THE WAUPACA COUNTY REPUBLICAN

March 14, 1890

 

Mashed Potatoes

 

            The Weyauwega Chronicle gives the following account of the smash-up to a train of eighteen or twenty cars of potatoes that left this station noon Tuesday, for Chicago and the East:

            A wild freight, consisting mostly of potatoes, met with a serious accident while passing this station Tuesday evening.  The train broke in two, and the engineer set the air-brakes on the cars next the engine, stopping the forward section, and whistled for brakes.  Soon after the rear section crashed into the forward one, crippling the coupling attachments on every car in the train but three.

            In the caboose were the conductor and brakemen, George Hudnul and Irwin Merwin of Waupaca, the latter in charge of a consignment of potatoes for A.M. Penney.  The conductor was thrown over the stove and received serious injuries.   The brakeman had a shoulder dislocated; Mr. Hudnul had a finger cut, and Mr. Merwin’s head was thrown through the window, injuring him quite seriously.  The engineer and conductor returned to Stevens Point, the brakeman to Oshkosh, Mr. Merwin stopped here while Mr. Hudnul took the passenger for Chicago.

            Besides causing a damage of $1,000 to the cars, it necessitates the transferring of the potatoes to their cars.  Mr. Penney of Waupaca, who had eleven bars in the train, was here this morning, said he would have to transfer all but one car.

            Besides damaging the cars, the potatoes tipped over the stoves, so that no fire was kept up during the night and some of the potatoes were chilled.  Had it been a cold night the loss would have been heavy.

            Frank Pitcher was also in the caboose, going to Oshkosh to weigh the cars but was not hurt much.

***

            The cars were all brought back to Waupaca and side-tracked.  Wednesday night about ten o’clock a wild freight was coming in from the west; at the same time another freight was just in from the east and was standing on the track.  Through orders received at Sheridan, (or a misunderstanding of orders) the incoming freight was to pass by, but the blocked condition of the track made it impossible.  But in order to keep the engine and train from running into the engine and train already coming in from an opposite direction, the switch was turned and signal given for the train to stop.  The engineer reversed and he and the fireman jumped.  The train came thundering in but with speed much slackened, not enough however, so but what the already broken potato cars standing on the side track, were smashed still more.  It was a narrow escape for the engineer, who in jumping caught his feet in the canvas, sustaining quite serious scratches and bruises.

            $5 reward is offered the Chronicle, for the head of Irwin Mewin which was thrown through the window - if it was lost.