The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1901-06-14
HEAD-ENDT COLLISION.
Southbond Passenger Hits Freight
Engine Switching in Iron Noun
tain Yards Wednesday Morn
ing-A Rare Spectacle.
NO ONE SERIOUSLY HURT.
Both Locomo olives Badly Damaged
Traffic, Delayed About Six
Hours.

Forrest City was kept in state Of
excitement throughout the iirst of the
week by railroad accidents. the mos,
notable and sensational of which oc.
Cured Wednesday morning in the
Iron Mountain yards in the northern
part of town, at which time and place
we witnessed sight which for horri.
bic fascination and thrilling interest
surpassed any previous experience Of
our life.
1t was head end collision between
the southbound passenger train and
freight engine No. Us. which was
handling northbound freight No. 106.
Freight Conductor Bush in charge of
the freight had cotton his train on the
siding, but the crew were switching
two boxcars from the "house" track
over to the switch which runs out to
the cotton platform, to be loaded with
slaves. The boys had finished this
work and running out on to the main
track started with the engine for the
northern yard limits to head in " to
the main body of the train, which was
on the siding.
The freight engine and crew had
scarcely left the depot before the mail
train whistled for crossing about 4
mile north of the station, but the noise
of the big freight engine in motion.
drowned the warning signal and
old It's bounded off down the track
like quarter horse to make the switch.
The on-coming passenger train, blew
the long shrill whistle for the station
just as it was entering the curve at the
Northern boundary of yards and both
engineers realized their peril almost
simultaneously.
Then the struggle began to modify
the inevitable crash. The engineer of
the freight reversed his engine and
applied every pound of steam at his
command to obtain a backward motion
and it seemed that the locomotive was
almost lifted from the rails by the
great pressure. The engineer of the
passenger train whistled down breaks
and applied the air until sparks of
electricity few from wheels in perfect
shower, but the two engines came to-
gether with terrific force, completely
demcllshing the front ends of both. 1t
was an awe-lnspiring scene and one
we'll calculated to make stout hearted
men tremble for their salty.
The engineers were both heroes.
They stood by their duty while grim
death stalked beside them and battled
bravely with the iron monsters to avert
what would have otherwise been an
awful catastrophe.
Fortunately no one was seriously
hurt. The fireman on the passenger
engine was slightly injured and the bag
gage man sustained bruises on his lett
side and arm. The engineer of the
freight was cut and bruised about the
nose and face.
NJ. c. Morrey, travelling man from
Terre Haute. Ind, was cut on the
| head.
Mrs. Jas. +. Carter, had an arm bad.
ly sprained.
One other man whose name we
could not learn, had his left ankle Sc.
riously sprained.
Mr.. Whit Wall, the popular st.
Louis drummer. had the breath
knocked out of him, and there proba-
bly, were several other unimportani
injuries.
In an affair of this kind it is an ex,
tremely hard matter to center the
blame upon anyone. But the burning
question is always Whose fault wa:
it?" The men of both crews ranl
among the best railroad men in the
country and the accident is deeply de
plored by all of them.
The writer stood upon the platform
at the Iron Mountain depot and wit
messed the incident in detail and fol
life of us we could not locate the guilty
and do not believe any of the mer
should lose their jobs.