Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1877-09-04

1O0Us
[.ioux City Journal.
Many Of the survivors Of the recent disas-
ter on the Rock Island road tell some heart
rendering stories of what transpired during
the hours Of suffering which was exper-
fenced while they were held as in a vice
between the broken timbers ofthe cars, with
the waters Of the stream snrging wildly
about them. Col. C. w. Lowrie, Of Boonf.
boro, was one of the number, and in an in.
terview with . reporter Of the De Moines
Register gives the following account of the
situation in the car in which he and his
wife and Mr.. J. f. Bolt, OF Boone, and his
wife and daughter Allie were riding. He
says 1--WE were all sitting in the middle
Of the car when the crash came. Nj. Bolt
and l we're together, with our seats turned
with our backs to our wives, who we're also
sitting side by side. Allie Bolt was lying
on a seat alone, right across the aisle from
me. The first l knew Of the accident was =
tremendous crash Of timbers and glass and
the rush of waters. The lights went out
instantly, and We could see nothing, for il
was only half past two in the morning. The
car Above us crushed the roof of ours down,
so that there was not three feet of space
above us, and We thought the roof would
soon fall in. was held down BY timben
across my legs, both above and below the
knees both of my arms were also fastened
by The same cause. IA soon As we realized
our situation we began callingto each other /;
l called to Mr.. LoWrie and she answered
me, but We could not reach each other.
Mrs. Bolt and ! lay 20 that We could lust
touch tip. Of fingers, although both fast in
the debris. My wife suffered a great deal.
and she twice thought she was dying, and
when she heard the water rushing through
the car just below us she said, 20, Mr..
Lowrie, l pray the Lord that the water will
rise high enough to drown mel can't
endure this pain" Then she babe me
good.by, and her voice hushed 40 that I
heard nothing from her for three quarters of
AT hour. l supposed, of course, that she
was dead, and l could not help wishing th,t
we had both gone together. I called 10 her
now and then, but get no reply. After \
while she reused up again and called ME,
and ] quickly answered We could not have
been FIVE feet apart. After q few minutes Of
consciousness she again sank away, and We
parted, I supposed, for tie last time in life.
She did not again become conscious until .
Longtime after We got her out of the wreck
and removed her to Altoona. Mn. Bolt
insisted that l should not remove my fin.
gers from the tips Of hens she often called
to "John' and "Allie," her husband and
daughter. but no reply came. We did not
expect to get out at all. O my God, what a
condition hat vas! Nv wife dead "A l
believed, my friend dead. his daughter
dead, his wife dying, and l wedeed IN so
that l believed I couldn't get out.
Alter suffering a long time. I made up my
mind I would get nv right arm out of cen.
tinement OF pull it of-for l was suffering
mental agony equal to death. l pulled and
pulled and finally got it free by pulling of
oil my coat aud shirt sleeves. Right above
me ina hole that had been stove in a two
inch plank. l could see a CLEAN q" liRht;I
got this penknife and went to whiulinR-
cut for dear life, too. l must have cut u
two quarts Of chips with the knife, and
made the hole large enough 60 I could get
my body partly through il, but nv legs be.
log fast l could get no further. heard
people passing and repassing our car and
tried to call them TO help Us. After . while
. man came aud sawed off the timbcrs
which held me and / was the second 4
out Of the car.
Ny wife was taken out soon, % was also
Mrs, Bolt. both Of whom were alive. Ia
looking AFTER Mt. Bolt and Allie. his daueh
ter. We found that his head hsd been living
on my knec, aud that the same iron which
killed him had torn the leg Of nv pants
nearly Oh. There was . time during nv
~imprisonmcnt that could feel somebody's
head. oil covered with blood. dldn't
know who Nwss then. bot knew aler.
~ard at must have been NJ. Bolts.
All1e Bolt vas tytsg asleep ona ssat right