Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-01-07
ENGINEER BLAMED
For Wreck on the Rock Island
That Cost Seventeen
Lives.
MIsTooK TRAIN ON A SIDING
Thought 1t Was One He Was to Meet
There and Rushed
On.

Topeka. Kan. Jan. :. - Seventeen
persons were killed and thirty-seven
injured in the Rock Island passenger
wreck at Willard. Most of the injured
are in hospitals in Topeka. The Goc-
tors announce that they will recover
with few exceptions. The dead are:
MIS-. J. Il. Hill. Greensbur%. Kan;
Mrs. w. =. Martin. st. Joseph. Mo:
Mrs. Mary Harvaille ChillicOthe. Mo:
Zen HarYaille. sen of Mrs. Harvaille.
aged 13; Tot Harvaille daughter of
Mrs. HarvaIlle. aged ,: Mrs. Susan
Reed. sister of Mrs. Harvaille; james
Griffin. ClaremOnt. Mo: +. T.. Myer.
Buffalo. y. Y: Raymond y. Martin.
Chillicothe. Mo: W. :. Martin. st. 10
seph. Mo: f. r. Rankins. DeKalb.
Mo; William j. Wells. Jacksonville,
Ill: Mrs. Mary Kaiser. Russian. ad-
dress unknown: Gale Fuller aged .
BrOckton. Ia; Grace Reed, and DenOrI
Reed. Chillicothe. Mo-: unidentified
boy. aged = years.
Took Risks That Were Criminal.
CareleSSneSS of trainmen caused the
wreck. Instructed to meet IL special
freight train at Willard the engineer
and conductor of the Inflated paSScn-
ger. noting that freight train stood
on the side track at Willard. rushed
through. thinking that the cars they
had seen were the ones which they
had been instructed to pass. Failure
To scrutinize the number OF the cn-
gine was directly responsible for the
-.
the number of the Train at Willard
with his orders the accident would
have been aVerted.
Rushed Into Darkness and Death.
Upon seeing ut Willard freight
train on the siding Engineer Benja-
min threw open the throttle. AMI Un-
der the impetus of full steam the pas
senger train leaped into the darkness
and crashed along at = rate which
the passengers declare TO have been
fully SiXty-five miles an hour. Gen
eraI superintendent Gruher. of the
Rock Island. makes statement to
the Associated Press which lays the
entire blame on the engineer of the
passenger train.
Those Injured.
The names Of those Who suffered
injuries more or less serious are: 81
w. sherman. Mcfarland. Kan. slight
ly; Blanche Martin. st Joseph. Mo,
foot Sprained. face cut: +. I. Totman.
Harlan. Mo. back and head injured.
not serious: Molly Fuller. BIocktOn. la,
head and back hurt. not serious: c. y.
PriCd. Everest. Kan. sprains; Mrs. II.
Il. ROpske. Louisville. back injured.
not serious; Mrs. ID. T.. Fuller. Block
ton. IA. face cut: Hattie ElliEGer.
Lindsburg. Kan. face cut; Dan IL.
WadswOrth. ArmOurdale. Kan. leg
broken; Clarence Fowler. Hanson. Ky,
head cut; Mrs. Alice Rosebo. address
not given, bruised; Mrs. NJ. y. Hill. !
address not given. leg and arm frac
tured. serious; ii. \. Jones. Everest,
Kan. nose fractured. face cut: J. c.
Nagle. conductor. Kansas City. ankle
broken. bruised: II. Allen. porter. To
peka. back injured. not serious: Frank
HaTvaille. ChilIicOthe. Mo. 6 years Old |
head cut; V. Frazier, Kansas City, |
shoulder hurt: J. Neneman. Pullman
conductor Kansas City; .. Swanson,
Lane. Kan: +. l.. Beatty. Pennsyl- |
vania; l.. +. Adams. brakeman. Ever.
est. Kan: Mrs. Rose Bulb AtchiSOn
county. Kan: Mrs. Bertha Shubert. St |
Clair. Ill; Ola Harvo. Lynne, l. L.