June 12, 1903 Shakopee Tribune The first fatal accident on the work of filling the trestles across the river, where hundreds of men have been employed for a year past occurred Tuesday morning, when a brakeman named Ransom fell under the wheels of a moving train and was literally cut in two, dying instantly. the remains were taken to Mpls., his home.

June 19, 1903 Shakopee Tribune (Minn News) George Randall, a brakeman on the M&St.L. R.R., was killed in a railroad accident at Eden Prairie, Hennepin Co.

June 26, 1903 Shakopee Tribune Last Monday the last obstacle in the way of the construction of the new road up the trestle hill, which the Tribune has been fostering for nearly a year, was removed, and the work has already begun. Adam Teich gave a deed that day to be used in the new road for a consideration of $200, and nothing now remains but to cut through the bluff and open the road. The advantages of the new road need not be reviewed further in these columns. The road will follow its present course up to the hill to the culvert under the railway track and from there will cut directly through the bluff to the west of north and approach the present road a half a mile further on through the ravine. The new road will be somewhat longer and the rise is made less by avoiding the crest of the , so that the grade will be easy compared with the present hill road. It will be possible to haul loads up and down the new hill road and the element of danger to public travel will be greatly reduced, so that a new territory is opened up for Shakopee tradespeople. The construction of the new road has been desired by both the people of Chanhassen and Shakopee for many years past and the authorities of both towns were anxious to see it brought about; but it was not until the M&St.L. R.R. Co. in its gigantic work on the new route along the bluffs offered to do the work for the use of the dirt that was found within their means. Shakopee contributed $250 and Chanhassen a like amount and the road is to be built at no further cost to the public. About 40 negroes from Missouri are again at work on the M&St.L. railway across the river, in addition to the large number of men who have been at work nearly the year round and the fills which take the place of the two high trestles are nearly up to grade, while the new route along the bluffs and through the bottom lands to Chaska is nearing completion. Hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of dirt have been taken from the bluffs and carried into the ravines and along the bottomlands for two miles or more. The fills which replace the high trestles are nearly a hundred feet high and over three hundred feet wide at the base, while the grade has been raised from ten to twenty feet along the entire course. The alterations between Eden Prairie and Chaska will cost the St. Louis road between three and four million dollars and dozens of Shakopee laboring men are beneficiaries at $1.75 to $2.00 a day for ordinary labor. The gigantic work is of course spectacular and dozens of Shakopee people visit the scene of the operations daily.

July 2, 1903 Scott Co. Argus A careless member of the construction crew employed at the trestle left the gate of the Teich pasture open Monday night and Adam Teich morns the loss of a finely matched team of young horses, in consequence. The animals strayed onto the railroad tracks and were run down and killed by an M&St.L. train.

July 3, 1903 Shakopee Tribune Last Monday five colts belonging to Adam Teich got out the pasture and two of them were struck and killed by an M&St.L. train. The animals were two-year olds and valued highly by their unlucky owner. This week another crew of darkies arrived from Missouri, increasing the colored gang of laborers at work on the M&St.L. railway track improvements across the river to nearly eighty. The jolly negroes have some of them been around the country and already two acquaintances have been discovered. Photographer Jones and one darky had been well acquainted in some Missouri town years ago and Thomas Pinches and another darky were old friends when the former was a miller and the latter a barber in the Black hills of South Dakota.

July 23, 1903 Scott Co. Argus The work of rebuilding the M&St.L. R.R. track between this city and Hopkins has made rapid strides during the past two weeks of pleasant weather and from present indications it may be inferred that the new track will be completed and utilized in advance of freezing weather. the outlay for the improvements will be close to $3,000,000, but the benefit derived from them by the company will be well worth the investment.- Chaska Valley Herald

July 30, 1903 Scott Co. Argus Work has been finished on the new roadbed of the M&St.L. across the river, the high trestles are filled in and the finishing up of the work on the grade below the trestles is expected to be completed and the tracks laid and ready to use by the time the snow flies. The estimated cost of the completed job between Chaska and Hopkins approaches three million dollars.

