Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-02-06
A. SAX TELLS OF
MISSOURI WRECK.
TRAVELLING SALESMAN GIVES
GRAPHIC STORY OF
DISASTER.
HE WAS ON THE JOB
Describes the Way the Two Trains
Met Near PowersviIle Yesterday
and Praises Those Who
Worked.
HE WAS ON THE JOB
From Thursdays Daily.


about the head-on wreck of the
Milwaukee near PoWersville yes
terday Is the small extent of the
fatalities. Eye witnesses to the
terrible catastrophe yesterday
morning express wonder at the
escape of several members of the
three train crews. Engineer Floyd
Wtgley. Fireman B. Wakefield and
Head Brakeman Frank Cox of this
city, who were on No. 65's engine
escaped without q scratch: while
Engineer Tom Kemp of train No
62's second engine and Head
Brakeman George Mulholland on
Engineer Stipp's engine, also es-
capped very serious injury
While there were at least thir-
teen cars damaged as the result
of the wreck the loss to the Mil
waukee road Of stock will not ex-
coed 100 head. Only one car Of the
dead freight train was damaged,
this being the first in the rear of
the engine. A peculiar feature of
the casualties is the fact that in
a double deck car Of hogs, only
nine animals were killed
Sax Was on the job.
One of the first requisites of a good
newspaper man is the possession Of
the proverbial nose for news" The
second is sufficient literary ability TO
reduce the findings to a clearly written
and intelligently composed articles. Abe
Sax who represents the Mckee & Pot
ter Co. on the road, has the first named
quality to superlative degree, as was
evidenced in message received yes
terday by the Courier from him under
Powersville date, in which he said,
"Will have photos and particulars of
Milwaukee wreck tonight" MI.
Sax is one of the, live wide
awake statesmen of the many
such gentlemen who represent Ottum-
wa houses abroad, and the fact that
his first consideration is his native
city paper emphasizes his desire not
alone to boost the city but to assist
the city's enterprise in being foremost
in their particular lines. Mr.. Sax has
been placed upon the special foreign
staff of the Courier fsH
Tells Graphic story.
ut was one of the worst railroad
wrecks l ever laid my eyes or" says
Mr.. Sax, "but it might have been much
worse. The trains met a short dis
lance from Powersville, and had 1t not
been for the fact that train No. IS
was dead still at the foot of the hill.
the entire three crews might have been
killed. When the Twin City special,
pulled by double header came steam
Ing down the hill, of course the crew
of SIS, seeing danger imminent, jump
ed to safety. Immediately after the
crash came, the trainmen uninjured,
together with a number Of Powersville
citizens and travelling men, lead by
Bert Wilson Of Powersville, began to
work energetically to extricate the
dead and wounded. While one of the
engines was still steaming, Bert vii
son, together with Brakeman Frank
Cox Of Ottumwa, worked for two solid
hours shoveling coal and removing de
bris in frantic endeavor to remove
the Inflated brakeman. Charles E.
Brown, from the wrcckage Their work
however, was fruitless, for the life of
Brown had already been snuffed out
and his body when taken out was
burned to an unacceptable state.
Trainmen Work Hard.
Conductor Charles Matthews, also
of this city, worked heroically in his
efforts to save the lives of his fellow
workmen. He with Cox found Engi.
neer Tom Kemp with a dislocate1
shoulder and fractured arm in a ditch
some distance from the engine. Engi
neer Stipp and Brakeman Belshe jump.
ed but their dead bodies were found
under the wreckage, they evidently
being unable to reach safety after
jumping. Stipp's fireman, George Null
holland stayed in the cab and fortu
nately emerged with but few
scratches to his face, although he was
badly stunned when Mathews and Cox
found him. The crew Of train No Ga
was composed Of Conductor Charles
Matthews, Engineer Floyd Wigley
Fireman B. Wakefield and Head Brake
man Frank Cox all of this city. They
were uninjured. Train No. 81, known
as the Twin City special was manned
by Conductor Frank Kemp, Engineers
Tom Kemp and John Stipp, Firemcr
George Mulholland and Charles E
Brown, and Head Brakeman +
| Pe1chao