Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-12-23
A NARROW ESCAPE
Mrs. John Wormhoudt and Chill
dren in Burlington Wreck.
ENGINE AND TWO COACHES DERAlLED
Train No. Thrown From Track Near
VlIisca Yesterday by Spreading
RaiIs-All Traffic Delayed Pas
sengers Have Fortunate Escape.

Seated in a coach with three chill
dren on train travelling at high rate
of speed and witnessing the engine
and the two cars ahead leave the track
is an experience that will not soon be
forgotten by Mrs. John Wormhoudt,
who resides at PIP South Willard
street. The scene of the accident was
one half mile east of Villisca yester-
day morning, shortly after 8 o'clock,
and the train was Burlington No. 6,
which was wrecked by spreading rails,
the engine, baggage car and the smok-
er leaving the track, and the engine
overturning. That no one was injured
is considered nothing short of mirac-
was stopped by the accident. The
fast mail and train No g., which leave
this city at 1852 and sos o'clock, re-
spectively, being held at Creston until
about O'Clock last evening, and all
east bound passengers being held west
Of where the accident occurred until
after the wreckage which was piled
up on the track, had been removed
This was not completed until nearly 5
o'clock and the trains came dragging
| into this city late last night.
Narrow Escape from Death.
Mrs. Wormhoudt and her three little
children, Harry, Bertha and Lucille,
accompanied by the maid, Miss Mary
Grabenschroer, were returning from a
visit with Mrs. Wormhoudt's relatives
at Omaha. No. left Omaha on time
yesterday morning about o'clock,
and everything went right until a
short distance east of Villisca, when
without warning the engine and the
two front cars went plunging from the
track. Mrs. Wormhoudt in speaking
of the accident this morning said that
the first realization the passengers
had of anything wrong was when a
grinding sound was heard, followed
closely by the humping of the coach
running on the ties. The train then
came to stop and the passengers on
running out of the car saw the en-
CINE overturned and the cars ahead
off the track. 1t was then seen how
close many of the passengers had
tbeen to terrible death, as the acct
dent happened on curve and the cars
stopped dangerously close to a steep
embankment.
Passengers Not Injured.
Mrs. Wormhoudt stated that if the
train had been running at it's usual
rate of speed it was almost a certainty
that the cars would have been plunged
over the embankment 1t seems, how.
ever, the engineer had been given or.
ders to travel at a slower rate of speed
than usual, as danger was feared at
this point. The passengers were all
more or less shaken up when the train
was thrown from the track and came
to such a sudden stop, but none were
injured.
i Nine Hours Delay.
The passengers were cared for in
i the dining and Pullman cars all day
and were compelled to wait until a
wrecking gang arrived from Crestor
and built new track around the en-
CINE. which blocked both tracks The
coaches were returned to the rails and
i another engine was secured, when the
train was run over the temporary
track until it was safe on the rails OF
the main line beyond the gap caused
by the spreading rails. The overturned
engine was left with it's pilot in the
ditch, the tender blocking the track
| rains lNO. dut d were Holu al STcS
ton until the wreckage was cleared
while train No. 4 was held west of the
wreck and followed No. into this cit,
arriving at 1885 p M, while No.
arrived at $50 p. M, fifteen hours aft
err leaving Omaha, trip which usu
ally consumes but five hours and fit,
minutes. Train No. s, the east bound
, fast mail, which is due here at S:37, p
M, did not arrive last night until 9:2;
o'clock.
Deems May Change.
! 1t is rumored in railroad circles tina
]. F. Deems, formerly master mechani,
of the Burlington in this city, and late
superintendent of motive power on tn,
Burlington, would resign the position
J he now holds as superintendent of tn,
American Locomotive Works at Sche
nectady, N Y, to accept the genera
management Of the New York Central
The local officials know nothing def
/ mite concerning the rumored change
Mr.. Deems many friends in this cit,
have been watching his rise in the rail
road world with great interest, as h
was always most popular here, witt
the officials and men alike.