The Washington times., 1938-06-20
REsCUERS HAMPERED

RESCUERS HAMPERED
The scene of the wreck is almost
inaccessible, except by airplane
and on foot over roads ankle deep
in mud. Rescuers also were ham
pered during the night by lack
of lighting facilities. Battery lamps
and headlights of the wrecking
train locomotives were entirely in
adequate.
The train left Chicago at 11:15
Friday night, routed via st. Paul
to Seattle.
Ploughing along through the
darkness, passengers IN coacneS
who were awake, watched the zig
Tagging of great bolts Of lightning
in the distance. They said only a
light rain fell just before the train
reached the weakened bridge.
Suddenly with a great roar, the
train and it's human cargo turned
over into the swirling waters Of the
creek. The locomotive and tender,
baggage car, mail car, express car,
two coaches and two tourist sleep
ers went into the water.
FOUR CARS UPRIGHT
The locomotive was deeply i'm
bedded in Shiny mud. Seven cars
were submerged or partly so. The
diner, two Pullmans and the obser-
walton car remained upright.
The wreck occurred in Sparsely
settled region near Saugus, Mont,
and it was several hours before
word of the disaster reached Miles
City.
Coroner Ralph Bray, of Custer
county, one of the first to reach
the scene, discovered the twisted
mass of steel piled up on the north
bank of the creek. Roads run
only to the south bank. It was
necessary during the early hours
to use airplanes and motorboatS
to cross the creek.
Bray took the bodies of En-
gineer Frank Merrifield and Fire
man H. E. Mccoy from the cab
of the locomotive. Merrifield was
smashed almost beyond recogn1-
ton and MCCOY was badly
mangled.
AS additional rescuerS reached
the creek, a wrecking train brought
SO injured here for treatment.
None was in serious condition, all
suffering bruises, cuts and abra-
sionS.
SURVIVORS, STORY
Ellis Lund and Thorston Thore-
son, of Dawson, Mimi, were among
these survivors and were the first
to describe conditions of the dis
aster.
1--WE were in one of the
coaches that hurtled into the
stream" Lund said. 1T was a
terrible thing. I was Jared
from sleep and found myself
hurled into the aisle amid q
tumble of fellow passengers.
"Cries, screams, groanS filled
the car. Water began to trickle
into the coach. At first I thought
1t was rain leaking through the
windows. It was raining out.
side and lightning flashes rip
ped the blackness.
Then the water began to
pour into the car, and I realized
we had been wrecked in a
river.
II scrambled to a broken win
dow and perched on top of the
car, with water tapping at my
feet. I sat there for many min
utes afraid to try and find out
how deep it was, and daZed by
the weird lightning flashes that
Illuminated the scene.
AID OTHERS IN CAR
"steam Missed from the en-.
CINE lying in the mud. Cries
sounded above the rushing
water. Thoreson and I finally
stepped into the water. It was
about four feet deep at that
point. We waded ashore. Dis
covering that the creek bottom
could be negotiated, we re.
turned and aided about 10 or
20 other passengers through
the window of the car, and then
came into Miles City for treat
ment."
Stories of other survivors were
in similar vein.
Most Of them were either asleep
or doing when the terrific impact
came. Many were killed instantly;
others drowned as the cars sub