On This Date in Minnesota History: March 28

March 28, 1902 – When Engineer Richard Gray pulled the Burlington’s Chicago train into the Minneapolis Union station this morning, he found his fireman, Fred Busacker, dead, with the top of his head knocked off.

Burlington Route¹

Subsequent investigation by the railroad officials showed that Busacker was killed as the train went onto the University railroad bridge near 15^th Ave. SE. The first and third bridge supports on the east end of the bridge were spattered with blood and brains.

Busacker was a single man, 24 years of age. He lived with relatives in St. Paul. He and Engineer Gray took charge of the train this morning at LaCrosse. He had been under Gray for a week, and formerly was a fireman on an engine in the Minnesota Transfer yards.

The new type of engines used by the Burlington have the cab divided by the boiler. Busacker, after the train left St. Paul, went onto the platform between the engine and the tender.

Minneapolis Union Station and Arch Bridge²

When the train pulled into the station Gray looked for the stopping signal, which is usually given by the trainmaster to the fireman and transmitted by the latter to the engineer. He did not get the signal but stopped anyway and stepped to the other side of the boiler to call the fireman to account.

He found Busacker hanging over the gate that swings between the engine and the tender.

The entire upper portion of the young man’s head had been broken in.

The remains were cared for by the coroner and later taken to St. Paul.

The Minneapolis Tribune; “Fireman’s Head Is Knocked Off. Burlington Train Pulls Into the Union Depot With Dead Man in the Cab. Accident Is A Mystery. Unfortunate Man Was Fred Busacker, a Resident of St. Paul.”; March 29, 1902; p. 7.

¹https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago,_Burlington_and_Quincy_Railroad

²http://www.postcardy.com/mplscard/postcardimages/a8650Z.jpg

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