Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-11-21
WRECK CLEARED UP
Milwaukee Men Clear Away Evil
dence of Sewell Accident.
BIG BRIDGE ENTIRELY REBUILT

Twelve Spans Twenty-Five Feet High
Completed in Twenty-four Hours
Accident Will Cost About $4,000
Other Railroad News.
All evidence of the big freight wreck
on the Milwaukee road at Sewell have
been cleared away by wrecking outfits
from this city, Marion and Kansas
City. The last of the big work was
the placing on the rails of the big
compound engine, the 251. This was
big job, and while it took but a
short time to place the engine on the
rails after the men got to it, several
days time was consumed in making
ready for the latter part of the work.
The engine lay on her side, and after
placing the track in condition to re-
ceive the big piece. of machinery, two
engines were run up to the cripple,
and after dead hitch" the heavy
work began. 1t took just one hour
and thirty minutes to put the engine
on the rails, but it consumed several
hours in placing the tank on the track.
A Big Wreck.
That which stands out very promi-
nent, and goes to show that the wreck
was big one, is the fact that 1T is
now ten days since it occurred and
| the work of clearing it away is but
completed. Rapid work was done in
! rebuilding the bridge which was en-
tirely torn away by the cars piling off
it. 1t was of twelve spans in length,
and at the highest point was twenty
| five feet high. 1t took twenty-four
hours to get the material for the new
bridge on the ground, and in another
| twenty-four hours, the new bridge was
completed.
Seventeen Cars Destroyed.
OF the twenty-one cars that were
wrecked, seventeen of them were to-
| tally destroyed. The other four cars
were gotten back on the tracks and
after trip to the shops for a few
minor repairs will be as good as ever
The company is a severe loser in it's
| freight, however. Apparently the ma
tives of the vicinity of the wreck help
ed themselves to everything they
could lay their hands on, and the
company found it necessary to place
a guard upon what was remaining.
The Loss.
The actual monetary loss to the
company will not be SO large as at
first supposed. It is now believed,
that from 5000 to 100000 will cover
it. There was but little loss to the
contents of the wrecked cars besides
that carried away and the heaviest
loss will be in the cars themselves.
The labor in clearing the wreck, how
ever, will add quite large item. The
expense of the different crews alone,
ran UP to nearly $3.50 per day.
Notes of the Burlington Road.
! Conductor Lee Love, of Abba, was
in the city yesterday on business.
Engineer w. l.. Carruthers, of East
Main street, is on the sick list and is
laying off.
Fireman Andrew McAIoon, who has
been i'll suffering with rheumatism for
three months, has returned to work on
the Burlington. He has been given
, the Keb run
Swith engine No. 1889 which has
been in service in the yards at Chart
, ton passed through Ottumwa yester
' day enroute to the West Burlington
shops where it will receive thorough
: overhauling.
: Machinist A. T. Kasperson ant
3 Thomas Lewis went to Grand Rive
g yesterday to take charge of the der
v rick, which has been sent from THU
. city to that place, where new bridg'
/ is being placed in position.
i Fireman J. L. Johnson, who ha
y been firing a passenger engine on tn,
e Abba branch between that city ant
, Des Moines, for few days has re
|. turned to his home in Ottumwa an,
resumed his run between here an,
Il Creston. Mr.. Johnson is on the eXtr
/ list.
Engineers ]. w. Hardy and Angus
l. Hart, Firemen Gus Osterberg and H
!, Bruins and Conductors Frank Davi
n and G. w. Ball have been transferre
Il to Alton on construction work. Re
Gently the Burlington has determine
!. to put double crews On and work tw
a shifts, one at night and the other i
" the day time, hence the need of NOR
: men and this transfer.
e Engineer James Fitzpatrick, of thi
city, who has been pulling freigh
train between Ottumwa and Cresto
L. for the past thirteen years, has bee
transferred to Burlington where h
l. has been given passenger run fror
Burlington Creston. Mr.. Fitzpatric
will not remove his family for som
time but contemplates removing t
Burlington in the near future.
II Emil Lidstrand, Burlington Ell
gineer well known in this city, an
whose home is in Burlington wa
L found to be suffering from typhoid Fl
II yer Monday when he reached the en-
l. of his run at Creston. He was hardl
y, able to sit up, when he arrived at til
4 latter point, and was at once remove
a to hospital. Late reports from M
). Lidstrand indicate that he is doing q
u well as could be expected.
is QUARTERLY MEETING.
ut
1t Will Be Held at Free Methods