Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-11-25
TRAINS NARROW ESCAPE
North Bound Passenger Train Strikes
Obstruction While Running at the
Rate Of Nearly Forty Miles an Hour
Sheriff cremer's Hloodhounds on
Trail Of Would.Be Wrecksrs.

From fridays Daily
Sheriff j. H. Cremer's bloodhounds
are this afternoon trailing the man or
men who tried to wreck the Rock Is
land northbound noon passenger train
by placing a rail across the track at a
lpoint about two miles north of Cliff
land. The train was not wrecked, due
.to nothing less than miracle, accord
ing to the Judgment of railroad men.
! Conductor Thomas Riley of Keo-
kul, who was in charge Of the train,
notified Sheriff Cremer upon his ar
rival in Ottumwa that an attempt had
been made to wreck his train and the
sheriff Immediately began preparations
| to begin search for the miscreants
Accompanied by Deputy Sheriff ]. D.
Stephens and Night Captain William
Evans of the local police force, he
left on special train shortly before 1
o'clock, reaching the scene of the at
tempted wreck just two hours after
the accident. The bloodhounds were
started on a scent and followed it al
most to Eldon, but it was found to be
the trail of an itinerant peddler who
had passed along. the track just before
the accident. The dogs were then
brought back and the second time,
about 8 O'Clock, they took a trail
through the woods, toward the Agency
load. The land at this point rises
abruptly from the railroad track, and
is called Garrison Rock.
A Marrow Escape.
The enginemen on the train did not
see the rail until after their train had
struck it. 1t was an extra rail that
q was lying beside the track for emer-
n gency use,and had been placed across
Y the rails just before the north bound
N passenger was due to pass the point.
q It is thought that two men concocted
the plan, and this theory is borne out
BY the appearance of the ground
where the rail lay. Its weight was
something more than 500 pounds and
It would have been impossible for one
man to shift it to position across
the rails without lifting one end at a
s.time and thus gouging deep hole in
5the wet ground with the other end.
INSTEAD of any such marks the ground
shows only the place where the rail
{ lay and not even any tracks remain
Aatp give the officers hint as to who
laced the rail on the track.
Railroad men cannot understand
#taoW fatal accident was averted. The
sNcrain, according to the enginemen was
y running at speed of nearly forty
miles an .4our, and the obstruction
was slid along the track nearly 200
feet before the, train could be brought
to stop. Then it was found that
one end of the rail was wedged tight
ly under the pilot, in front of the pony
trucks, while the other end was Just
in front Of the drivers. This indi-
Gates that the obstruction was not
placed squarely across the track. but
with one end between the rails.
d Hope to Make Capture.
~ AS the Courier goes to press Sheriff
sJremer and the officers assisting him
lare searching the woodc; hillsides In
X the hope that the hounds may bring
Il the miscreants to bay. The fact that
the first trail proved to be useless is no
more than was to be expected and 1t
IS still hoped that the dogs will be able
to pick up the right one and follow
n 1t until a capture Is effected.
Farmers living in the vicinity have
been questioned closely, but none OF
\ them saw anyone near the railroad
track with the exception OF the ped
dler, who has satisfactorily accounted
for his actions, his story being sub
Etantiated by men who saw him pass
the Goa! mine at Garrison Rock at
about the same time the train struck
tie obstruction.