Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1922-10-06
Struck By Fast Passenger
Train AS They Entered
ST. Paul
OF PARTY OF EIGHT
NOT ONE SURVIVES
Little Girl of Z, Terribly Injured, Tia.
ken To Hospital al--Party Was
Moving To New
Home

A party of eight people from Exc
land were struck by an Omaha fast
passenger train in st. Paul at 10 p
M. Monday and seven of them were
killed outright and seyen-year-ol6
girl was so badly injured that she
died the following day.
The dead are:
William Espen, 36 years old.
Mrs. William Espen, 81 years old.
Frances Espen, 10 years old.
Lloyd Espen, years old.
Glen Earl Espen, 4 months old.
II. w. McGee, 81 years old, 2035
tOu-av, st. Paul.
Mrs. n. w. McGee, 30 years old.
Three children survive Mr.. and Mrs.
MCGEE. They are Emil !, 8 years old ;
Kenneth Z, and Alberta, f.
Marvel Espen, 7-year-old girl, who
was the only person to survive few
hours after the crash, died late Tues
day at the City hospital, st. Paul.
Surviving Mrs. Espen are her broth
er, her father, Sam MCGEE, 423 East
Seventh street, and three sisters, Mrs
Lyman Larson, 2035 Nokomis avenue
Mrs. G.. A. Brown, 2O33 Nokomis ave-
nue., and Mrs. Clayton Lindsay, 249
Spruce street, all in st. Paul Sur
viving Mr.. Espen are his father, Otto
Espen, Mondovi, Wis, and a sister at
Nelson, Wis.
Lived at Exeland Years
The McGees and the Espens had ad-
Joining farms two miles southwest of
EXeland and had lived on their farms
and in the village of Exeland for more
than four years. VIM. McGee was d
brother of Mrs. Espen, and he leaves
a father and brother in Exeland The
McGees had been living in st. Paul
since early. in the Summer, and Mr.
Espen had secured a job there Mr.
Espen was known in Ladysmith
where he worked as lineman for
some time. He was carpenter by
trade.
The two families were moving to st.
Paul in Ford car when the tragedy
happened. They were crossing the
Omaha tracks on Atlantic street when
hit by the train. ~
The ST. Paul Pioneer Press pub
lished the following account of. the
accident:
Auto Hurled Into Air
Coming down grade at about thirty
five miles an hour the train caught
the car as it came out on the track
from narrow driveway between lum-
ber piles, hurled the machine almost
the height of the locomotive and
dragged it along, a mass of wreck.
age, for 100 feet.
The victims were thrown clear of the
machine and scattered beside the
track. Five were dead when witnesses
ran up few seconds later. The bod
les were strewn the entire length of
the course over which the automobile
was dragged.
Atlantic street to the north of the
Omaha tracks is little more than
driveway passing between lumber
piles. The party, it is thought, was
confused and had got off the main
thoroughfares in an effort to reach
Seventh street. .
Lumber piles obstruct the view of
the tracks to some extent. Witnesses
said that the heavily laden car was
being driven at fair rate of speed.
Engineer Tries To Stop
The train coming from Chicago, was
bearing down the grade and there
wasn't a chance to stop it within less
than 500 feet, trainmen said. But
Albert o. Mckay, engineer, 1906 Free
mont avenue north, Minneapolis, put
on the air brakes and pulled the whis-
tie cord. ~
There was a terrific impact. The
car was not squarely in the track, and
it was swerved to the right of the To-
comotive. The machine was lifted up.
turned over and dropped. Several of
the passengers in the car were thrown
out and forward at first impact.
The automobile, crushed and twist
ed dropped close behind the locomo-
time. A portion somehow clung to
the locomotive cylinder. Then the
drive shaft, moving up and down,
pounded the car as it was dragged 100
feet and finally dropped
No Chance For Escape
Twisted bits of metal were strewn
along the right of way. A cushion
and mans cap were picked up 250
feet from the track. The car was so
battered that it was impossible to tell
whether it had drawn, a trailer, as
was first believed.
Eight persons packed tightly into