Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1899-09-01

A few years ago while in company
with a noted physician from one OF, the
Southern states we started from Indian
.polis, Ind, to Florida. It was the first
lay of that terrible blizzard which cost
<oscoe Conklin and hundreds Of other
.eople their lives. Our course was by
re way of Cincinnati, where we would
ave arrived in six hours had it moi been
II the severity of the storm which
lowbound our train in Eastern Ohio
Or four days. Finally we made our way
Cincinnati and from there on to Pitts
.:rg, Pa, where we were due to leave
IL Thursday night train for Tampa,
la. It was 10 o'clock before we reached
.itsburg and had the Florida train left
Il time, which was two .:ours ear ier,
would have avoided what proved to
* a most horrible accident. The travel
/ this season Of the year was extremely
;avy and as we were ate and rim II :
lite rapidly in order to make connec
ons with another train which left
Washington City at 10 o'clock that
lening and was to be in waiting for us
Il Savannah, Ga, where both trains on
he following morning were to be con-
:olidated and go on southwark as one
rain but composed of two sections. We
arrived at Savannah just one hour and
Crty 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
10 stop by man waving handkerchief,
but the speed of our train 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 a 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 single person
was killed. There were people with
broken arms, broken legs and bruised
from head to foot, all more or less of
great consequence The doctor who had
accompanied me. DR.. Rea from Louis
Vile, KY, in connection with 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 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, Mr.
R. w. Lockwood, whom I 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 Mr.. Lockwood both socially anc
professionally; Mr.. Lockwood says:
have seen scores of his patients and they
all tell me OF his examinations and treat.
ment of their cases in the same accurate
and wondering way that he is able tc
perform almost supernatural wonders ir
his profession. He believes in wtateve,
is best, and that he is in this world to dc
this work and that he will stay here unit
he is done. He has great confidence il
himself and has good reasons to have
don't think he ever knew defeat, and i
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
+,1ra of +h;e r,,,o,e 1;f. :, ii. ,b;1:4 H.