Aug 20, 1903 Scott Co. Argus Burglars entered the M&St.L. depot at Hopkins last Friday week and got away with $200 in cash. The robbery was perpetrated in broad daylight, at the noon hour, and while the agent and operator were away at dinner. No clue of the robbers has been found.

Oct 8, 1903 Scott Co. Argus Last Friday and Saturday this vicinity was visited by the heaviest rainfall of the year, which has been one notable for the unusual amount of moisture which has fallen. Friday nights downpour was accompanied by an electrical display which filled with terror the timid and the sinful, but which did no damage nearer than Haskamp's farm south of town, where the dwelling house was struck by lighting and at Marystown where a horse belonging to Chris Schmitt was killed in the barn where it stood among several other horses, none of which were injured. Washouts on railroads were numerous, one at Chaska causing the wreck of a freight train on the M&St.L. In consequence their passenger trains were run through Shakopee on the Omaha road. The weather ever since has been cold, rainy and most disheartening to farmers striving to get their fall work in shape. No trains run on the H&D through here yesterday owing to a washout above Carver where two hundred tons of earth were deposited upon the tracks. The section men from went up yesterday to assist in removing the obstruction and trains are running as usual today.

Oct 8, 1903 Chaska Valley Herald The north bound freight train No. 91, on the M&St.L tracks was wrecked in the western part of our city last Saturday morning at about 3 o'clock a.m. The scene of the wreck was almost midway between the Chaska creamery and Leivermann's crossing and was caused by a washout, the result of the terrific rainfall and the water rushing down the Brinkhaus hill, washing out the sand from below the ties and rails. Six cars ran off the track, three of which were completely wrecked. The engine, coal car and the first box car safely crossed this dangerous part of the track, but the second box car jumped the track and was followed by five others. The terrific rain had formed a rivulet north of the track and with the water rushing down the hill, something had to give and the track almost sunk into oblivity. Two cars contained oats, which was scattered about, also a load of empty beer kegs and eights. The wrecking train was at once dispatched for and arrived early Saturday morning and the work of reconstructing was begun. A temporary track was laid, but no trains passed over until Saturday evening at 10 o'clock. The work continued all Sunday and part of Monday and the track is now in pretty good shape. This is a very dangerous part of the track, as a terrific rain, such as fell Friday night is sure to fill up the ditch between the track and the hill and wash out the gravel and sand and when once running across the track will surely ditch it and cause a wreck. The damage is considerable, but we have not learned the exact amount.

Oct 22, 1903 Sott Co. Argus Pat Rogers, foreman of Walsh's construction gang at work the past year on the M&St.L. across the river, left last night to take up similar work at Cedar Falls, Ia. A number of Shakopee boys who have been working on the new road here accompanied Mr. Rogers, among whom were Ed Spielmann, Christ Deller, Clyde Dean and Ben Baker.

Oct 30, 1903 Shakopee Tribune William Reimer, who has been employed as watchman for the M&St.L. railway at the high trestle for several years past has accepted a position as engineer in a mill in Mpls. and moved his family to that city the fore part of the week.

Nov 20, 1903 Shakopee Tribune The stupendous work of changing the M&St.L. R.R. track along the bluffs across the river is at last completed, after two years of effort and the first trains were run over the new track from Chaska to Eden Prairie last week. This change in the track from Hopkins to Chaska, a distance of 14 miles, is said to be the heaviest piece of railroad engineering in the state. There is a drop of 200 feet in the distance and this has been so distributed that there is no grade greater than 31 feet to the mile, as against 66 feet in the old track and the curves made necessary by following the bluff have been reduced from 24 to 6 in number. The two "High Trestles", which have been widely known as among the highest and the longest in the state have been done away with and instead are fills which cover over three hundred feet in width at the base, are nearly a hundred feet high and twenty feet wide across the top. Cement viaducts run underneath these and cement runways are substituted for roadways and cattlepaths all along the line. Everything has been put in permanent shape and at a cost of nearly four million dollars. The railway company makes the heavy investment believing that it will pay for itself in shortening the time schedule and doing away with the troubles of the past in getting heavy trains up the steep grade leading from the bottom lands to the heights of Eden Prairie.

