Omaha daily bee., 1905-09-12
TWO KILLED IN COLLISION
Burlington Past Mail Crashes Into Freight
Oars at Wabash Dressing,
ENGINEER AND FIReStN CAUGHT IN WRECK
Train was Late and Dead Engineer
was Making Effort 60 Regain Lost
Time-MaiI Clerks Are None
of Them injured.

Burlington fast mail train No s, east
bound. crashed into a string Of Wabash
freight cars at the wabash crossing last
evening, with the result that the engineer
and fireman of the fast mail were fatally
scalded, the locomotive turned over into the
ditch and a number OF the freight cars
wrecked.
The dead:
N. II. WOODS. engineer Of the fast mail.
Creston, Ia.
ED HOosIER, fireman OF the fast mail,
Creston, Ia.
The fast mail was one hour and nifty
FIVE minutes late. and it is said in order
to make up time did not make the usual
| stop at point near the Milwaukee round
house, about a quarter of a mile from the
| Wabash crossing The string OF freight
cars, which was being switched from the
| transfer to the Wabash yards was going
1 east and was about half way over the
1 crossing when the mail train dashed into
/ It. The mail train struck between a car
| loaded with grain and one loaded with
| telephone poles. throwing the grain car to
! the right Of the track and the one laden
| with telephone poles to the left. At a point
about thirty feet south of the crossing
| the engine left the track and turned over
down the slight embankment, on its side.
Engineer Woods was under the cab, and
1t was some time before he could be re-
leased, as number Of poles from a
wrecked freight car blocked the way. Ed
| Hoosier. the fireman managed to crawl
| out from under the cab unassisted. Both
men were horribly scalded from the es-
Gaping steam, and It was thought that
Woods would not survive until he reached
| the hospital. The men were taken to
Mercy hospital. where Hoosier, who was
| supposed to be the least injured OF the
! two, died about o'clock and Woods one
hour later The accident occurred few
minutes before o'clock.
Mail Clerks UninJured.
None Of the mail clerks received any in
| Jury. with the exception Of the first mail
| car, which was running dead and from
which the front trucks were torn OF. the
| cars remained on the track. There was no
| body in the second car except the conduc-
tor, the mail clerks being in the third and
last car. One Of the clerks happened TO be
| looking out of the door and when he saw
that the collision was inevitable he warned
the others TO brace themselves which they
did.
The Wabash switch engine was in charge
Of Yardmaster p H. Moran and he stated
that the fast mail failed TO make the usual
| stop near the Milwaukee roundhouse and
| whistle. There were fifteen cars in his
train and the fast mail struck IL about five
cars from the engine.
II was stated that engineer Woods failed
to see the freight train on account of a
field Of corn around which the track curves.
When the engineer noticed the string of
cars on the crossing he closed the throttle
and reversed his engine but too late to
| avoid the crash. 1t was found that he had
turned on the air and that the air brakes
were all set except on the last mail car.
On his way to the hospital in the ambu-
lance Engineer Woods who was in a semi
unconscious condition. kept muttering,
stick TO the throttle"
AS far as could be learned last night the
locomotive OF the fast mail was not badly
damaged but four OF the Wabash freight
cars were badly wrecked. One car loaded
with grain burst in halves and fell in pieces
like the slaves of a barrel from which the
hoops had been taken OF. The grain from
two of the wrecked cars covered the tracks.
For about forty feet each side of the cross
ing the tracks were torn up and twisted.
| The Wabash crossing is near Twenty.
third avenue, south Of the Rock Island and
Milwaukee yards. and II was fully an hour
after the accident before the ambulance
could reach the scene of the accident to
convey Woods and Hoosier 20 the hospital
The mail cars were pulled back to Omaha
and went east via Plattsmouth, the track
being blocked by wreckage.