Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-06-12
laONONG.2N. ".
Northwestern Passenger Trains In 4
Terrible Head End Collision
Near Des Moines.
Gov. L v. Shaw Among the Psssen.
gers Slightly Injured En-.
gineer Smith Killed.
Both Engines Almost Total Wrecks
cause Of the Accident
Not Known.

Not Known.
Dcs Moines, June 1.-TWO passenger
trains collided, head end. at the tile
works in East Des Moines at $40
O'clock last night. The engines are a
wreck. one engineer was fatally hurt
and three other persons were injured:
Governor L. NJ. Shaw. slight cash on
the temple end arm lacerated.
Mrs. b. r.. Jof1es, Of Ames, hurt In an
eye. not serious.
w. II. Knight, conductor. Des Moines,
shoulder disiocated.
Thomas Smith. engineer. Boone,
killed.
Governor Shaw was going to Mount
Vernon to attend ameeting Of the trus-
tees. He was not seriously injured His
temple was cut when he fell forward.
hitting the seat in front. He walked to
Dr. Priestley's Office and then went
home and went to bed. expecting to-
leave at 8 o'clock this morning.
The trains which collided were the
regular passenger No. 60. which leaves
Des Moines at 8 o'clock. and special
mail train, which was run south from
Ames to bring the mai! from No. s.
which was late west from Chicago on
account of wreck in Illinois. There
were about thirty passengers on NO.
60, and all were badly shaken, but no
injuries We're sustained by any others
than Governor Shaw and Mrs. b. +.
Jones. of Ames. who was cut over the
eye. The injuries of neither We're seri-
Gus.
The collision occurred about three
minutes after the passenger train left
the Des Moines station and was on the.
curve just beyond the street car power
house and the Rawson tile works. The
real cause, as with so many railroad
wrecks, seems inexplicable to the OUT
siders. The regular train left on time
and is supposed to have had the right;
lof-way. while the special coming down
from Ames could have cleared the reg.
iular several points on the way. 1t is
claimed that the engineer on the special
had orders to make Des Moines before
the regular left and If such was the
case 1t is said that an error was made
in not having held the regular in Des
Moines. This is mere speculation.
Engineer Thomas Smith of Boone,
Fireman j. Elliott and Conductor w. f..
knight of Des Moines were In charge
of the regular, and Conductor o. Chap
man. Fireman Aiuhis and Engineer r.
Primrose of Clinton We're on the special.
Primrose and the fireman on the special
and the fireman on the regular all
jumped and succeeded in escaping in
Jury, but Engineer Smith stayed with
his engine too long In his endeavor to
stop 1t, and was caught in the cab be-
fore he could jump off Just as the en-
gines met. There We're several tramps
beating their way on the blind baggage
on the regular and they We're thrown
off without sustaining serious injury.
At the place where the wreck oc-
Cured the track winds easily around
the river bank. making a long curve
upon which 1t is impossible to see in
advance for distance of more han $50
yards 1t is down grade into the city.
and the special was coming down from
Ames a a heavy rate of speed. There
lis a crossing at the topsof the hill be-
yond the tile works, and the engineer
whistled there. but it was barely after
the whistle of the regular in clearing
the depot yards. and 1t Is supposed that
the engineer of neither train heard the
approaching whistle OF the other en-
Igine.
When the trains approached eachother
err thru the darkness the headlights be-
came visible advancing at. a fast rate
of speed, the special coming down the
hill so fast that after down brakes
was whistled there was not a moment
of time elapsed before the engines met.
Engineer Primrose did all that was pos
sible to avert the catastrophe and an
examination of the track showed that
sand had been thrown for distance Of
100 yards in the effort to stop the on
ward flight Of the engine. Its speed
was stopped SO quickly In the short dis
lance available that 1t is said that per-
their seats even before the collision
came.
| me engines me. on a straish.
stretch of the track and simply ran
Into each other without either Jumping
from the track. Not a,iwheel was de-
rallied. The heads plunged together
and fitted into each other SO closely as
i to make II seem as a twin engine. the
two smokestacks standing up straight
side by side. Both engines Were left
perfectly level on the track and the
only evidence of damage to be seen
without careful examination OF each
was the wrecked and splintered APP
pearance OF the cabs in the rear Of
each. the broken footboards and the
absent pilots. Both cabs showed the
result of the collision, being TANNED In
closely together. with the coal tenders
pressed closely against them in turn
The coaches on both trains We're un-
| injured and none Of them left the track
/ AS soon as the wrecking train arrived
| the coaches OF the regular were pulled
back to the depot and did not appear to
have sustained any damage. There
were two coaches on the regular, to-
gether with the express car and &
coach and mail car on the special.
The special left Ames about two
hours after the regular train which ar
rives in Des Moines at 1855. While the
crew were men who had not been owe,
the branch many times. they have
made the trip on different occasions
but 1t is said that the engineer was no,
1 familiar with the route. The trair
/ could have been held at Saylorville OF
at Polk city for the purpose of clear.
ling the regular, but the attempt wa,
made to get the special in before tht
regular time OF leaving Of the regular
1t was minute too late. A mistake II
II ~ a 10