The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1899-06-03
SAD DEATH OF
E. ]. BARKER.
The Manager of the Big Seven
Mine at Neihart Killed in an
Iowa Railroad Wreck.
On His Way to This City from
Hot Springs, Arkansas, for
Il Brief Stay.

A sad blow came to this commun-
ity in the dispatches of Sunday
night and Monday telling of the
death of Edwin J. Barker in a rail
road accident in Iowa. Mr.. Barke ar
was in a sleeper on the through train
of the Rock Island road from Chica-
go to Minneapolis, about four miles
south east of Waterloo, Ia, when
the disaster occurred, at l.15 Sun
day morning. From the dispatches
the following facts are CLEANED;
The through train from Chicago
to Minneapolis over the Rock Island
and Burlington, Cedar Rapids and
Northern railways was wrecked at
l:l5 Sunday morning at the cross
ing Of Sink creek about four miles
southeast of Waterloo. The train
consisted Of five coaches, including
mail and baggage cars. smoking car,
two passenger coaches and sleeper.
Eight persons were killed and ten
injured.
a cloudburst had washed the
gravel and sand roadbed away, leav-
ing the track unsupported for "a
stretch of 20 feet. The rails and
the ties held together and there was
nothing to indicate the insecurity of
the road. The engine struck the
washout and was derailed in the
dutch beside the track and behind it
the cars were piled in a confused
heap. The mail car toppled over
and was telescoped by the baggage
car behind, while the real end of the
baggage car in turn ~telescoped the
smoker. The roof Of the sleeper
pIoughed its way through the day
coach, while the lower half Of the
latter crushed through the sleeper.
The engineer and fireman Jumped
from the train and escaped with
slight injuries.
f. j. Day of Allison, Ia, a pass
enger, said:
"The train was running at good
speed and at a point about three or
four miles from Waterloo it left the
track. The engine and baggage
car were thrown about 10 feet. The
engineer evidently had his engine
under control, as | never saw such
a sudden stop. The smoker, where
| sat teIescoPed the baggage car
and found myself with the brake
man on the roof Of the day coach"
Mr.. Day, in speaking of the cause
Of the accident, said;
"There must have been "A water
spout, for a powerful stream of wa
ter washed the dirt out from under
the track for a distance of about half
a mile"
In the wreck there were nine dead
and twenty injured. In the first
list Of casualties was reported n
unknown man killed, This proved
to be +. j. Barker, and Identification
was made positive by kilograms.
+. !. Barker, whose age is %,
was superintendent and general
manager Of the Big Seven mining
company of Neihart, one of the rich
est silver and gold mines of the
state or even of the west. He had
been for the past two months with
his wife at Hot Springs, Ark, and
leaving his wife there be was en-
route to Neihart, During his alb
sence the affairs of the company have
been managed by j. c. E. Barker of
Great Falls, and when the first word
came of the untimely death, the lat
ter MIR. Barker was OF the train
bound from Great Falls to Neihart.
J.. c. E. Barker sent the word to his
wife at Great Falls and at once by
telegraph ordered the remains shipp-
ed to Great Falls.
On Tuesday morning Mrs. Rob
ert Barker, Miss Violet and J. c.. f..
Barker, mother sister and brother of
the deceased went to Great Falls,
heart broken with the weight of sor-
row. The mine was that day closed
down and many of the employees
prepared to attend the funeral at
Great Falls.
Deceased was a member in good
standing Of Silver tent, No. 10, X.
O. I. NJ, of Neihart, where he car
ried $4,000 of life benefit. He also
held a policy of $4,000 in the North