Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1899-09-29

p I. r.
j., "A few years ago while in company
with noted physician from one of the
Southern states we started from Indian
apolis, Ind, to Florida. 1t was the first
day of that terrible blizzard which cost
Roscoe Conklin and hundreds OF other
people their lives. Our course was by
the way of Cincinnati, where we would
have arrived in six hours had it not been
for the severity of the storm which
snowbound Our train in Eastern Ohio
for four days. Finally we made our way
to Cincinnati and from there on 10 Pitts
burg, Pa, where we were due to, leave
on Thursday night train for Tampa,
Fla. 1t was 10 o'clock before we reached
Pittsburg and had the Florida train left
on time, which was two hours earlier,
we would have avoided what proved to
be most horrible accident. The travel
at this season OF the year. was extremely
heavy and as we were late and running
quite rapidly in order to make connect
Ions with another train which. left
Washington City ut 10 o'clock, that
evening and was to be in waiting for us
in Savannah, Ga, where both trains on
the following morning We're to be CON
solidated and go on southwark as one
rain but composed Of two sections. We
arrived at Savannah just one hour and
forty minutes late.
The train being behind time, we were
trying to make it up and were running
at rapid speed. Just as the train
rounded short curve into the valley Of
the Blackshear river, which was SPAWNED
by bridge, the engineer was signalled
TO stop by man waving handkerchief,
but the speed of our ira in was so great,
that before the brakes could be success
fully applied we were plunged into the
river through an open span and our
eleven cars most of them had come
down precipice of over thirty feet.
Hardly single person ON the train es-
capped without injury. Fortunately,
which is one of the greatest miracles
of modern times, not a single person
was killed. There were people with
broken arms, broken legs and bruised
from head to foot, all more o. less Of
great consequence. The doctor who had
accompanied me, DR.. Rea from Louis
vile, KY, in connection will, DR.. War
rem, of Fowler, Tex, and DR.. Lyod. OF
New Orleans, who were passengers on
the train, completed medical staff. Dr..
Rea and DR.. Lyod, fortunately, were
only slightly injured, and of course it
fell to their lot to take care of the
wounded and the sick which was done
in short order. They erected a tempo
rary hospital in one of the railroad
coaches which was derailed, telegraphed
for medical supplies and in the mean
time kept up their work, which princi-
pally consisted of bandaging, sewing up
wounds and controlling hemorrhagcs.
DR.. Rea being the junior surgeon, per-
formed some wonderful feats and had it
not been for his real quickness Of &C.
ton and master of the art of medicine
and surgery many of the injured would
proved fatal or crippled for life. Among
the injured was certain gentleman, MIR.
R. w. Lockwood, whom met some
years after, and in conversation with
him learned that he was in this particular
accident; that he was seriously injured;
that he thought his case was hopeless,
and that he was afflicted for some time
after and says had it not been for DR..
Rea's wonderful knowledge of his con-
dition and master of diseases he is GER
tain he would have been dead long ago
DR.. Rea often visits professionally cities
throughout the United States. He has
visited Mt. Lockwood both socially and
professionally; Mr.. Lockwood says:
have seen scores of his patients and they
all tell me Of his examinations and treat
raent OF their cases in the same accurate
and wondering way that he is able to
perform almost supernatural wonders in
his profession. He believes in whatever
is best, and that he is in this world to do
this work and that he will stay here until
he is done. He has great confidence in
himself and has good reasons to have;
I don't think he ever knew defeat, and if
he did I don't think he would recognize
it or would be long turning it into VIC
tory if he did, The most wonderful fea-
ture of this mans life is his ability to
diagnose accurately any diseases in man,
woman or child without asking a ques-
ton. I don't care how subtitle or how
complicated their disease, but that if DR..
Rea could examine them he could tell
them their exact condition, and when a
man can tell his patient his disease this
man does not mistake his patients and
treat them for the wrong ailments. His
firm of specialists and surgeons is the
best in this country. He is president
of the Association of Physicians and
Surgeons of the Southern Medical and
Surgical institute, which is represented
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