Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-10-29


train was not checked
He said there were MANY sad
scenes enacted at the wreck. One
of them was when he first came to his
senses he saw lying within few feet
of him Conductor Scovern, with his
face a mass of blood He was lying
with just his head through where the
window should have been and was UNI
able to move. Willing hands soon
rescued him, and he was later remov-
ed to his home in Carrollton. His
wounds are serious, but are not
thought to be fatal"
Covered With Blood.
Mrs. J. w. Cotter and ner 4-year-old
daughter of Moulton, We're among those
who escaped serious injury. The little
girl was literally covered with blood,
but after she had been washed she was
found to be uninjured. The little one
could hardly talk and the mother when
telling of the accident, said: She
did not get hurt, it was man sitting
close to her. and his blood flew all
over her" Her mother was badly
shaken up, but beyond this she was
not injured. She was separated from
her child while the cars were rolling
over and over and it was sometime
before they were united.
A Mystery.
The cause of the wreck will probably
always remain mystery. While
there is talk in some circles that the
train was running too fast for the con-
dition Of the track this fact will prob
ably never be established. If, as Mr..
| ~ h. I, eln
order over that piece of track, and also
run over the torpedoes and did not
heed them, it looks as though he was
at fault. These facts have not been
established as yet and it is not known
il they are true or not. The trucks
left the track but a short distance
from one of the switches at the Exline
coal mine, but an investigation failed
| to show any damage to the track at
that point.
A HiIly Country.
ENline is small way station, with
out Geographic or telephone commun-
lcation, about ten miles west of Moul-
ton, in Appanoose county. The coun
try in that vicinity is very hilly and
rough. About one mile west of the
station, standing at the top of a small
hill IS the mines of the Exline Coal
company. 1t was just to the west of the
switches at this mine where the wreck
occurred. Leaving the mine, the
track goes down a rather sharp grade,
and when near the bottom of this it
makes sharp curve to the left. The
+. west switch at the mine is located just
about the top of the hill, and it was
near this that the car left the track
1t then ran on the ties to the bottom
OF the grade, about 800 yards, and
/ where the track begins to curve, and
where there is a fill of something over
forty feet it began turning over. All
three cars were smashed to kindling
wood, and thrown clear off the right
of-Way. The trucks of the two rear
cars are scattered along the dump, some
OF them remaining up on the road
I bed. The charm car turned over
two and a half times and lies on it's
side. The smoking ear turned over
twice and lies partly onaone2 side The
baggage ear tufiied. over twice and
one pair of its trucks stand immediate
y on top Of it. crushed part way
through the car.
Caught Fire.
soon after the wreck, the mail and
other matter in the mail and baggage
car took fire. The mail matter was
! scattered all around that vicinity and
considerable of it was destroyed be-
fore the flames could be extinguished.
Ihey were soon subdued, however, and
there was no loss to any of the bag
gage. The mail was gathered up as
much as possible and taken back to
: Mouitcn, where it was sorted later in
the night and again started to it's des-
tination.
Known Here.
Conductor ]. A. Scovern. who was in
charge Of the train. is the father OF
Miss Scovern who visited at the Dain
| home in this city early in the sum
! mer, and is well known to MANY of
the Dain people, who came here from
CarrolltoI.
Moore Badly Hurt.
H. G. Moore, the mail clerk of the
wrecked train was taken to his home
In Bloomfield about 4 o'clock yester-
day afternoon, and his wounds given
attention. He is a son of Col. 6. A,
Moore, republican candidate for repre-.
sentative from Davis county. His run
was from Burlington to Carrollton, and
was an old man in the business. He
suffered a severe cut in his head and
! forehead and the top of his head is
mashed He is also injured in the
, back and one OF the carriages in that
portion OF lne body is broken loose
| l)r h. j. Shelton is attending him The
latter announces there is some danger
OF conclusion, and is afraid of trauma
) tic peuro-pneumonia Mr. Moore was
taken homo by John Plank, who was
in the wreck, but was uniniured. Mr.
! Moore is conscious today. but has ut
recollection Of the wreck. This is
considered by the attending physician
to be one of the worst features of the
, case. He lost his hat, coat and vest
!. in the wreck, and they did not turn UP
, in any place.
Mrs. Thompson in Wreck.
Mrs. A.W. Thompson, of Bloomfield
mother of Miss Lide Thompson of this
city, was a passenger on the Inflated
train. enroute to Cincinnati to visit