June 30, 1904 Chaska Valley Herald A terrible collision occurred opposite Yorkville Prairie on Tuesday evening at about six o'clock. During the raging storm engine No. 66 collided with the "extra" or work train No.10, resulting in the serious injury of O.B. Sigafoos of Excelsior, Ernest Bahr of Laketown, this county and C.C. Hewitt, fireman on No. 66; O.B. Sigafoos dieing at St. Barnabas hospital, Mpls., yesterday morning at 2:30 o'clock. Both engines were almost entirely demolished; the caboose of the work train after finishing the days work and running without orders, was on its way to Chaska to bring in the workman who board in this city. The conductor of the work train, knowing the local freight was about 2 1/2 hours late, thought he could get his train to this city before the freight train pulled out and his train was running pretty fast when coming down the grade from the high trestle and when just opposite the race track, the engineer noticed the local freight coming up the grade and that the distance between the two trains was very short and a collision was inevitable, at once shut down and he and the fireman jumped, thus saving their lives. Ahead of the engine the caboose was coupled and in this Sigafoos was seated. On account of the heavy rainstorm the oncoming train was not noticed until very close by and he then ran for the steps and had gained them but is was too late. Just as he jumped the trains collided, catching him and throwing him below the wheels of the engine, cutting off both of his feet, braking his arm and cutting a deep gash in his forehead. Ernest Bahr, another workman, sustained a severe fracture of the chest, but it is expected he will recover. The engineer on the local jumped in time, but the fireman, C.C. Hewitt could not get out and was caught in the collision, but in some accountable manner crawled out of the debris with only his collar bone broken. it is a miraculous escape from death. The injured men were removed to the residence of Wm. Heiman where Drs. Schober and Marshall were summoned and medical aid given them. About 10:30 in the evening they were taken to Mpls. on an extra. Sigafoos was taken to St. Barnabas hospital and died at 2 o'clock the following morning. C.C. Hewitt, the fireman, went to Asbury hospital, and his injuries are not necessarily fatal. Before being taken to the train to be removed to the hospital he asked that he be carried to the scene of the wreck and when shown the cab wherein he was confined, he exclaimed "Holy smoke, how did I ever get out of there alive?" Immediately after the collision the wrecking train was telegraphed for and arrived about 8 o'clock. It took all night to get the track cleared and the evening passengers ran over the Omaha tracks. Mr. O.B. Sigafoos, the dead man, was well known in this county. he resided in Excelsior. He is survived by a wife. Mr. Sigafoos was in the prime of his life and it is a sad misfortune. We have not heard any further developments. The injured man, Ernest Bahr, is of Waconia, and brother of Henry Bahr, a well known farmer of the same town. They were here Wednesday to see him and found that he was rapidly recovering. He will be moved home today.

July 1, 1904 Shakopee Tribune During a heavy rain and hail storm last Tuesday at 6 o'clock a work train and a freight met in a head-on collision on the M&St.L. track about a mile this side of Chaska, resulting in the worst wreck in this vicinity in many years. The blame has not been fixed, so far as known, but one of the trains is said to have been running ahead of time and the heavy storm prevented the engineers from seeing their danger until too late to keep the trains from meeting at high speed. The work train consisted only of the engine and caboose and the wreck set the engine up on end and the caboose on top of the pile. One man, O.B. Sickerfuss of Excelsior, tried to jump from the caboose and fell beneath the wheels, which cut off both legs below the knee and Henry Hewitt, of Mpls., a fireman stuck to the engine and had his collarbone broken and suffered internal injuries. Sickerfuss was taken too a Mpls. hospital and died at 2 o'clock in the morning. Five others were more or less seriously injured. The passenger trains of the St. Louis were run over the Omaha line from Merriam Jct. until Wednesday morning, when the track was cleared and regular traffic was resumed.

