Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-03-31

OF life, Mr.. Marshall SAID IL was De-
cause the train stopped so suddenly
! that there was no time to apply the
brake and the great pressure on the
weakest part of the train caused 1t to
give way there.
railroading to put the weakest cars
| in the middle of a train.
Priehard All But Breaks Down.
| OF the five men who were on the two
| engines, E S. Prichard. the engineer
of the zoos, the second locomotive, was
the only man to escape with his life.
He was scarcely injured at all. When
he came TO tell OF the horrors of the
wreck the memories caused tears to
! spring to his eyes and his voice grew
husky and all but broke.
How did you escape" he was asked.
That's hard question. l do not
know" he replied.
derailment?"
was standing on my RICH. foot sitting
on the window sill of the cab, looking
back over the tank. Robinson was
leaning out OF his window. The first
thing l saw Robinson passed out Of my
view behind the tank.
The next instant I felt myself being
thrown. After that i don't know what
happened. When l first realized what
had happened l found myself down be-
hind the boiler head. ] saw a hole up
above my head and crawled out thru
it When got ont found my clothes
were on fire and had burned my face
some.
Drass Robinson Out of Cab.
Il then saw Robinson trying TO get
out OF his cab and / went to help him.
Robinson was trying 10 get out of the
window. He was lying on his back with
his head and shoulders out of the Win
dow. I dragged him out and carried
him up TO the fence. He was scalded
His fireman was George Ross. did
not see anything of him for over an
hour When the steam died down
went to his cab and saw him lying
there dead. Apparently he had been
scalded'
Mr. Prichard said that because the
motion of the forward engine jerked
Robinson from mis- view he believed
that it was the head engine that went
off the track first. He thought the
engines went only very short dis
tance before they stopped.
Crash Was Not Hard.
D NJ. Whitney, baggag eman Of the
train, said he was in the baggage car.
the fourth from the engines. lying on
cot N the middle of the car when the
wreck occurred. He said the shock on
ly rolled him over, so that he got TO
his feet at once.
After l had look out on both SIDES
he said. y went into the smoking car.
The first twelve or fifteen seats were
not broken. There We're FIVE men, all
unhurr in there when / got IN. The
first thing / discovered was the for
ward end Of the car was full OF deb
ris. There was a gray haired woman
standing in the aisle in front of this
debris, with her arms and hands buried
and caught in II. She was dead stand
ing up.
Then I went into the sleeper and
took out two hurt men. / could not
see any more so I went back into the
smoker. Under the corner Of the
sleeper I helped take sixteen dead bod
les
Speed Less Than Twenty-Five Miles.
That the speed OF the train was not
more than twenty five miles al hour
was the testimony of Prichard the en-
gineer. T. e Charter, brakeman Of 1s,
ard a brother of r. Z. Charter, the
brakeman who was killed; S. P. Rutan,
J. T. McKeever and ]. L. Jennings,
Rock Island engineers, who were
dead heading on the wrecked train.
Rutan said, Just as l arrived to
where the engines We're Goodnough,
came out from under his engine. His
clothes were afre. He was perfectly
conscious and he said he thought he
would die He was able TO walk back
TO the sleeper He did not say any
thing about how the wreck occurred
All of the enginenen, who were on
the train and on train No. 419, which
was following the wrecked passenger,
said that it was not especially hazard
Gus TO run a locomotive backing UP,
provided that the track was good and
that the weather conditions We're not
unfavorable.
Eaton Thanks Officials.
AS the investigation was closing
Commissioner W. l. Eaton. who had
charge of the examination of the wit
nesses, and Chairman D. ]. Palmer,
thanked the railroad officials for their
cooperation and for the willingness
with which they had produced witness
es and documentary evidence, so that
! the commissioners were not hampered
but were given free hand to make the
inquiry as thorough as il was possible