The Cairo bulletin., 1907-08-30
IRON MOUNTAIN AVERAGED
WRECK EVERY OTHER DAY
PAST FEW WEEKS.
CRITICISE CAIRO BRANCH
Docs Writer in Kansas City Post
Minor Wrecks Are Frequent, But
Public Does Not Hear Of
Them.
CBy W Il. Williams, star Correspond

ent Kansas City Post)
| Poplar Bluff Mo, August 20
Jasper Porter roadmaster for the
iron Mountain railway until lew
weeks ago, resigned his position as
signing as his reason the fact that the
IIron Mountain system does not furn.
lsh enough material to keep it's tracks
I'm safe condition This Is the first
fact which learned when | began in
luiries here, and have substantiated
lit by the evidence Of several Of Poplar
Bluffs best citizens who heard the
reason from Porters own lips Mr..
Porter, who is railroad man of eff
| ficiency aud conscience is now in the
employ Of a Texas railway which is
said TO think more of the safety Of the
travelling public than OF dividends.
Poplar Bluff is indignant at the con.
dition of the Iron Mountain tracks.
Everywhere | turned ia this metrop
oils of Southeastern Missouri, | have
heard Indignant protests against the
exceedingly dangerous condition into
which the roadbed has been allowed
to retrograde.
The tracks Of the Iron Mountain.
both on the main line and the Cairo
branch which carries heavy traffic
are unspeakably bad in a number Of
places, II might not be too tsrong
an assertion to say that there are
more ties in the main line which
should be removed than there are
which should be allowed to remain in |
the track. AS to the main line, this
seems to be particularly true in the
aeighborhood OF Poplar Bluff
They have averaged wreck every |
other day on the Iron Mountain main |
line for the past few weeks Once or
twice it was open switches. but the !
rest Of the wrecks were due to bad /
track. The railroad company has /
been suppressing news Of the wrecks I
but the local pares have succeeded T
in asceraining part Of the facts and I
have printed them.
One day a passenger engine run
ming into siding where the Cairo
branch leaves the Poplar Bluff yards.
went eff the tracks. The cause. as
usual, was spreading track The
ties at this place, which examined
when Ii was pointed out to me by an
eye witness to the accident, were so
-otton that they cannot be depended 4
ipon to hold spikes The train was
placed back upon the tracks and the
rack repaired under the direction
" Porter In few minutes Cairo
1fanch freight came in It's engine
vent eff the track in the same place
md the track was again repaired
Here is the way the repairs
we're made Wrenches and Jacks
we're brought to bear upon the dis
,laced rail It was pushed back in
o position and a spike or two placed.
Two blows from a sledge hammer
irove each spike to the head in the
pcngy ties from which they had been
,uled by the spreading rail. That
vas all There were no new ties in
he switch when I examined 1t. Short
y after this incident Porter resigned.
fe told friend vino witnessed the ,
ccident and repairs that the reason
hat he could not put the track in safe ,
ondition was that the Iron Noun a.,
ain would not furnish the material q
'orter's word is good with every man. /
'oman. child and dog in Poplar Bluff
IL wasn't good there are other men .
no know the conditions In
| looked over the ties in the Poplar =
luff yards Many Of them were bad
q some places there were several in
order which would net
old spikes under strain Some Of +
lem were rotted so badly that there 4
ere practically no ties there. q
These We're near the three box cars d
hich the Iron Mountain gives Pop y
If Bluff a town of 10000 and the Ia
lost. important commercial point in C
Missouri for a depot Some =
g wties had been placed in the tracks I
ist before the visit Of the railroad e
But there were not T.
lough TO put the tracks in good con @
ition The repair gangs were taken
# just as soon as the commission
al made its visit. e