1902-04-23-sc-p1-cwrr-crashed-neil-bowie-jr-killed
April 23, 1902 Spokane Daily Chronicle Page 1:
TRAIN WENT IN THE DITCH
Central Washington Passenger Train, En Route to Spokane, Wrecked Between Cheney and Medical Lake.
ONE DEAD, MANY HURT
Six Year Old Child From Reardan Killed Outright--Other Children Suffer--John Kellogg of Lincoln County Severely Injured.
A disastrous wreck resulting in one death and a number of very serious and perhaps fatal injuries occurred about 9 o'clock this morning on the Central Washington branch of the Northern Pacific railroad about two and one half miles west of Cheney.
The cause of the wreck is said to have been a defective steel cattle guard, one of the rods of which, it is believed, tipped up and caught In the trucks of the front coach.
The accident derailed two coaches and the mail and baggage cars, the two latter, however, remaining at an angle without upping over.
The list of killed and injured as far as could be learned this afternoon is as follows:
Dead.
The 6 year old daughter [son] of Mr. and Mrs. Neill Bowie of Reardan.
Injured.
E. D. Kellogg, ex-commissioner from Lincoln county and a resident of Reardan, injured internally and in a critical condition.
Gene Rice, passenger, leg broken,
Bert Lindley, express agent of Spokane, shoulder dislocated,
——— Phelps, child, both wrists broken
——— Phelps, infant in arms, severely injured in head.
Passenger, name unknown, badly bruised in one leg.
Several persons with minor scratches and bruises,
No Chance for Warning.
The cause of the wreck is in some respects a mystery, and, except the fact that it was caused by a defective cattle guard at one of the railroad crossings. Little is known of the conditions leading up to the smash.
It appears that the Washington Central train, or the "Big Bend special." as it is known in railroad circles, was running nearly on schedule time this morning, and would have arrived here about on time at 9:35 a.m. When nearing Cheney, between that place and Medical Lake, and about two or three miles west of the former town, the crash came, There was nothing to warn the travelers, and everything was going smoothly, when all at once there was an awful jolting and before anything further could be done, or hardly thought of, two coaches, containing a large number of people, were thrown from the track and over on their sides.
It is believed the trucks of the front coach had become entangled with the steel cattle guard and had been thrown from the track, taking the coach and the one behind it with it. The mail and baggage cars were also dragged from the track, but were probably kept from tipping clear over by the engine, which kept the rails. The train was not broken !n two. Luckily for all concerned, the speed at which the train was moving at the time of the accident was not great, else matters might have been much worse.
Brought to Spokane.
Every effort was made as soon as possible to rescue those who were made helpless by the wreck and to care for the injured. Help was secured from Cheney and the injured were conveyed by another engine and a boxcar into that town. Medical aid was called and everything done that could be.
The little Bowie girl [boy] was killed instantly and probably experienced no suffering E. D. Kellogg, an elderly man, who was very severely injured and whom it is reported may not recover, was taken to the hospital at Cheney, where he now is and will remain until the end comes or till, he recovers sufficiently to be moved. At last accounts he was out of his head. The other passengers, including the injured, were put on a train and brought at once to Spokane.
This special arrived here this afternoon at about 1:35, The news, which had traveled very fast, had summoned many interested parties to the depot to hear of the accident. Ambulances were in waiting and the injured were taken to the hospital, where they are being cared for by Dr. Essig, assisted by some other physicians,
Conductor Smith had charge of the wrecked train, but from all accounts there seems to have been no blame attaching to him, or to any one else, and the accident may be set down in the list of unavoidable misfortunes.
Mail Weigher G. W. Rohrbaugh was among those slightly hurt, one hand being injured.
