The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1910-03-24
ROCK ISLAND
TRAIN WRECK
FoTty-Fou1 Persons Killed as
Cars Are Te|escoped
LARGE NUMBER IN HOSPITAL
Double Train Of Thirteen Cars Max
Ing Detour Because Of Little Freight
Wreck Meets With Disaster When
Engines Leave Rails and Are
DItched In Cut at Top OF Hlll-Pss.
senpers Horribly Mutllated

Marshallt0wn, Ia, March 22.--
Forty -four persons were killed and al
most as many more were injured II
the wreck at Green Mountain OF two
Rock Island trains running over the
Chicago and ureat Western tracks
from Cedar Rapids to Waterloo. Sew
eral OF the injured may die. No New
England people are reported among
those dead m injured
A number OF the dead are so hor-
ribly mangled that Identification may
never be possible. Every surgeon In
Marshalltown, Green Mountain and
Gladbrook are doing everything pos
sible In emergency hospitals in Mar
shalltown to relieve the suffering OF
the injured.
Around the various undertaking
shops the citizens throng with tear
stained faces, each anxious to get
some details Of those who are within.
A little freight wreck on the Rock
Island at Shellsburg was the Indirect
cause OF the Green Mountain disaster.
The Rock Island line was blocked and
It became necessary to detour over the
Great Western tracks. Two trains
sent from Cedar Rapids to Marshall
town we're coupled together and the
two locomotives placed In front OF
them. Both locomotives were run
ming backward.
The combined train consisted OF
thirteen cars. A Pullman was next
to the locomotives. Then came
smoking car and a day coach. In the
latter were many women and chill
dren.
The doubled train was going about
twenty-five miles an hour when II
reached cut five miles from Green
Mountain. at the top Of hill In this
cut the tender OF the front locomotive
jumped the track This threw the
head locomotive into the sides OF the
narrow cut. The clay Of the sides was
soft and the engine went into II and
stopped almost instantly Tho sud
den stoppage ditched the second loco
motive and the momentum OF the
heavy train crushed the day coach and
the smoking car against the heavier
Pullman. The smoking car and day
coach we're telescoped and barely an
occupant of either escaped death OF
injury.
While the last ten cars remained on
the track, the shock threw the pas
sengers sprawling from their seats
Conductor Worst dispatched train
men back to Gag following train,
Other trainmep were hurried TO Glad
brook and Green Mountain for help.
Unintured passengers began remov-
Ing the dead and injured The dead
we're taken to an adjoining pasture
and laid on the grass A relief train I
from Marshalliown carrying surgeons
and Coroner Jay arrived two hours
after the crash BY that time the vie
inns were laid out in gruesome rows
The sight that met the eyes Of the
surgeons was horrible The dead
sere crushed and mutilated In many
.ases beyond recognition Heads
rere severed from bodies. arms and
egs were cut Of Here lay bleed
ng trunk. there head si,h the
agony Of death stiii on the counis-
iance.
A second rescue train relieved The
irst. which brought q load of IN
ured 10 Marshaltown.
the removal of the bodies showed
hat nearly all the dead were 10 the
lay coach and the smoking ear y
. believed only two Of the dead were
q the Pullman