Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-02-17
LIGHT ENGINE AND PASSENGER COME TOGETHER
Met m Curve Near Clifford While Running At
High Speed-.-Both Engines Demolished.
John White His PASSENGER Train But Goes to His
Deah..Enfineer Wallace Frew and Fremen Elmer Oele
and Frank Patton Instantly Killed..Passeneers
Shaken and Bruised. Engineer Frew
at Fault..The Details.

what Is undoubtedly the most dis
astrous wreck in the history of the
Iowa Central, as concerns loss of life,
occurred Saturday night at n:1S
o'clock at a point one mile north OF
CLIFFORD, when a light engine, No. 81,
leaving this city at 10:05 p. m. and run
ming north as an extra crashed head on
into south bound passenger No. 4. in
charge Of Conductor George Dawson.
AS q result of the collision both engine
crews were killed. The dead:
Wallace Frew, Keithsburg, H.. en-
gineer extra No. 62, buried under his
engine and instantly killed, head crush
ed to an unrecognizable mass; badly
burned about the breast and arms and
disemboweled. Body recovered at 1880
Sunday afternoon and brought to this
city, and later removed to Keithsburg,
John White, Oskaloosa, engineer OF
engine 81. pulling the passenger train,
cut over left eye, compound commin-
uted fracture of the left leg between
the knee and hip; left foot severed at
the instep and both arms broken. TAX
en- to Eldora, where he died in the
Emergency Hospital Sunday morning
at 1850.
Elmer Ogle, Marshalltown fireman of
the passenger train. caught In the cab
between the tank and the boiler head,
killed Instantly, head badly cut and
skull punctured in several places, and
face Iacerated. Body recovered at 8
o'clock Sunday morning and brought to
this city.
Frank Patton, Marshalltcwn, fireman
on the extra, caught under his engine
and killed instantly, back of skull be-
ing crushed In and face lacerated, also
cut over left eye. Removed from the
wreck shortly afterwards and the body
brought to this city.
The two engines came together at a
point where neither engineer had a
clear view of the track, occurring as IT
did on sharp curve. The track near
the scene of the wreck makes two
curves, resembling somewhat let
ter "S." At point $50 yards north OF
the place where the trains met there Is
a huge natural mound, fifty or seventy
I'VE feet high. rising out of the valley
OF the south fork of the Iowa river.
This naturally obstructs the view from
the north and Engineer White could
not see ahead until he rounded that
point. Engineer Frew was on the other
curve, and was unable to see the pas
senger train. According to a statement
made by Engineer White before his
death, he was running about thirty -one
miles an hour, coming down grade and
within two minutes of his trains
schedule time into Clifford, 11:20. The
extra was running about twenty-five
miles an hour Engineer White, of
course. had the right of way and had no
idea OF there being anything else but a
clear track ahead. So quickly We're the
two trans into each other that neither
OF the engine crews had time to protect
themselves Engineer White. as his
engine afterwards showed wasn't
working steam. had his engine re-
versed and the brakes set in the emer-
gency.
with terrific force the locomotives
came together, leaped high into the
air and pitched to the east side Of the
track, where they lay on their sides,
both practically completely demolished.
The tank of the light engine was torn
from the trucks rnd thrown also to the
east side of the sk, while the hind
trucks rested on Z, tTack. with the
front wheels pointins Il to the north
west. The baggage car telescoped the
tank of the passenger engine, but didn't
leave the track. while the smoking car
and coach, which made up the remain
der Of the train, were not damaged at
all and remained on the track.
Baggagernan Will Capel was the only
occupant of the baggage and express
car and was standing near the head end
of the car that telescoped the engine
tank. He was thrown to the other end
Of the car. but niraculously escaped in
Jury, barring a slight straining of the
of the back.
Passengers Badly Shaken Up.
For an instant the passengers did not
realize what had happened. All was
confusion in the two cars, every one be-
Ing thrown down, and in many in
stances half the length OF the car.
Nearly every one was badly shaken up.
but none seriously injured. Lawrence
A. Jegan. of Chicago, a lace and fancy
goods salesman, who was sitting about
the middle of the coach, was thrown to
the extreme front part of the car over
the tops of all the intervening seats
He was quite badly bruised about the
right hip and shoulders, but not seri-
0usly. o. e. Robertson, of this city, who
was on his way home from Eldora to
spend Sunday, was thrown several feet
forward in the coach and was bruised
about the body, sustaining a slight
abrasion under the right eye. j. II.
Harlan, of this city, who was sitting
with his feet under the seat in front
of him, had his ankles sprained some
what and sustained slight bruises. A
son of James Caster, Of Eldora juno
tion, aged about II years, was thrown