Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-10-27
TRAIN is WRECKED
Locomotive and Two Cars De-
rallied on "a" Going 35
Miles an Hour.
ONLY THREE ARE INJURED
Engineer and Fireman Had Mirac-
ulous Escape Accident at
LIE Claire.

The engine, baggage and smoking
cars OF passenger. train No. so, south
bound on the Chicago, Burlington &,
Quincy read, were Gerailed at lie
Claire, Iowa, last evening at o'clock.
The injured:
II j. j. HOWELL, of Salem, III. tray
cling man; back bruised and hurt in
ternally; removed to hospital at Gin
ton.
ROBERT M'QUADE, engineer, Rock
Island; bruised.
ISAAC T. WARDELL. fireman, Rock
Island; cut on face, and body bruised.
The train, which was in charge of
Conductor George Cuddy, of this city,
was moving at a rate of 30 miles an
hour when the wreck occurred. The
engine, tender and baggage car went
eff on the river side. the tender roll
ing over and over until reaching the
waters edge. and the locomotive turn
ing over on its side. with the pilot nos
ing toward the tracks. MeQuade and
Wardell were thrown through the left
window of the cab and how they
missed being caught under the loco
motive is miracle Wardell. when
feet Of the river, having relied down
the embankment about 20 feet, the
tracks sllirting the Mississippi at that
point.
The chair car and day coach. the
latter bringing up the rear and loaded
with laborers shipping to St. Louis.
remained on the track. When the
tender left the rails it broke the air,
causing the cars to come together
with tremendous force, stopping the
ears almost on the instant, the report
being audible for fully a mile and at
tracing people from the village and
surrounding country. The cars dou-
bled jack-knife fashion. the smoker
II topping over to the right. and rest
ing at an angle, and being telescoped
from the front by the baggage car
and from the rear by the chair car.
The baggage car turned nearly length
wise of the track. thus breaking the
force against the smoker. and proba-
bly, preventing it being completely tel
escoped and killing many of the occu-
pants.
Il Accident a Lucky One.
4 G.. NJ. HOsmer, Of Waterloo, Iowa a
| travelling man. was riding in the
smoker. Il have been in several
wrecks in my time he said today in
discussing the accident. but ] want
to relate that last nights was the
| luckiest of the lot. The turn
ing of the baggage car is the only
thing that saved those who were in
| the smoker. for if it had not been done
our car would have been smashed to
| Lindling wood, as at our rear there
was a heavy vestibule chair car that
| would have met the rear of the bag
gage car in the middle of the smoker.
As it was. our car was only partly
turned over. throwing a few of the
| passengers from their seats. Of
course, all were terribly frightened,
but beyond the engineer and fireman
and MIR. Howell, there was no one in
jured."
| just what caused the wreck is con-
| sideTably of mystery, as yet, but
| Conductor Cuddy, who made an inves-
| tigation soon as he had an oppor-
| tunity, reports finding a switch par
TALLY open, and the supposition is
that the crew who used the switch
before the coming of the Burlington
passenger had failed to close it Sc
cureIy, so that when it was struck
! by the locomotive of No. 80 it spread.
| Others are of the belief that a closer
| investigation will show that a hange
on one of the drivers was broken.
| The evening train leaving here for
the south was backed to LeClaire and
took aboard the passengers and bag
gage of the wrecked train and also
| those of the incoming Milwaukee pas
senger. y wrecker was sent from
Galesburg and during the night the
track was cleared.
Engineer McQuade and Fireman
Wardell were able to come to their
homes in this city. Mr.. Howell was
sitting on the back of a seat at the
rear of the smoker when the crash
occurred. He was thrown and alight-
ed on his back on the end of a seat.
His injuries are not considered seri-
Gus.
Rock Island Train DItched.
The engine and several cars of No. |
81, a fast freight on the Rock Island, |
were ditched by spreading of the rails
at Kellogg, Iowa, at ? o'clock yester-
day. afternoon Traffic on the divis-
ion was blocked until well into last
night. when the wreckage was clear
ed away. A. Wolff was conductor and |
James Powers engineer on the train. |
but it is claimed at the local dispatch |
er's office that none of the crew was |
hurt.
Matilda Tn (yontractora 80