Many Cars in the Ditch

From "The Quincy Gazette," Quincy, WA

September 3, 1909

Many cars are piled up in the ditch at Trinidad as a result of the westbound freight No 487 running into the work train No 1158, which is graveling the road at Wenatchee. The work train was partly on the sidetrack, but had not yet cleared, when No 487 bumped into it, throwing many cars into the ditch. No one was hurt. It is estimated that it will take eight hours to clear up the wreck and it is probable that No 1 will be sent from Spokane via the Northern Pacific.

TOLD BY OUR CORRESPONDENTS
Trinidad--Freight engine Nos 1818 and 1158 were completely demolished in a collision at the gravel pit two miles below Trinidad at 7:30 Saturday morning, delaying traffic for 27 hours. No one was injured.

the cause of the wreck is not known. The engineer misread orders or disobeyed them and failed to hold his engine under control and drove down grade at a high speed, crashing into the tender of the gravel train as it was taking the spur, carrying the engine and tender and tearing up the track for 100 yards, finally leaving it and crashing into the bank of the river side, throwing the gravel train into the pit on the other side.

The trainmen jumped, thus averting any serious injuries. Friends of the engineer on the 1800 say that he lost control of the brakes and could not control his train. When he recovered from the shock resulting from the jump he went to the engineer of the 1100 and said, "If you'd been under that debris I'd jump straight into the river," then took his grip and went down the track and hasn't been seen or heard from since.

There being two wrecking crews and the passenger trains here Saturday night and Sunday morning, melons and other eatables were in great demand.