Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-09-12
DIE IN IOWA WRECK.
ROCK ISLAND EXPRESS colLIDES
WITH FREIGHT.
Accident st Norris Siding-NearIy
All Men on Train Injured and
men.

Twelve persons were killed and
twelve seriously injured in the wreck
Of the north-bound express on the Rock
Island Road Friday afternoon at Nor
ris, a little station three miles north
Of Cedar Falls, Ia
The express, which was ten minutes
late, was laundering along in the eff
fort to make up the lost time. On
the siding was Il long freight train
waiting for the express to pass. Just
as the engine of the express came OPP
posite the freight engine the trucks of
the express left the track and the en-
CINE crashed with terrific force into
the engine of the freight, wrecking both
locomotives, telescoping the baggage
and mail cars and demolishing the
smoking car, nearly every seat of
which was occupied.
Women Aid I'm Rescue.
1t was among the occupants of this
car that all the fatalities occurred,
none of the passengers in the two day
coaches following thes mOker being in
jured beyond a violent shaking up.
AS nearly all the men on the train
were in the smoker, the work of rescue
devolved almost entirely on the wom-
en- passengers all ,Of whom assisted
heroically in removing the dead and
injured from the wreck. The only man
in the smoker who escaped injury was
the newsdealer, who was thrown
through the broken roof and landed
unhurt.
One of the unidentified dead is a
young man about 20 years old, in whose
pocket was found a ticket bearing the
words Lakeland street, Chicago" The
engineer and fireman on the express
train stuck to their posts and were
thrown away from the wreckage. Fol-
lowing are the names of the dead !:
Oliver, P. B., Waterloo, Ia; Goodman,
Will, Waterloo; Watson, John n, Wa
terloo; Landphere, C. L., Shell Rock j.;
Johnson, w. Ray, Dixie; Christy, B. R.,
Minneapolis, Mimi; Toja, Lepovan,
Hammond, Ind; laborer, name IN
known, Hammond, Ind; three IN
known men; Beeman, address IN
known.
Those seriously injured were: New
ell, J. A., Illinois Central conductor,
Waterloo, Ia; Shaw, John, Waterloo
O'Keefe, Dr. G. J., Marble Rock Doug
las, J. H., Waterloo; Evenson, Thomas,
n 7
West Liberty; Steppierre, Edward,
Minneapolis, Mimi Crisxen, Trocoin,
st. Paul, MINI. Mcmahon, H, fireman,
Cedar Rapids, Ia; Mason, Albert, en-
gineer, Cedar Rapids; Welliver A. L.,
lineman, Cedar Rapids; Kinch, F., en-
gineer, Cedar Rapids; Meyers, w. H.,
baggageman, Burlington.
Injured Man Refuses Aid.
Rescuers were Immediately at hand
to care for the injured and to take
the dead from among the wreckage.
Sitting in the midst of the wreckage
was DR.. Charles J. O'Keefe, who, az
though badly injured, little realized
how seriously he was hurt. With he
role fortitude, while suffering intense
pain, he waved the rescuers aside and
directed them to the assistance of those
who he thought were in a more serious
condition than himself, for in front of
him and behind him on all sides were
men writing and grooming in the ag-
ony of their sufferings
Physicians and hospital attendants
were hastily taken to Norris on a spe-
cial train, and pending their arrival
such medical relief as the little station
afforded was given the injured.