Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-07-23
STRANGER THAN FICTION
A Remark able Railroad Accident in
Iowa Detailed by supt. w. &.
Rr0wu

A Remark able Railroad Accident In
Iowa Detailed by supt. w. q
Brown.
Supt. W. G. Brown. of the Iowa divi
sion of the the Burlington road, ant
formerly occupying the same position OF
the Rock Island and st. Louis division
gives an account of his strange exper'
fence in relation to the wreck near Fair
| field, which resulted in no fatal casual
ties, but which came so near recording
the most death.dealing accident evel
happening in Iowa:
ut was the first time in all my railroad
experience" said the superintendent
THAT started wrecking train TO the
scene of a wreck before any wreck haC
occurred"
How was thatY" asked the reporter
Il was at Burlington when | received
3 telegram that the passenger train west
bound had taken the right of way be.
longing to the east bound freight. I al
once wired the agent at the station where
L knew the freight To be due. The
answer came back that the freight WAS
Just moving ont of sight Ii is six miles
between stations, and as the distance is
made up largely of curves | knew vlo.
lent collision was inevitable. | at once
telephoned the yard master to order oui
an engine and wreckIng car at once
got couple of physicians and
Immediately went to the depot to
take passage for the scene of the wreck
that | knew must occur. Before leaving
| wired 10 station west of point where
the trains were to meet and ordered a
wrecking train To start Mt once. | had
forty six miles to 60 and told the engi
neer to pull her wide open and get there
as soon as steam would permit him to do
so. We made the forty>six miles in Just
fifty>four minutes. and tell you it was
the longest ffty-four minutes of my
life"
And did you find a wreck, rs you ex>
pectedf"
Il found it just where | expected. and
| tell Won my pulse went down fifty per
cent when got there and found no one
was killed"
How many people were on The pass
senger traiu?"
at was loaded; every coach was filled,
and before | reached the scene | would
have settled with Providence on basis
of fifty to twenty killed and every other
passenger on the train more or less in
jured."
MIR. Brown stated that the engines
were total wrecks. The freight train was
drawn by two heavy engines. The ten
der TO the engine that hauled the passen-
ger train was forced more than half
way through the baggage car. The bag
gage car had been filled with raspber-
ries. But instead of raspberries," he
said, Il found nothing but raspberry
jam. la the wreck some stock was
killed. but Aside from good shaking W
the passengers were safe"
How do you account for the escape
of the passengers" was asked.
Air brakes, air brakes" was the re-
ply.
Il tell you," said he. 1.-The air brake is
great invention. The boys stood by
the engines and let on the air brakes fol-
all there was in them, and that's what
did the business. The result was that
the velocity of the trains was lessened To
an extent that one cannot estimate Had
II not been for the air brakes and tht
splendid use made of them every pas
senger would have been killed, and there
would not have been enough left of the
cars to tell what they were made of. II
was narrow escape, Bnd am thankful
Tor 1t. l never want another such scare. -