clearing work.
The engine and the Pullman car es-
capped much damage. The other cars
were total wrecks.
Reports from Chadron say the
train was travelling between 20 and
Is miles an hour. The creek, which
is about IS feet wide, is known as
a "dry creek" during summer.
An hour before the fatal wreck,
westbound train crossed the bridge
in safety. Then came the cloud
burst which filled the creek with
water and weakened the supports of
the bridge.
ne CIldlT CdI WdS Hdll SuD-
merged in the water after the crash,
with the smoker piled along the
creek bank, the rear half beneath the
front half of the chair car.
Baggage Car Telescoped.
Ahead of the smoker was the bag
gage car, on up the creek bank, tele-
scoped by the tender of the engine
for IS feet, according to the Chad
ron dispatcher.
Passengers in the chair car were
lble to crawl out the windows of
heir car, climb to the top of the
,oach and make their way along the
ops of the piled coaches to the top
If the creek bank.
The injured, rushed to Hot
Springs, were met at Buffalo Gap by
/ special train bearing corps of
surgeons and nurses from Dakota.
The scene of the wreck is about
1alf way between Dakota Junction
md Whitney.
On ordinary trips passenger train !
No. 500 carries between so and 100
passengers on its run from Lander
% Omaha.