Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-09-22
transportation to the Allen county fair
at Fort Wayne.
Ride Gaily to Their Death.

excursion trains prevailed on the
crowded local car at the moment OF
collision. Whole families, with their
lunches in baskets, were en- route to
the scene Of a days pleasure Laugh
ingly accommodating themselves to the
crowded condition of the car. these
neighbors and friends were speeding
the car on it's rapid course with song
and jest
Today whole families are stretched
side by side in the morgues. while
others have been broken by death and
the surviving members are forgetting
their own bereavement to do what they
can to alleviate the sufferings or the
injured and orphaned.
Neither of the motormen on the ap-
preaching cars could see beyond the
curve on which they met. The extra
was running at unusual speed In order
to make the switch near Kingsland In
time to give the north bound car
clear track, while the driver of the
local was putting on all his power In
order to get his passengers to the fair
as quickly as possible.
Loaded Car Crushed to Bits.
The impact, when the two cars
reached the curve, was so terrific that
the heavy extra tore half way thru the
local car, in spite Of the latters load
of passengers. The local was crushed
and splintered into bits. and many OF
the dead were wedged firmly into the
debris and horribly mangled.
A dozen passengers were thrown
dead and dying on both sides Of the
track but the greater number lay dead
beneath the wreck. Bruised and bleed
ing men who had barely escaped death
crawled from the debris and, with no
thought of their own Injuries, began
the work of rescue. 1t was an hour
and an occasion that called for heroes.
Amid the confusion and the horror
Of the disaster Conductor e. A. Spiller
of the local train preserved cool mead.
Almost at the moment when he crawl
ed, bruised and bleeding from the
wreck, he thought of the Indianapolis
limited. which was following close be-
hind the local.
Conductor Proves Himself Hero.
He seized a flag and dashed town the
track around the fateful curve. After
running a quarter of a mile he stopped,
planted the flag, and toppled over In
dead faint. The act saved a second
and probably a greater disaster.
There were two physicians on the
train at the time, but one Of them sue
cumbed to his injuries a short time af-
ter the wreck The other set heroically
to work alone.
But there was no means OF carrying
on the work, and many were pinoined
under the wreckage and could not be
extricated until death ca1ne to their re-
lief. The lone physician aboard the
wrecked local car rendered what first
aid ne could, without appliances and
eo,,
Appeals for medical aid were sent to
Fort Wayne and to Bluffton. The trac-
tion company prepared special relief
car and hurried 1t to the scene, and
Bluffton physicians hastened to the
scene in automobiles.
Relief Car Makes Record Time.
Soon after the wreck the relief car
from Fort Wayne arrived on the scene
with its staff of surgeons and stores
of equipment for the injured. The car
was run at top speed and made the dis
tance of nineteen miles in record time.
AS soon as the surgeons arrived they
took up their work in /esponse to the
pitiful calls of the sufferers and work.
ed as rapidly as they could applying
temporary dressings to the most dam
aerously hurt, and hurriedly placing
them in the car that was to return
with them to Fort Wayne, where ar
rangements had been made to receive
them at the st. Joseph, Lutheran, and
Hope hospitals. Friends OF the dead
and injured at Bluffton, Warren and
other towns and cities nearby were
notified as rapidly as possible Of the
catastrophe.
Someone blundered" was the only
explanation given by officials of the
traction company last night. B. Will
son, conductor of the southbound linn
tied, lies wounded in ST. Joseph's hos
pital. and c. Il. Corkwell his motor
man, is at the point Of death in Hope
hospital. Conductor Spiller, of the
local train, was taken to his home at
Bluffton. and his motorman, Charlee
Van Dyne. also is at Bluffton
Survivor Describes Wreck.
The disaster was vividly described by
John II. Boyd, of Marion, Ind, one of
the survivors and the last passenger
to board the 1ll-fated local at Button
"The car was crowded, so l decided
to avoid the crush and stood down on
the step. After we had passed Kings
land and were rounding curve II
swung out a bit and got a long view
ahead. Probably distance Of 200
yards from us was the limited bearing
down at terrific speed. We were then
going at a speed OF approximately fif-
teen miles an hour. I thought there
would be switch track into which
we would doubtless run, but could see
none, and then 1t appeared to me the
motorman Of the local car saw the
approaching collision, and lost his head
"Our car suddenly gave a unge for
ward. Our speed increased to fully
to- Q1,a ,,,il all
once