Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-05-11
BENEATH THE TRAIN.



rails Several Cars.
A tramp met q tragic fate
near Green River last night,
an extra freight which left here
shortly after 8 o'clock in charge Of
Engineer Hickey. crushing him fright
fully. He. was working a ride. and
was stationed in the center of the
train. Losing his balance he fell
beneath the merciless wheels. In
striking the human obstruction one
of the cars was derailed, several
more following in a heap. Traffic was
blockaded for q couple Of hours. but
the damage to the cars was nominal.
No. IL was delayed two hours and
IS minutes as o consequence.
Surgeon S. C. Plummer, of the
Rock Island road, went to Green
River this morning and found the I'M
fortunate man still alive, but in a
pitiful condition and dying. The ac-
cident occurred at this end of Rock
river bridge. The man gave his
name as Joseph Fowler, of San Fran
cisco, stated that he was working
his way east, and standing on the
cross bar between two cars, which
we're suddenly pulled apart and he
fell upon the rail. He stated he had
a brother, r. N. Fowler, of 1874
Church street. Stockton, Cal. The
left leg was crushed from the heel to
the knee to a pulp, and the left arm
broken. DR.. Plummer and DR..
Sayles, who was already on the
ground, amputated the leg, but the
man, who is about So years old, was
apparently failing when the doctor
left. and expired at 8 o'clock this af-
ternoon.
Railway News Notes.
The platform about the Milwau-
kee depot has been repaired during
the week.
Engineers Thomas Greedy. Dennis
Foley and Frank Mosley. of the Rock
Island, are taking vacations.
The 224 and A, Carl Williams and
Charley Parsons c., r. l. & P. en-
gines. are being doctored at the
Davenport shops.
1t is understood the Peoria rail-
way is soon to inaugurate another
improvement in the way of through
daily coach to Springfield.
Jim Wilkinson's Rock Island en-
CINE, GA, has returned from a visit
to the Davenport shops much i'm
proved as the result of repairs.
Miss Ida Erickson, who so long and
obligingly presided at the Rock
Island depot lunch counter. has re-
signed. Miss Porter is her success
| sor.
The boys about the Rock Island
are inclined to doubt the explanation
given by one of the hostlers that the
superfluous incline above his eye
was caused by a misjudged ball
while acting as catcher in recent
ball game. - o. 81 .--- ..
F. w. Mckee, yardmaster for the
Rock Island, leaves this evening for
Atlanta, Ca, to attend the annual
national convention of the o. 4. C..
as delegate of the local lodge. He
will join the Chicago delegation,
which goes by special car.
General Manager Truesdale, of the
Rock Island, has started plan for a
system of crop reports this summer
that will be most valuable. All the
station agents of the company in
Iowa have been instructed to gather
the most complete and accurate in
formation possible on the 18th and
30th of each month and report it by
wire to the chief dispatcher at Des
Moines. Here it will be compiled
and reported to the general manager
at Chicago. The Rock Island reaches
about sixty counties in the state, and
those reports will be valuable.
The Burlington papers announce
that an automatic ditcher and loader,
with merits of startling proportions,
the invention of three Burlington
men. is about completed, and is soon
to be exhibited in model form. The
inventors are Conductor F. H.
Shis rs. Engineer Rudolph Frick and
ConUd ctor Nose Robinson, of the c.,
b. & Q. The machine, if it fulfills
the expectations Of its inventors will
undoubtedly revolutionIze the meth
cd OF railway ditching. grading and
excavation. tits an immense device,
and can te operated for an entire
train of cars by three men. at the
same time doing the work of several
hundred.