July 1, 1904 Scott Co. Argus During Tuesday nights rainstorm a freight train and the work train which has been running between Eden Prairie and Chaska collided near Chaska fatally injuring Osby V. Sigafoos of Excelsior and very seriously injuring Ernest Barr of Waconia and C.C. Hewitt, fireman of the local freight. They were taken to a Mpls. hospital where Mr. Sigafoos died of his injuries Wednesday morning at 2:30 o'clock. It appears that the accident was due to gross carelessness on the part of the work train people, who instead of waiting for the local freight to pass and which they knew to be overdue, started into Chaska in the storm trusting to luck to get there before the freight. The blinding rain prevented either engineer from seeing any distance and when the crash came, Sigafoos, who was sitting on the steps of the work train caboose which was being pushed ahead of the engine, fell under the wheels of the engine as the caboose was crushed to splinters between the two. Others on the car jumped in time to save themselves. While the wreck was being cleared away the M&St.L. trains were run through here on the Omaha.

July 7, 1904 Chaska Valley Herald Osby V. Sigafoos of Excelsior, who was fatally injured in the collision on the M&St.L. R.R., reported in our last issue, was 53 years old and leaves a wife and three children. He was much respected and his death is deeply regretted. Fireman Hewitt who was seriously injured is slowly recovering at his home in Mpls. Ernest Bahr of Waconia, is rapidly recovering and his injuries were not as serious as first reported. He is at home and will soon be at work again.

May 5, 1905 Shakopee Tribune Mr. and Mrs. John W. Beck entertained Mr. and Mrs. A.A. Panghorn of Eden Prairie, Sunday. Mr. Panghorn is depot agent for he St. Louis road at that station.

Nov 9, 1905 Chaska Valley Herald The M&St.L. R.R. Co. last week completed the survey for the site for the new Carver Co. Sugar Factory and the work of grading for the immense line of sidetracks was let to Joseph Mergens of Deephaven, Minn. Mr. Mergens arrived here last Monday with his outfit and on Tuesday he put 10 teams to work and expects to increase his force within a few days and if nothing unforeseen happens he will have the entire line of grading for the sidetracks completed ready for laying ties and iron rails within two weeks time. A force of 40 men and 20 teams will be at work the latter part of the week and will hustle the work along as fast as possible. Mr. Mergens is an old hand at this kind of work and when he undertakes a job you can rest assured its a go. The officials of the M&St.L. Co. claim they will have the side tracks laid and engines running to the new site within a month or before the material for the foundation and building arrives here ready for the new industry of which the people of Chaska and the county feel so proud of. (Goes on to tell about how the St.Louis Park sugar factory burned, Ect.)

Nov 16, 1905 Chaska Valley Herald Mr. Henry J. Miller, manager of the Carver County Sugar Co., left last Saturday evening for Ypsilanti, Mich., his home, and will go from there to East Tawas, to superintend the packing and removal of the plant to its home to be at Chaska. Mr. Miller in conversation with the Herald said that all machinery and goods would be shipped this fall that could be kept outdoors over the winter and of course the most delicate and intricate machinery would be held over in Mich. until next spring. The work of loading will begin this week and shortly the tracks of the M&St.L. will be lined with cars containing the machinery that will in future make Chaska famous. The work on the grading for the side tracks is coming along fine and Mr. Miller says that if the weather remains good he has hopes of starting the foundation this fall. We will have more to say anent the new enterprise in our next number.

Nov 23, 1905 Chaska Valley Herald The Herald reporter on invitation from Mr. Fred C. Hicks last Tuesday afternoon drove down to the selected site for the new sugar factory, the industry that is to make Chaska famous and to say that we were agreeably surprised is putting it mildly.The grading has been all finished and it is certainly done up in right shape. The scene that met our gaze was one of activity-activity that means success. The railroad men were at work unloading rails, laying the same and the surveyors of which we noted about a half a dozen, were at work staking the site for the location of the buildings. (Goes on to talk about the buildings and site.)

Dec 7, 1905 Chaska Valley Herald Article about the work begun on the sugar factory.

Dec 21, 1905 Chaska Valley Herald Picture and article about sugar factory.

