The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1902-06-27

| D0n0aUn Clo uoDrlb OI GIlo AAoAA 'SsAA'
He could not be pulled out but was
given shovel and he dug his way
out.
Robins on, the mail clerk, could
not be reached until the top Of the
car could be chopped through. He
was badly crushed and it is thou ght
that his death was instantaneous.
Clerks Weston and Erskine were
scalded before they could be releas-
ed. At the Sioux City postoftice it
was said last night upon information
from St. Paul that their injuries
probably would result fatally.
Clerks Thompson and Hall were
able to crawl out of the wreck.
Their injuries were reported last
night from st. Paul to be serious.
Messenger Poole was, the sole
occupant of the express Car. This
light car which was between the
mail car and the composite car, was
thrown far to one side of the track.
The wonder was that Poole was not
killed. He is in a Minneapolis
hospiatl. The mail clerks are in a
hospital in St. Paul
Ali Of the passen gers were badly
shaken up, but no one was injured
further than being bruised. A
brakeman who was just entering
a door of one of the coaches was
violently thrown the entire length
OF the car.
Conductor Ireton telegraphed
division headquarters ut st. James
and gave information of the acct
dent. AS soon as possible L. F..
Shaker, superintendent, and r. W.
Kennedy, assistant SUPERINTENDENT,
arr lived on a special train, which
was followed by a wrecking train.
The track was cleared by O'Clock.
The chair car and two day coaches
of the wrecked train we're made up
in a new train, which Conductor
Ireton took to st Paul. He carried
all the injured mail clerks.
The superintendent special train
was sent to Sioux City with
Engineer Garfield, who was taken
to his home.
The body of Bassett was kept at
Ashton and today it will be sent to
the home of his widowed mother,
who lives at Neoga, Ill.
The body of Robinson was taken
to Sheldon, where it is in charge of
a mail clerk who was sent from st.
Paul by Division Chief Clerk Wolf.
At the headquarters Of the road
in st. Paul the cause of the wreck
was said to have been a misplaced
switch. The officials said the train
was running at very high rate OF
speed.
Trainmen who were at the scene
of the wreck said the cause un-
doubtedly was a broken switch
point. The engine, mail car, express
car and the composite car held to the
main line. The sleeping cars, the
chair car and the coaches took the
.sldetrack.
The reason for this arrangement
of the train by which the composite
car and sleeping cars are up in front
is that the front end Of the CON-
poeite car is use. for baggage
The rear half of the car contains
a buffet, and is for the use of Sleep
ing car passengers. If the sleeping
cars were at the rear of the train it
would be necessary for the patrons
of the buffet to walk through the
day coaches. So, to avoid this the
sleeping cars are placed Immediately
behind the composite car.
Railroad mon say it was fortunate
that this heavy car was up in front.
It is a steel framed car and strongly
constructed in every way. Although
it split the mail car in two it was
hardly scratched. If,instead OF this
heavy car there had been light
day coach, the result of the collision
would have been different, and there
would have been a greater loss OF
life.
The enigne which was pulling the
train now is mass of scrap iron.
It was a ten wheeler No. 266, OF
modern type, and one of the speed
lest machines on the Omaha system.
Engineer Garfield said at his home
last evening that it seemed to him
that he was thrown thirty feet in