Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1904-08-11
WRECK AT DRY CREEK THE
WORST IN cENTURY's RAIL
ROAD HISTORY.
MANY VICTIMS MAY
NOT BE RECOVERED
Shifting Sand Covers Bodies Of tho
Dead Though Every Effort Is Being
Made to Find corpses-cases Of
Complete Loss of Mind Because Of
Grief are Already Reported.


has settled down upon this city today
following the railroad horror, which
snuffed out 100 or more lives yester-
day. Many of the business houses
are closed out of respect for the dead.
The actual wreck Victims will prob
ably not be the only ones or the most
to be pitied, as already cases Of total
loss of mind as the result Of the shock
when told of the loss of loved ones,
are reported.
All the citizens have joined in one
immense funeral procession winding
increasingly from one morgue to an
other.
One Hundred Lives Lost.
The death list as compiled from the
best information early today showed
total of sixty-fve identified dead,
twenty-eight missing and six unidenti-
fed, making an even hundred lives
lost.
The list will probably be added to
during the day.
Pueblo Suffers Heavily.
The death. loss TO P1ebie 1iore
reaches sixty-fve lives with forty
identifications already made. The
search for the bodies Is being vtgor-
ously pushed and continues today.
First to See the Wreck.
F. M. Jones, the station agent at
Eden, who was the first to go to the
aid of the stricken people on the train
gives the following version Of the ac-
cident:
Il was sitting in my Office distance
Of mile from the scene of the wreck,
when suddenly long sound, followed
by series of smaller reports startled
me. had heard of No. II passing Pin
on from the operator there and at this
time the train was overdue more than
six minutes, an unusual thing for the
train Is a flyer.
Becoming alarmed, seized my Ian.
tern and ran UP the track to the place
where the bridge should have been
swlms to Wrecked Car.
"The faint rays Of my lantern threw
just enough light for me to distinguish
three cars, but between myself and
them there was a chasm fully fifty
feet wide through which dashed riv
er almost level with the ground upor
which stood. Opposite me coult
make out the lines of three cars
but the other four that usually make
up No. IL were nowhere in sight.
II started across the mesa in the di
rection Of the river, which was higf
and making much noise. After walk
ing about half mile saw near tht
bank dark object 1t was almos
stationary in midstream, with one ent
swinging toward the left bank.
II slipped off my clothes and plung
ed in, swimming in the direction II
which l had come. as l knew th'
strong current would carry me dow
stream. By proceeding in this cours
managed to get to that object, whicl
proved to be chair car, half on 1T
side, and held in position by an arm
of land extending into the stream prob
ably fifteen feet.
Not Soul to Be Found.
SThe roof of the car was gone ant
inside there was not soul to b,
found.
Guided by the light of my lamp o,
shore struck out for the bank and
being strong swimmer, l reached !
In a few moments. The car, or wha
was left of it, broke loose and wal
completely demolished. 1t was thel
after midnight.
There were two survivors Of tn,
wreck that know of-the fireman ant
passenger who had been in a chat
car His story he told me in dazet
manner, for the man was really Dor
dering on lunacy. 1t seems he wa
sitting in the third chair from the rea
of the car when the train turned up
ward and the suddenness precipiatet
him through the window, and afte
turning complete circle, landed hin
on the bank"
Told by the Fireman.
Fireman L4ayfield, upon his arriva