Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-01-22
Travellers DIE IN
Wreck and FLAMES
FAST PASSENGER TRAIN CRASHES
INTO FREIGHT AT FOWLER,
INDIANA.
AT LEAST THIRTEEN
PERSONS KILLED

Rail Disaster Occurs in Early Morn
ing During Fog-Fire Adds to
Horror-car of Official Is Only
One Saved.
Fowler, Ind, Jan. 21-The most
horrible railroad wreck of the year oc-
Cured on the Big Four railway quar-
ter of mile east Of this station at
2:15 Saturday morning. Queen City
special No. SO, which left Chicago at
1880 Friday night, going at the speed
of so miles an hour, crashed head-on
into westbound freight and at least
Is lives were sacrificed. The tender
of No. 3S in front of the day combina-
ton coach crashed into it and reduced
it to splinters. The coach caught fire
and high wind from the southwest
famed the flames. Inside of half an
hour many bodies were cremated.
Partial List of Victims.
A partial list of the dead follows:
Higgender, e. j., Indianapolis; con-
ductor of the passenger train. Nc
Gee, j., baggageman of the passenger
train. Minor, Henry, fireman of
freight train. Outcalt, Henry, Cincin-
natl; fireman of the passenger train.
Shannon, John, $50 Potomac avenue,
Chicago.
| The injured, all of whom were taken
to Kankakee, are: Barnes, G. L., Gin
cinnati, passenger; severe bruises.
!Creton, M. A., New York city, an Ar
menian, last man rescued from combi-
nation car wreck; escaped death from
| flames by narrow margin. Grid, Ed
ward, Indianapolis, engineer of the
| freight train; badly cut and bruised.
Harris, Walter B., Indianapolis, pas
senger in combination car; both legs
mangled in wreckage. Lang, l.. F.,
Chicago, back hurt and leg injured,
condition not serious; was passenger
in combination car. Link, T. W., Mich
igan. Lynch, H. W., 2S6 Wabash ave-
nue., Chicago; leg broken, back
bruised, internal injuries; will prob
ably recover. Trip, E. W., Indianap-
oils engineer of passenger train;
saved life by jumping; was nearly
drowned in pool beside railway en-
bankment; condition serious.
Dense Fog Cause of Wreck.
Owing to the dense fog the engineer
of the Big Four flyer was unable to
see the light on the semaphore, which
directed him to stop, as westbound
freight had the right of way. The
train dispatcher, knowing that the
t1,n tro
men from seeing the block signal,
went outside and waved his lantern
frantically and fired at least half
dozen shots from his revolver, but the
trainmen went crashing by with their
train and a moment later the crash
came.
The firemen of both trains were
killed instantly, but the engineers
escaped by jumping. The report of
the collision was heard all over town.
Fire bells and whistles called the peo-
pie to the aid of the injured.
Immediately following the crash the
wreckage caught fire and the bodies
were burned before they could be ex-
tricated from the ruins. The heat of
the burning cars was so intense that
the would-be rescuers could not get
near enough to help. The injured and
some of the dead were taken to Kan
kakee, ILL.,, on the private car of Vice
President Schaff, which was not de-
rallied. Mrs. Schaff was in the private
car, but was not injured.
Only Two Are Rescued.
One man who was pleading piteous-
ly for aid was pinned under car seat.
He was rescued when the flames were
within six feet of him. Another man
was thrown out of the window of the
smoker into ditch. These were the
only two passengers rescued from the
combination car.
The killed included one woman All
that could be seen at daybreak was
the smoldering skeletons of human
bodies and the wreckage of the combi-
nation and baggage cars. None of the
passengers in the sleepers was killed.
Coroner Comley has taken charge
and Prosecuting Attorney Hall will as
sist the coroner in making an investi-
cation of the wreck.
Three Trainmen Killed.
Desoto, Kas., Jan. 21.-The locomo-
tive drawing eastbound Atchison, To-
peka & Santa Fe freight train No. SO
exploded on bridge near here Satur-
day morning. The bridge was demol-
ished and the engine and IA freight
cars went into the creek. F. w. Bar
tell, engineer; w. w. Dortch, fireman,
and Fl. p. Shaw, brakeman, of Argen-
tine. Kas., We're killed, their bodies be-
ing buried under the wreckage.
Bad Wreck on the Santa Fe.
Topeka, Kan, Jan. 21-Santa Fe
passenger train No. 4, eastbound, the
Chicago Limited, from California, was
wrecked FriGay night at Hutchinson,
Kan, the engineer killed and num-
Der of passengers injured, according
to report that has just reached
Topeka.
Raises and Cuts Tariff.
Buenos Ayres, Jan. 1S.-The cham
Der has adopted customs article au-
thOrizing the reduction or abolish.