Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-18
Denver Limited on the Chicago, Rock Island {
Pacific Thrown Into the Ditch.
ENGINE EXPLODES AT FULL SPEED
Fireman and Engineer Instantly Killed and Their
Bodies Badly Mangled.
Five Coaches Completely Over Into the Dchhe Noise
ofthe Explosion Heard for Many Mes..Remarkabe Es-
cane From Death Of the Passengers-Some OF Them
Badly Shaken Up..Details of the Accident
snec,al to rimes-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Iowa city, Jan. 1s.-The engine of pas
( sanger No. s on tl,e Rock Island road
going west at S o'clock this morning. eN-
ploded Just west of the depot yards at
Victor. forty-five miles west of here. The
. accident was caused by the blowing UP
az the crown sheet of the engine while at
1 speed of fifty miles an hour. The en-
cine was blown inside out and the boiler
left standing on the end. The killed:
william Williams. engineer. Moline
Ills.
j. ". Hoar. fireman, Rock Island, HIS.
Roth engineer and fireman were killed
tnstantly, Williams having his legs and
an arm blown off. Baggageman Scnae-
for and Express Messenger Ed Dough-
.rtv and two porters were Injured anc
several passengers had slight bruises
several guests at the university sopho-
more cotilion last night were on the
Aratn. The wreck was cleared away ps
noon.
snecial to Times Republican.
victor Ia. Jan 1S.-As the Denver
limited passenger train on the hocA
rsand was passing thru here at 3
n.c,ock this morning. the boiler Of the
engine, sos. exploded resulting IN the
death OF the engineer and fireman, ana
slightly iniurins two porters ana
brakeman. The killed are:
william williams, engineer. of Mo
line, Ill
w. e. Hoare, fireman, Of lao twenty
nrst street, Rock Island Ill.
The force OF the explosion threw eS-
cry one of the seven coaches OF the
train from the track. Fortunately the
messengers were uninjured. Pieces OF
the wrecked engine were strewn around
for q distance of 200 feet, the boiler be-
Ing found $50 feet away from the scene
OF the accident. The causes leading up
60 the explosion will never be known,
o=.ing to the death of the engineer and
fireman. The bodies OF the engineer and
fremen were horribly mangled.
T he train doesn't stop and this morn
ing was running thru the village at
speed of forty miles an nour. Three
hundred feet west Of the station begins
q slight down grade. which extends
mile. 1t was on this grade where the
accident occurred.
The accident is one of the worst and
at the same time most remarkable IN the
history OF the road. That no more pas
sengers were killed is miraculous, for
i've coaches, including baggage and
express car. were thrown into the ditch,
all OF them being turned completely
over. That the passengers should es-
cape with their lives seems incredible.
Many of them were badly shaken up.
but all Of them were able to proceed on
their journey. Twenty-one of them
were taken on the fast mail which went
thru somewhat iare this forenoon and
the rest will be taken on the afternoon
passenger.
The work Of clearing the track was
not great, as all but one car left the
track completely, only parts of the en-
gine obstructing the rails.
The wreck presents a scene OF de-
struction seldom witnessed. The right
OF way for an eighth of mile mile is
strewn with parts Of the engine, pieces
OF coaches, baggage, express. etc.
Hundreds of people from the sur
rounding country and nearby towns
came here this morning to see the
sight The officers of the road hurried
to the scene on hearing of the accident
and did all in their power for the COM |
fort of the passengers. A colored por-
ter was the only one seriously hurt 9TH
er than the unfortunate engineer and
fireman.
Coroner Newman of Grinnel, is on
the scene and has been holding |
the inquest over the dead bodies of the
engineer and fireman. The testimony
throws no light on the cause % the |
explosion and nothing has been adduced /
thus far which throws any blame up
on the company
The explosion was heard for miles
around 1t was heard by one man in
the round house at Brooklyn. The peo-
pie of Victor and farmers in the vicin-
ity heard it distinctly ard many said
1t resembled an earthquake shock or
the explosion of mine of dynamite.
Traffic has been resumed, but IT will I
be some hours before the cars can be
taken from the ditch and the track full
" repaired