The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1904-07-08
TRAIN BLOWN FROM
TRACK BY TORNADO
Three Coaches on Chicago, Peoria &
St. Louis Railway Wrecked.
ONE MAN WAS KILLED
And Twenty-Two Were More or Less
Seriously InJurcd--Cars
Turned Somer-
sault.
Injured.

Dead.
Thomas Wiley. Springfield; baggage
mSh-
Elvina Witnack Lawrenceburg, Ky;
collar bone broken.
Arthur Latodd, Springfield: broken an
4 John Ferris. oakford; shoulder dislo-
Gated and internally injured
Mrs. Q. a. Land, Springfield; cut about
face and head.
Q. A. Land. Springfeld; internally in
Jured
Ernest Lee. Springfield; head cut and
internally injured
Conductor G. A Coleman. Springfield;
head cut; leg perforated by splinter from
wreck
Mail Clerk Ben. S. Swaley. Springfield;
cut and bruised
General Manager w. H. Gridley, SPRING
held; right arm broken.
Mrs, Oscar Finney, Springfield shoul-
der dtslocated.
Infant son of Mrs. Finney, shoulder
broken.
]. l.. Fitzhugh. Champaign; leg broken.
Thomas Hogan and Mrs. Hogan, Spring
Harry J. Eichaneur. Petersburg, III.
Springfield, Ill, July Ga cyclone
lifted heavily-loaded Chicago. Pc oria
& st. Louis passenger train from the
tracks two miles north of Oakford
Tuesday evening at six O'Clock, and
rolled it down an embankment, killing
the baggageman and injuring score
of passengers.
Soon after leaving Oakford Engineer
S. Martin, of Springfield saw the tor
nado. which was sweeping along sew
eral miles from him, over the prairie.
The direction in which 1t was travelling.
when first observed, was such that the
train would not have been in its path
The engineer therefore stopped his
train, and was intently watching the
funnel-shaped cloud, when it's point
suddenly veered and began to rush to-
ward him
All steam was crowded on, and the
passenger flew over the smooth coun-
try trying to get out of harms way
For four miles the engineer drove his
machine at top speed, the great ma
jority OF the passengers not knowing
the reason for the unusual speed.
Finally it was seen that the storm
cloud could not be avoided, and the
engineer stopped his train on the edge
of long trestle rather than risk it's
Only the presence of mind of En-
gineer s. Martin,of Springfield, preven-
ed catastrophe Seeing the fun
nel-shaped cloud sweeping toward
him, the engineer applied the emer-
gency brakes and stopped the train at
the brink of high trestle over Pecan
Run pond, in which the water is Is
FOO 1ltA
struck.
A sudden wind and the downpour of
rain were the first intimations of the
tornado.
The first gust of wind raised the
coaches from the tracks, and was quick
ly followed by the full force of the ele-
ment, which jerked the coaches free
from the engine and tossed them down
a low embankment.
Turning, the passenger coaches
complete double somersault, the tor
nado piled them in a heap $50 feet from
the tracks Windows were shattered,
and the woodwork OF the car was spln-
tered.
Relief trains were hurried from
Springfield, Petersburg and Havana
Before the physicians and nurses ar
rived, the passengers who escaped un-
hurt cared for the injured. Baggageman
Wiley. who lost his life, was found
crushed alongside the railroad tracks.
IT is supposed that he leaped from the
car door on the side toward which the
train was thrown. His remains were
unrecoenizable
So sudden was the accident that the
passengers had no time to move from
their seats. Shattered glass and spln-
tered woodwork caused most of the in
juries. The oil lamps were burning in
the coaches. but the fires which result
ed were eXtinguished before any head
way was made by the flames Engineer
Martin and Fireman Swarberg, both of
Springfield, who watched the accident
from the engine cab, tell interesting
accounts of the freak storm.
When the injured had all been taken
from the wreckage. they were placed
in a coach and taken to Petersburg,
where physicians dressed the wounds
temporarily. preparatory to moving
the injured TO hospitals at Springfield.