Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 May 1914 — Most Peculiar Wreck in Railroading History. [ARTICLE]

Most Peculiar Wreck in Railroading History.

The Lowell Tribune gives the following account of the ditching of Monon train No. 4 at that place last Tuesday morning, in which the following persons were injured but no lives were lost: Miss Josephine Crawford, 3506 Olive st., Chicago; left shoulder displaced. Miss Mary E. Helm, East Taron, Ky.; right shoulder dislocated and body bruised. Miss Anna Ray, 1412 Walter st., Louisville, Ky.; badly bruised; jaw fractured; eye injured. C. Dunson, porter, 341 Indiana avenue, Chicago; left eye closed and scalp torn. R. E. Parkinson, Eauclaire, Wis.; internal injuries, serious. A. P. Burland, Chicago, travelingman; head hurt. J. S. Green, porter, 3609 Wabash avenue; concussion. J. I. Crooks, 826 Main st., Racine, Wis.; abrasion on body. Mrs. Lizzie Flemming, G4G Thirtysecond st., Chicago; shock to nervous system; hysteria. Jonathan Sullivan, Chicago; nervous shook, bruises. 'Margaret W. Kelley, 356 E. 53rd st., Chicago; fractured leg. i Ed E. Ames,. Crawfordsville; bruises. State Woolricke, Summit, Ky.; shoulder dislocated. Fred Siephalem, Monroe, Wis.; nose broken. “Train No. 4, the fast LouisvilleChicagd mall train, on the Monon route, was wrecked at this place at 9 o’clock Tuesday morning. The wreck occurred at the Washington street crossing. “The train, W-hich is a fast mail between Louisville and Chicago, consisted of engine No. 440, iil charge of engineer Cliffbrd Summerville, and one mail car, one baggage car, one combination baggage and smoker, one day coach, and five Pullmans; the train being in charge of conductor Hackett, and is due in Lowell at 5:45 a. m. The train

was running four hours late, and in making up time, was passing through town at a high fate of speed, and was derailed by a broken switch. A mail sack, thrown from the first mail car in the train, struck the handle of the switch stand, breaking the same off squarely at the shoulder. This left the switch without a lock,, and the same gradually opened as the train passed over. The cause of the wreck is one, of the most peculiar in the history oi railroading, and probably never happened before nor will it ever happen again.

'rhe engine and tender, mail car and baggage car and combination iuiggage and smoker, passed safely over before the switch opened. The front trucks of the day r coach were the first to leave the rails, and continued on up the main track, followed by the first ' Pullman. The econd Pullman, the ‘Dougett,’ left the main track and followed the siding for some distance, when it was turned upon its side. This car was also followed by the remaining three Pullman cars, and continued down the siding for a distance of over Joo feet, through railroad ties telephone poles and dirt before it came to a stop. “In leaving the main track, the front end of the Pullman ‘San Ardo struck a telegraph pole, which was cut squarely off and entered the car length-wise and extended through the entire car. That there is not a long list of dead is surely an act of Providence as it is not in the memory of railroad men when such a wreck occurred that there was not a long list of dead. One reason for this is probably due to the fact that the tram was carrying the lightest load it had carried for months, ’Physicians were promptly summoned and many of the town’s people rushed to the scene of the accident, and every possible aid was given the injured.

Dr. Hidings, the company’s surgeon, and Dr. Peterson were at the scene of the wreck within a few minutes after the accident, and medical attention was given the injured passengers. Miss Leia McNay a nurse, also rendered much valuable assistance to the injured. “Those who were injured were all ab e to leave on the first train -out with the exception of R. E. Parkinson, who left on No. 6 in the afternoon. He was injured most and for a time it looked as though he might not survive, being an old man nm i Wa v seem ingly recovering nicely when he left. 6 “There were several eye witnesses to the accident, and thv all tell us that it was almost impossible to see anything for <the dust and dirt that was flying, and after it was all over' they ran to the scene, expecting to find scores of dead people. ’ Sto