Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-02-25
TRAIN IS IN DITCH
WRECK ON WABASH AT WYAcoN
DA BRIDGE CROSSING NEAR
BLOOMFIELD.
Ten Box Cars and Bridge Badly Dam
aged - No Further Experiments tc
Be Made BY Burlington on Electric
Motor Car - Railroad Notes.

Ten cars were badly smashed up
and traffic delayed for several. hours
as the result of an accident to
freight train No. 95, on the Wabash
near Bloomfield yesterday. The smash
up occurred at the foot of steep grade
at the Wyaconda bridge crossing.
The cause of the accident is un-
known. The engine and three freight
cars passed over the bridge all right
when the trucks of one of the cars
either broke down or jumped the
track and ten box cars piled up in
the ditch. None of the trainmen were
injured. The bridge was badly
damaged and about 125 feet of track
torn up. The train was the freight
due in Ottumwa at IL o'clock in the
morning and was in charge of Con.
ductor Marshall and Engineer Morri.
son.
Engine Given Up.
The electric motor car, from which
so much was expected by the Burling-
ton officials, and which it was ex.
pected would be put in service on the
Ottumwa-Ft. Madison branch, has
proved SO unsuccessful that further
experiments are to be abandoned &C.
cording to advices from Aurora, Ill.
The engine was on trial a week
or SO ago but broke down at Naper.
vile and was towed back to the shop
again.
Now it is standing on the scrap en-.
CINE track in the yards out in the
wind, rain and snow, with little pros.
pect of ever being touched, it is said
Under the managem ent of General
Manager Delano experiments for the
betterment of the road went on but
his successor, Mr. Gruber, it is under.
stood, will not stand sponsor for such
things. 1t is said about $4,000 have
been used in this new work.
Reduction In Time.
The biggest reduction in working
hours and force made in the Burlington
shops in Aurora since the panic season
of ten years ago is being made this
week, says the Aurora News.
| Notices were posted in the c., B. &
@. locomotive shops Tuesday telling OF
shortening in the working hours, tc
take effect Wednesday morning, the
announcement coming as surprise tc
all.
The shops will work from until Il
o'clock, and from until o'clock, with
Saturday off, making but forty full
working hours in the week
The cause of the cut in time is due
it is said, to the order of fifty new
engines which the company recently
gave to the locomotive works al
Schenectady, N. Y, and to the slack
ness in building and repairs in al
departments of the locomotive anG
construction shops.
Work in that department now is
Stacker than it has been since the dull
times in 1893 and 1894. Men familiar
with conditions in the local railroad
circles are surprised to hear of s
scarcity of work in the shops, as
| work on the road is rushing.
The reduction in hours will go hare
with the helpers in the boiler shop ani
on the pits, who are paid by the day
These men receive 171s cents per hour
Their weeks wages at forty hours will
amount only 81, and many of then
have large families to support. Wher
they are on piece work they are able
to make from So to $3.50 a day, bu
1 now piece work will probably be done
4 away with.
Burlington Investigating Methods.
In the interest of economy the Bur
lington has organized an investigating