The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-05-06

Another Raifreaa HerroE. D
CEIiron. Iowa. April d. =
An appalling accident occurred on the Rock
Island Division of the Chicago. Milwaukee z
st. Paul Railroad, formerly known . IL
Western Union Railroad, eight miles below
this city, and one mile below Albany, Ill, at
.l:ao this morning. AT that hour the e3I1ss
train south, due In Rock island at six O'Clock.
was passing along at its usual speed. 1t had
just left Albany. As the train approached the
treetle bridge, two hundred or three hundred
feet long, over the Meredosia River near its
point Of junctule with the Mississippi, the en-
gineer gave tie usual short whistle: but the
bridge mast have Appeared alright, as he did
not slow uR When within Few fest Of the
bridge the engineer must have then noticed a
suspicious appearance, as he gave two or three
short, sharp whistles rs signals of danger.
Then Immediately followed q crash, heard
for three miles in either direction, as
the whole train went; down into the terrible
rushing waters. The Meredosia is at a
very high stage from the overflow of the
Rock River bottoms beyond. and an unusual
torrent had undermined the trestle. so that
one hundred feet Of II gave way as the engine
passed upon II. The train was composed Of
the engine. tender and three cars, the for
ward car containing the baggage, express and
mail; the second car contained eleven pas-i
sengers; the rear car was the sleeper, and
contained three passengers, and the colOred
porter. The engine. tender and the TWO FOR
ward cars went down into the river The
sleeper went partly over and hung on the
verge at an acute angle... - .--,.
The engine and tender, with the engineer.
William West, and the fireman, name not
learned, went down out of sight, and no sign
of the locomotive or men has since been seen.
The engineer is believed to have bravely
stuck to his throttle, when he might possi-
bly, have saved his life By jumping. 4 III
The express messenger, Daniel Ellithorpe,
and the baggageman, Samuel Flanagan, had
just gone into the passenger coach before the
accident, and they, with the brakeman, Henry
Meyers, the conductor, Thomas Fuller, all es-
capped by climbing on top OF the passenger
car as it was sinking, and leapfng thence. to
the top Of the sleeper. Meyers had his collar
bone broken and had to be helped out. Eli
thorpe and Flanagan were both badly bruised
Three passengcts in the rear car escaped by
climbing out of their berths up through the
rear end of the car IN their night-clOtheS, but
.afterwsSrd recovered all their clothing. One
of the gentlemen ran back to Albany in his
nights-clothes in the rain and reused the neigh
bOrs. 80 ~
Meantime. the passenger coach, with its
eleven occupants settled into the stream, and
fioated off across the water thirty rods to an
island. where it lodged, with only n foot and a
half of the upper part out of the water. For
tunately,. the forward end was badly broken.
and out of this one man CROPPED his way, and.
with the help of a train man, pulled out a lady
and girl, who were the only female occupants
Of the car, except another child, a girl two
years old, who was drowned. The mother and
daughter were rescued with great difficulty,
and were in badly-bruised condition. The
daughter had two or three ribs broken, and
was otherwise badly hurt internally.
Two men and lad of sixteen had, in some
way, climbed out of the car before it tlOated
away, and got on top. AS it fiOatcd by the ap-
proach to the wagon bridge, which was carried
out by the flood yesterday, they jumped
ashore, one man and boy escaping, the other
man falling into the river and being swept
under the car. OF eleven passengers in the
car, only five have been found. The others
have been drowned. No one knows the names
of any one of them, except the lad above re-
ferred to, who lost his brOthcr-in-law, with
whom he was en- route from Pine River. Wis.,,
to Omaha, and DR.. Lundy. The boy positive
~ refused to give his name.
5. Nothing is known of the names or destina-
lions of the five adult passengers drowned,
except of the Wisconsin man and DIR. D. w.
Lundy. The latter got on the Inflated train at
Albany, and was drowned within sight OF his
home. He was welLknown, highly esteemed
physician. whose loss is deeply felt, and he is
widely lamentcd. He was only going to the
next station below to see patient. o. ri1y