The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1931-05-29

NAMED IN the cOdcn and aided
several women, who were lying
cut and bleeding, to safety.
All of the steel coaches were ly-
ing on their sides in the ditch
when all available physicians,
nurses and ambulances arrived at
the scene. After first aid was
given to some of the injured the
passengers were placed on a speci-
al relief train dispatched to the
scene. A wrecker and a special
crew also was sent from st. Cloud
to clear away the wreckage.
Locomotive Shaken
A special train was made up in
Fargo and the u%ninjured passen-
gers continued the trip to Mime
apolis. The train was expected
70 arrive here Thursday morning.
= Description of the wreck, CIV
en- by the train crew, revealed
many freaks of the wind.
AL. Klinfehn, Minneapolis, fire
man of the train, said he noticed
the cloud for several miles as they
We're travelling eastward.
81 saw a cloud that looked men,
acing and watched it for several
miles," he said after the wreck,
then suddenly the wind struck
with terrific force, without warn
ing and took the coaches off the
tracks. 1t happened so quickly |
didn't realize they were gone"
Edward Brandt, conductor in
charge of the train, was dazed by
the wreck. After he recovered
from the shock he crawled from
his car, boarded the locomotive,
the only part of the train left on
the tracks, and ordered the en-
gineer to proceed at once to Sabin,
the closest easterly town. From
there word of the accident was
sent to Fargo, Moorhead and the
Twin Cities.
d. e. Mckee of st. Paul, en-
gineer of the train and victim of
two previous wrecks, said the
coupling between the first coach
and the tender was snapped as
the high wind struck the train.
The locomotive which weighs
$4,000 lbs. in weight, trembled,
he said.
The tornado was described as
having travelled in a northeastern
ly direction in something of a
corkscrew path for a distance of
Is miles. It's width was estimat-
ed at a quarter Of a mile. 1t first
appeared seven miles southeast of
Moorhead It's green funnel was
plainly visible.
The Empire Builder is one of
the northwest's fastest trains. 1t
was named for James J. Hill.
1t has been in service three
years on the run between Chicago
and the Pacific coast via Mimi
esota, North Dakota, Montana and
Idaho.
Farm Building LeveIed
AS the tornado swept across
northwestern Minnesota it f1atten-
ed many farm buildings. On the
farm of E. C. Miller, one mile
east of DiIlworth, Mimi, it wreck
ed a barn and outbuildings and
killed livestock. Members of the
escaped injury.
When it struck the HatTebal
farm the house was blown away.
Cattle and poultry was killed in
other sections of the valley.
Witness Storm Tragedy
st. Paul, MINI, May 2S-From
the rear PLATFORM of another train,
Den e. Lyons, general counsel for
the Northern Pacific railroad, wit
messed devastation wrought by
the tornado which later wrecked
the Great Northern railroads EN-
pire Builder.
Lyons was a passenger on a
Northern Pacific train which left
Moorhead, Mimi, yesterday ahead
of the Empire Builder and missed
being hit by the fatal tornado. He
described the rear platform of his
train as like a box seat at a base
ball game"
ga brakeman summoned the
passengers to the rear platform"
said, "to watch what he
called a big blow coming up We
saw a greenish black cloud hang
ing over the country a few miles
west of us.
1.-THE cloud seemed to hover
close to the ground not moving
very fast. 1t sort of hedge-hopped
along and we saw clouds Of dust
swirl through the air and then
earth was sucked into the funnel.
ut headed for a group of farm
buildings dipped low and hurled
The barn skyward. Planks and
pieces of roofing were hurled what
seemed hundreds of yards away.
Other passengers said the house
too was demolished. Cattle scam
.ered away and the cloud rose. 1t
was a question then whether 1t
strike a grove of trees.