Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-11-05
Freight Train Crashes Into the
Rear OF Another Train in the
Marshalltown Yards.
Engineer Conway. OF 0elwein
Has a Leg Broken. Caused
by Jumping.
Way Car and a Car OF Coal To-
tally Destroyed by Fire
Which Follows.

Quite disastrous wreck, from the
standpoint of property loss, yet not
nearly 50 disastrous as appearances in
dicated for a time, occurred MONDAY
night at $40 o'clock on the Chicago
Great Western, at a point Immediately
west of the Linn creek bridge, near
Twelfth avenue. Second 81, a double
head freight, in charge OF Conductor
Walter Acker of Des Moines. and pulled
by Engineers Rhea and Ravenscroft,
with engines 100 and as. had pulled in
from the east crossed the bridge and
stopped in the yards, where little
work had to be looked after. The train
was in the clear and no danger was an
ticipated until, rounding the curve in
entering the yards, the headlight OF
another engine appeared, coming under
full steam, in order to make the grade,
which is quite decided one. The sec
ond train was No. 81, in charge of Con-
ductor Henry Jones, and pulled by En-
gineer Charles Conway, with engine l2o.
Engineer Conway was unable to see the
lights of the other freights way car uR-
til he was almost ON the train, and the
result was q rear end collision.
Engineer Conway jumped just before
his engine struck the cahoose of the
train, and he was the only man injured,
sustaining a bad compound, conminut-
ed fracture of the right leg, just above
the ankle. His fireman, H. Brown, was
not hurt, neither was any of the occu-
pants of the way car, altho the escape
of any of them was nothing short Of
miraculous.
When the engine hauling No. 81
struck the train 1t rebounded with great
force, broke loose from the tank. and
pitched headlong down the embank-
ment, turning almost entirely over. The
caboose of second 81 was, of course, to-
tally demolished, as was also the box
car next ahead, loaded with hard coal.
The live Goals from the engine fire box
ignited the caboose and also the car of
hard coal, ard it was only few mos
ments until all was one big mass of
flames. All the contents Of the way car
were destroyed. including the clothing
OF the train crew. The hard coal was
also burned. Another serious phase and
which caused an alarm of fire to be
turned in from box No. 412, corner of
Frederick street and Eighth avenue,
was the added danger OF the presence of
a car OF loaded paper shotgun shells
and cartridges. This car was the next
in front of the car of hard coal. and as
the end OF it had been boken in and sev
eral boxes of shells damaged and spilled
it was feared that they would become
ignited and cause an explosion and per-
haps loss of life. The fire companies re-
sponded, but were unable to reach the
fire because of the distance from the
MIGRANTS In the meantime, however,
the car that was in danger. which for
tunateIy had not been detrailed, was
moved out of the way.
b The wreck blocked all night traffic,
and passenger trains and time freights
from the west were run from this city
over the Northwestern tracks to Tama,
thence over the northern Iowa division
of the Northwestern to Gladbrook.
where the main line Of the Great
Western was again reached. The
crew from south Des Moines
arrived at about o'clock and by day
light the tracks were cleared.
Engineer Conway was taken to the
home of Charles Orvis, in Finkle's park,
and from there was removed shortly af
forwards to the Getz hospital, where his
fracture was reduced. He will be re-
moved to his home in Oelwein as soon
as he is able to travel, which will be
several days.