Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-24
WRECK AT ELDON
SAND CARS COLLIDE WITH PAS
sENGER IN ROCK ISLAND
YARDS.
Passenger No. 2o4, Due Out Of This
City at 1928 p. M, Was DeraiIed by
Part Of Switch Train-No Personal
Injury Done-Traffic Was Blocked.

| A collision between the Rock Island
passenger train No. 204, which left
this city last night at 1928 and a
train of sand cars at Eldon resulted
In considerable damage to property,
but fortunately no lives were lost.
About 1880 last night switch engine
in the yards at Eldon was moving
twenty-seven cars of sand for the new
siding west Of Eldon, Engineer Lutz,
in charge of the engine, received sig
nails from the rear and supposing his
train was intact, backed slowly down
the grade. The front section of the
train, however, became uncoupled and
went pell nell down the grade, col
liding with the passenger, which had
\ just unloaded it's occupants. Three
coaches of the passenger and one sand
car were derailed and damage was
done to the lunch counter Traffic on
both the main line and Des Moines
valley division was blocked for several
hours. Chicago Limited No 10 and
Kansas City first and second No. II on
the main line were not delayed Traf-
fic on the Des Moines Valley division
was cleared late this morning The
Trenton wrecking crew was sum-
moned and cleared the right of way.
A Remarkable Mishap.
! In that no personal injuries occur
red the wreck last night was remark
able. The switch engine having the
sand cars were in charge of Con-
ductor Moore and Engineer Lutz. The
engineer receiving the signal from
the rear, started down the hill slowly
The rear end of his train, however,
became uncoupled and trailed after
The trainmen in charge of the pas.
senger, which had but a short time be.
fore arrived in this city, supposed the
track was clear. The wreck dam.
aged one Pullman car, B. G.. R. &
N. coach and Rock Island coach
One end of the sand car was badly
damaged. The damage to The lunch
room, which is situated east of the
depot, can not be estimated The
windows in the building were broken
, and the whole structure was set back
about four feet.
Affected the Traffic.
) Although the main line was cleared
early this morning. the Des Moines
Valley division, which runs through
this city, was not completely cleared
until shortly before this noon. Passen
ger No. 203. due in this city at ia;
, a. M, was abandoned and only the
regular noon train arrived from the
south. Passenger No 206, due from
Des Moines, at 9:45 a. M, wa,
turned around at Oskaloosa, and a spe
cial, composed of a coach, caboose
and box car, was run from Oska
looSa to Eldon in it's stead
Increased Mileage.
: The following statistics from tn
e railways of the United States for tn
fiscal years of the different companie
: ending in 1908 are taken from the in
PRODUCTION to Poor's Manual for 1904
!, about to be issued:
. The length of railroads completes
on December 81, 1903 is given at 2O7
s 603 miles. OF this 1851 miles do no
report operations and III miles wer
t completed since the close of the con
: panies' fiscal years. The net increas
. of mileage in the United States in tn
calendar year was Alta miles. TIL
S total traffic revenue was 205,237 mile
i reporting was S1,90S,S57, 1926; operat
4 ing expenses were e1,316,349,314; ne
earnings were $592,50S,512 and othe
receipts were $50, 5,4S4, making tn
: total available revenue 1851 $685. 9t
The total payments. including interes
n di idends and rentals, aggregate
Y $3.50, 113,90S, leaving a surplus owe
fixed charges and miscellaneous pay
8 ments of s121,SSO,0SS. The total ii
> vestment represented by 206,SS6 mile
4 of railroads not including the mileag
5 completed since the close of their fis
: cal years, has reached the vast sur
of sl4,S62,111, 544, which is an increas
! of 1907, 100000 over the previous veal
For the passenger business statistic
covering 203,910 miles of road sho,
y average receipts per passenger pc
j. mile OF 2.052 cents; average receipt