The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-05-28
STORM HURLS
CRACK TRAIN
FROM TRACK
Eleven Coaches Wrecked in
Tornado'S SWoop; 80
Are Injured.
ONE PASSENGER KILLED
Victim Is Thrown Through
Window, Crushed Under
Falling Cars.
ONE PASSENGER KILLED
By Time s SpectoI


MOORHEAD, MINI, May %. -
Death, suffering and heavy property
damage marked today the zig-zag
trail Of a freak tornado which
swooped down upon the fast En-
pire Builder, crack Great Northern
train, near here and hurled eleven
passenger coaches from the rails.
One man was killed and more
than thirty persons injured when
the twister tipped the train from
the tracks.
A few minutes later another man
was crushed to death when the
tornado descended again at point
eighteen miles away.
That no more were killed in the
unique wreck was considered mi
raculouS, but no less so than the
fact that the tornado Skirted all
centers Of population and killed
only one as It swept across farm
lands Of North Dakota and Mime
sofa.
CIoudburSt Hampers Rescue
Rescue work was hampered by a
cloudburSt which accompanied the
tornado. Seven inches of rain fell
within few hours in some places
The man killed in the wreck was
identified as James Anderson Of
Montesano, Wash. He was thrown
through window as the coaches
rolled over and was crushed when
the train settled down upon its side.
On his farm, eighteen miles away,
Andrew Hatledal saw the twister
coming, ran to his storm cellar and
was crushed to death when block
of concrete fell upon him.
The passenger train was en- route
from the west coast to- Chicago
when the tornado hit it and fiipped
it. over. 4
Passengers to Hospitals
Special trains were sent from
M4oorhead and Fargo to take the in
jured to hospitals.
One relief train brought 1O2 I'M
injured persons here. Thirty-seven
We're taken to hospitals here and ct
Fargo. Most of them were dis
charged quickly. Several were said
to be hurt critically.
The following eye witness descrip-
ton Of what occurred inside the
coaches of the Empire Builder when
it. was swept off the track was
written for the United Press by Miss
Pauline Smith, Seattle, Wash. Miss
Smith was in st. Johns hospital,
Fargo, being treated for number of
minor bruises and shock:
Hang on For Your Lives''
-Four of us we're sitting IN a
drawing room playing bridge when
1t happened. We had noticed the
dark clouds but paid little attention
to them.
Suddenly the car began to rock
slightly. In a few minutes we felt
it begin to swing from side to side.
the engineer was slowing down.
Somebody screamed Hang on for
your lives, and grabbed the side
of the car with all my might.
A second later it seemed as
though an unseen hand lifted our
car up in the air and tossed it aside.
I felt a sensation of falling, but I
held my grip, then everything went
black and I lost consciousness.
Miracle No More Were Killed
When 1 came to, people were
breaking windows and dragging pas
sengers from the wreckage.
Our coach was on its side. and
1t was a miracle that no more were
killed.
Il believe I should have been
killed had 1 not held tightly to the
side of the car as we went over
That was the only thing that saved
me.
The Negro porters on the train
were wonderful, although some of
them were badly hurt.
They would not leave the car and
they did everything possible for the
women passengers, forgetting their
own injuries in an effort to ease
pain and administer whatever first
aid they could.