Evening star., 1938-06-20
CREWS DIG FOR BODIES
~ENTOMBED In CAR AS 40
DIE IN TRAIN PLUNGE
Rescuers Find IL
who Perished in
Montana Greek.
Pictures of ,ureck, page As;
death list, page Az
~ the Associated Press.

MILES CITY. Mont, June co.
Custer Greek, where the milwaukee,
railroads "Olympian' train crashed
Through flood-weakened bridge early
yesterday carrying nearly 40 persons to
death, receded to only inches in
depth today and crews began cutting
apart the tangled debris to reach one
tourist sleeper where many bodies re-
manned.
Heavy silt flowing into the sleeper
while 1t was submerged forced workers
to abandon attempts to raise it with
cranes.
The all-steel construction of the
train made this work difficult
Coroner Stanley Guy Of Prairie
County, Mont, scene of the tragedy,
the worst in recent years in American
railroading, said he would delay his
inquest until after recovery OF the
bodies.
The Interstate Commerce Commis-
sion, however. began an inquiry.
Sixteen bodies, IL of them identified,
have been recovered from the wreck
age. Another, that of an unidentified
woman, was taken from the Yellow
stone River, into which Custer Creek
flows, about SO miles from the scene
OF the tragedy.
Flood Carries Away Bodies.
Porters told OF seeing as many as
five or six bodies carried away by the
20-foot flood that rolled down the
creek channel.
The food waters, which carried out
. 180-foot bridge just before the fast,
air-conditioned train arrived at the
crossing early yesterday, continued to
Klbside slowly today
Salvage workers said the receding
water would permit them to dig the
bodies from the submerged sleeper.
As the muddy water fell back from
the windows OF the half-overturned
car, witnesses said they could see the
bodies of passengers, some still in
their seats. Lights in the sleeper hac
burned eerily almost until dawn yes
terday.
A train walker had reported Custer
Greek, 26 miles east of Miles City,
most dry few minutes before the
Lrain arrived.
Cars Pile Up in Heap.
But the food water was running
almost at track level when the racing
locomotive pitched into the creek.
Seven of the u cars behind it piled
up in . jackstraw heap of rent steel.
Milwaukee officials said the train
carried at least l55 passengers and a
crew of 10.
n With II known dead, A in hospi-
I.als, 81 treated for minor Injuries and
Il others reported unharmed, rescue
workers were hopeful the total dead
would not exceed 40. j. j. Oslie,
assistant general passenger agent for
the Milwaukee Railroad at st. Paul.
was at the scene and estimated the
dead would number 36.
Survivors and rescue workers agreed
that many more lives might have been
lost had not the more cool-headed
passengers and crew members skill
nfully aided their fellows out of the
swater-tilling cars.
mo Hysteria at ALL"
Graphically relating how passen-
gers escaped from his car, F.. Woltz,
. Chicago businessman, declared that
everyone was quite calm, there was
no hysteria at ALL"
lone end of the car next to us was
in water and we hollered to the peo-
pie in that car that it was not sinking
and to stay there as they'd be safe,"
Mr.. Woltz said
The Chicago man said two other
en followed him out through a
5roken window.
I'VE pulled the people in the car
from my window up to the top of the
sleeper. Someone found ladder and
We put it from the chair car to the
tender and people walked over the
rungs," Mr.. Woltz related.
At the hospital and at the Miles
City morgue, where relatives came
to claim their dead, stories of tragedy
and Of heroism were told by the sur
.Yivors.
Ten-year- Anne Lallas, whose
mother was dead and whose father
was missing, related how she tried des-
perately to keep her mothers head
above the swirling water
When the mother, Mrs. Thomas
Ladas, tainted from shock, the small
girl grabbed her hair and held her
head above water for several min
NteS
Anne's brother, 9-year-old George
suffered q broken arm. Unable tc
(See WRECK, Page A-3)