Evening star., 1924-12-21
7 Hurt, 3 Missing. When Last
Car of Train Drops Off
Wisconsin TrestIe.
SWITCH BOLT SNAPPED
BY THE INTENSE COLD
Searchers Fear Other Bodies I'M
rrisoned-Bitter Weather
Hampers Rescue.
by Tie Associated Press

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. Decem-
ber 20.-Eight persons were killed
three others are missing and seven
were injured when the last coach Of
an eastbound Minneapolis, ST. Paul
and Sault Ste Marie passenger train
plugged from the trestle over the
Chippewa River here today into the
icy water SO feet below.
Six Of the dead had been identi-
fed tonight as Mrs. Harry Jones.
Sioux City. Iowa: Charles NJ. Pardoe
Minneapolis; Barbara Spencer, g.
month-old daughter of NJ. l.. Spencer,
Seattle. and Kenneth J. Henderson,
Moosejaw. Saskatchewan. Mrs. Florence
FiguS of Minneapolis and Richard w
Sharp of Toronto, and John r. Dunn OF
New York
The one unidentified person is a
woman
Coach Overturned.
Throughout the afternoon and into
the night the search of the ill-fate e d
coach continued as 1t lay bottom up
in about seven feet OF water, its
trucks and much of one end well
above the water line. Railroad Off
cials fear other bodies may be iti-
prisoned within the coach.
Seven persons taken to st. Joseph g
Hospital here were receiving medical
or surgical attention tonight and the
condition of three or four OF them
was considered serious, due to inju-
ries and exposure. Those in the hos
pital included:
Miss Marion Lawson. Menasha,
Wis.
Harry Jones, Sioux City. Iowa.
Mrs. ". l. Spencer. Seattle. Wash.
Mrs. Alma Blfxt, Fond du Lac,
Wis. wife of 500 Line fuel inspector.
Sam Curtiss, negro porter, St. Paul.
John Lewis, negro porter, st. Paul.
Another negro porter, unidentified
Mr.. Spencer, who is dean Of the
School of Journalism, University OF
Washington, and Mrs. Spencer. were
among the less seriously hurt. The
steward, Curtiss, also suffered prin-
Eipally from exposure. and was ready
20 leave the hospital tonight.
Broken Bolt Held Cause.
broken switch bolt apparently
was the cause of the accident, which
occurred as the train was pulling
into Chippewa Falls over the 700
foot trestle that spans the Chippewa
River, about a half mile from the
railroad station.
The railroad tracks parallel the
river along the north shore for some
distance, and the approach to the
bridge is wide curve, terminating g
just as the trestle is reached.
About 200 feet from the bridge is
a sidetrack with a switch off of the
Minnesota line. This track continues
along the river shore, while the main
line turns onto the river trestle.
The bolt in this switch apparently
had been snapped by the intense cold
and the forward coaches Of the train
had pounded against the left rail, on
the outside of the curve, right at the
switch, until its point had been bat
tered down.
Rear Car Jumps Rails.
All the coaches passed safely over
this point except the rear trucks of
the rear coach, which was a combi-
nation observation and cafe car.
Tracks along the ties show the rear
trucks, without the stabilizing in
huence of a coach behind them, jump
ed over the battered rail and travelled
down the side track about three feet
before being pulled toward the bridge
turn.
For the zoo feet until the trestle
was reached the rear trucks Travelled d
along the ties and out onto the
trestle. Marks on the trestle show
that the wheels on one side kept
from an inch to a foot from the
edge of the trestle for nearly zoe
feet.
Then, apparently, the connection
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