June 14, 1906 Chaska Valley Herald (Carver Items) The M&St.L. has a crew of men laying the new steel from Merriam to Chaska and they are at present side tracked here. J.B. Courtright of Minnesota "U." has charge of the boarding outfit.

June 22, 1906 Scott Co. Argus The M&St.L. road is laying new track from Merriam to Chaska. The boarding car is in charge of J.B. Courtright a university student.

June 28, 1906 Chaska Valley Herald (Carver Items) The extra gang finished laying the 80 lb. steel for the M&St.L. and have gone to Chaska where they are engaged in a like vocation.

Sept 27, 1906 Chaska Valley Herald Big Headlines: Passenger Wrecked, Fatal Railroad Wreck at New Prague, Monday Morning, Four Killed, Large Number Injured, Both Engines and Two Coaches Are Entirely Demolished. A fearful railroad wreck in which four men lost their lives and many were injured, happened at New Prague last Monday morning. The south bound passenger on the M&St.L. road, ran into a freight engine and tender and both engines were entirely demolished. A party of men were playing cards in the smoking car when the crash came and three of them were hurled into eternity without a moments warning. The other fatality was that of young Wrabeck, who happened to be on the tender of the freight. The passenger was just drawing into New Prague and was running pretty fast, being 7 minutes late and in rounding the curve the engineer espied a freight on the main track, but it was too late to stop and the engine crew jumped in time to escape death. A very large number of persons were injured in the collision and some seriously. As to who was to blame for the catastrophe, we have not learned but it surely is one of the most serious in the annals of railroad history. The citizens of New Prague, did heroic rescue work and everything possible was done to relieve the suffering. Both engines, baggage car and smoking car were demolished in the wreck.

Sept 28, 1906 Scott Co. Argus Big Headlines: Five Killed; A Score or More Injured in a Terrible Wreck in New Prauge. Freight Engine and Passenger Train Crash Monday. Crashing Timbers Cur Short the Lives of Three Men While Playing Cards in the Smoking Car. Herman Boehmer one of Shakopee's Citizens Among Injured. Five killed, many others more or less seriously injured, two engines put out of commission and several cars broken to splinters, tells the gruesome story of what is said to be the worst wreck in the history of the M&St.L. R.R. On last Monday morning the ill fated local passenger train bound from Mpls. to points in Iowa crashed into the engine of a freight train that was doing some switching on the main track about one block north of the New Prague depot. The passenger train was supposed to have a clear track to its usual stopping position and being about 15 minutes behind time was pulling into the depot at a pretty high rate of speed, supposedly at the rate of 30 miles an hour. There is a sharp turn in the roadbed not far from the station and a small elevation of ground obstructing the engineers view, he was unable to see whether the track ahead of him was clear or not and before he could get control of his train they were upon the freight train and the awful crash mentioned above was the result. The awful impetus of the heavy passenger against the freight engine threw the engine of the former back upon the baggage and express cars as a result the smoking car was telescoped from end to end. It was the smoking car that the four men were killed, three of which were traveling men, while playing a game of cards and the marvel is that more of the passengers did not meet with a like fate. The men who lost their lives in the fatal wreck are: D.D. DeMarais of Mpls, traveling representative for Wyman-Partridge, wholesale co., F.E. Brown of St. Paul, traveling agent for the Foot-Schulz shoe co., Frank Wrabeck of New Prague, G.E. Klinkerfus of St. Paul, traveling agent for the Gotzian shoe co. and Arthur Kilmeyer of Albert Lea. Among those injured was one of our own townsmen, Herman Boehmer who sustained a broken shoulder and otherwise severely shaken up. He is at present being cared for at the hospitable homeof H.H. Heinen of New Prague where he was taken after the accident. Mrs. Boehmer went to New Prague Tuesday evening to remain with her husband until he can be brought home. Mr. Boehmer was on his way to New Prague where he had secured employment as a carpenter on the new church now in course of construction. His injuries will lay him up for some considerable time and hence means no small loss to him and his family who have the entire sympathy of his friends and neighbors and who sincerely hope for his speedy recovery.