Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-03
.PL0N[D THRU A TRAIN
Disastrous Collision Between
Central and c. { NV. Trains
at Third Street.
c. { N. W. Passenger No. s Goes
Thru Central Freight No. 10
at Crossing.
No One Injured But Cars Are De.
molished and Traffic Delayed
..Gateman's Error.

Third street. when the Chicago &
| Northwestern local passenger No. s.
seast-bound. shot thru the middle OF
Iowa Central local freight No. 10, jus,
pulling into the yards from the north
The accident was an exceedingly
strange one, hardly unaccountable III
one light, and yet in another easy to be
comprehended. The Central train had
the right of crossing. the gate having
been swung by Night Operator F. e
Freeman, OF WO block, to admit its pas
sage. When No. whistled for the
crossing Operator Freeman evidently
became confused, and threw the block
for the passenger train. Engineer Leese,
of the passenger, whistled off and came
ahead. The operator, according to his
own statement, tried then to stop the
train with a lantern. but was too late,
and as fortune willed 1t the Central
freight, ut that particular moment, was
composed of fiat cars where the light
from the passenger engine headlight re-
fected. Engineer Leese, as conse-
quence, could not see the cars, for they
were below the light thrown by the en-
CINE, and struck them squarely, going
entirely thru the train. Three NJ. &. st.
l.. fiat cars, being used in hauling grav-
ell, were completely wrecked, one being
overturned and thrown to the left, clear
over the Chicago Great Western main
line. Two others were telescoped to the
right and two were broken to pieces and
piled on top of one another. the trucks
Of one resting on top of the pilot bar OF
the passenger engine. A corner of a
Central box car, which was following
the string OF flats, was knocked of, but
not damaged materially. This corner
scraped badly the entire length of the
first mail car OF the passenger train, be-
ing a portion OF the fast mail equipment
being headheaded east. The big North-
western engine, No. 229. one of the mas
siye class A locomotives, used in the
passenger service only, was not badly
damaged, altho Temporarily disabled.
The pilot was bro en- away and a small
hole was cut in the head end of the
boiler caused by coming in contact with
the sharp corner Of one Of the fiat cars
The passenger train was in charge OF
Conductor Nick Oaks. of Clinton. and
the engine was manned by Engineer
John Leese and Fireman Gilbert
Thompson, both OF Clinton. The Cen
fral local was in charge OF Conductor
Cont Shea. and was being pulled by
Engineer Sam Swanson and Fireman G..
F. Koontz, with engine No. ~. The Cen
trail engine and nine cars had passed the
crossing when the crash came and even
ut that distance away the force of the
jar was 60 great that Fireman Koontz
was thrown from the seat box. Fireman
Thompson. OF the passenger. was also
thrown from his seat but not one of the
engine or trainmen was injured. or SO
much as even scratched.
The nearest escape from injury was
experienced by Frank Bennett, of Tama.
whose parents reside at No. 40S Johnson
street. and who had boarded No. 10 at
the crossing to ride to the depot. Ben
rett was on one OF the fat cars, the
one Just ahead of the first car struck.
He saw the impending danger Just In
time and Jumped, landing on the pipes
of the interlocking plant, to the right.
As Bennett has but one limb. and uses
q crutch in walking. his escape is quite
miraculous.
Bennett had an excellent chance to
witness the Impending collision. and says
that altho the gate was shut the opera
tor threw the block to clear No. s. and
then tried to stop the train with q Lam
tern. The operator, who was asked by
Agent F. B. Garvin why he didn't throw
the gate on the passenger train. replied
laconically that he was afraid the train
would break the gate. Engineer Leese
said he could have easily stopped his en-
CINE If the signal had been given by the
gate being closed, for he had come to a
dead stop for the crossing and was slow
in getting under headway again.
The new interlocking plant at the
crossing, which Is being installed to pre-
vent the liability of just such accidents
as occurred in this instance. was consid-
erably damaged as the result of the COLI
lision. The long lines Of pipes were bent
and twisted out Of shape, two of the
wrecked fiat cars being thrown on top
OF them.
The work OF clearing the tracks was
not very tedious after start was made.
but 1t was 9:35 before pair OF trucks
that lay over the Northwestern main
line was removed to let No. 8 by. AS
soon az the wreck was reported to
Boone another engine was ordered here
Lost haste and arrived at $40. just five
minutes after the train was in shape to
be moved. The engine to take the pas
senger train east wac No. $40, In charge
Of Engineer Link" T. Blair, and an ex-
cellent run was made on the trip to this
city. No. 5 got out Of the Marshaltown
station at 9:55.
Behind the freight train on the Cen
trail were Conductor Z. v. Clifford and
Engineer, Charles Young, with the 105,
coming south light with only Il caboose,
from Clifford. Luckily the light crew
was able to asst the damaged freight
pulling what remained north OF the
crossing. back and out Of the way of the
Northwestern, which was anxious to get
by.
The Northwestern steam wrecking
outfit arrived from Boone at 1915 and
at about midnight all the tracks We're
clear. The Chicago Great Western line
was cleaed first, and No. 2, the east
bound passenger. due at 10:40, was held
only about thirty minutes.
The Contra! and Northwestern each
furnished crews in breaking up the
wreckage so as to allow No. 5 by. Gem
eral Foreman G. H. Mead, of the car
shops. and Yardmaster Peter Lynch
superintended the work for the Central,
and Foreman o. s. Dewitt for the
Northwestern until the steam derrick
arrived.