Fatal Train Wreck Near Cle-Elum
A sleeping brakeman’s lapse leaves a freight train to roll backwards into a collision, killing a stowaway.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Ellensburg, April 23.—Last night as freight train No. 18 was cutting off to put the helper on at Easton, the rear brakeman, M. S. Kelly, failed to put on brakes, as he and another man were in the caboose asleep. Six cars and the caboose ran back toward Cle-Elum and met passenger train No. 1, smashing the front end of one car, making a total wreck. Kelly was injured, and one Sam Lawless was killed. No one was injured on the passenger train. It was about stopped when the runaway cars struck them. The man who was killed was riding with the train men, as he had no transportation and had left the employ of the road the day before. It was rumored on the streets that he was somewhat drunk. Mr. Kelly states that after the cut-off, the first brake ratchet slipped on the staff. 'Then I set the brake on the next car, then was about getting over a car of machinery when my foot got caught and I could not get loose before the cars got headway.'
“Six cars and the caboose ran back toward Cle-Elum and met passenger train No. 1, smashing the front end of one car, making a total wreck.”
Railroad accidents were frequent in the late 19th century, often caused by fatigue, mechanical failure, or simple human error. Today, while passenger safety is vastly improved, the heavy freight lines running through the Kittitas and Yakima valleys remain central to the region’s economy and persistent logistical risks.
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