The searchlight., 1910-03-25
ROCK ISLAND ROAD HOLDS IOWA
STATE RECORD FOR
FATALITIES.
R. R Commission PROBE
Dead Laid Out in Rows-Morgue Wis.
tied by Hundreds Of People
Five North Oakotans.
Injured.

MarSnalitown, Iowa, March I'll
The wreck at Green Mountain OF
trains number 10 and 81 of the Rock
Island, running over the Chicago
Great Western tracks from Cedar
Rapids to Waterloo. has proven tho
most disastrous i'm the history Of Iowa
railroad catastrophe.
Forty-two are known to he dead
Twenty-six have been identified. For
tv Were injured. many probably fatal
y.
The unidentified dead are in the un.
dertaking parlors at Marshalltown
many so horrobly mangled that
Identification may b" impossible. The
Catholic hospital. the railroad branch
Of the Y. VI. c. n. and an apartment
house near the Great Western depot
have been converted into surgical
rooms in which the injured lie moan
ing.
A freight wreck on the Rock Tslano
road made IL necess AIRY To send these
two trains over the Chicago Great
Western road. The two trains were
united and made thirteen coaches
pulled 10y two engines. which were
running backwards. there being NO
went on the Great Western road.
The train left Marshalltown shortly
after eight o'clock and when about
four miles beyond Green Mountain. at
the top Of "A hill In "A twelve foot cut
the wheels of the tender of the first
engine left the track. This threw the
head engine into the sides of the cut
into the soft mud. The sudden stoI
Ill 81, ,...z
heavy train rammed the day coacn
and smoker upon the Pullman. The
smoker and day coach " re- telescopet
and hardly an occupant of either car
escaped death or injury.
In "A twinkling everything was CON
fusion. While the last ten cars re-
mained on the track. the shock was
sufficient tn send passengers sprawling
to the floor. Conductor VIM. Worst
on the st. Paul train dispatched train
men back to flag train No. I19. and
trainmcn were hurried To Gladbrook
and Green Mountain for assistance
The dead were taken to an adjoining
pasture and laid out upon the grass
a relief train from Marshalltown. car
rying surgeons and Coroner Jay, was
two hours In arriving. and by that
grass In grewsnmc rows.
The sight that met the eyes of the
surgeons was beyond description. The
dead were crushed and mutilated In
many cases beyond recognition Heads
were severed from bodies. arms and
legs were cut off. Here lay a bleed.
ing trunk and there a head. A seconG
rescue train relieved the first after the
~ III
Marshalltown.
Marshalltown. Ia. March 22..-Hun.
dreds of people gathered today before
the undertaking establishment where
forty-fnur victims of the Rock Island
Railway wreck are laid out. Relatives
and friends mingled with the curious
seekers who seemed scarcely less eager
to catch a sight of the unfortunate
who had so suddenly perished. Tive
more victims died during the night
bringing the list - known dead Il
forty-four and making the catastrophe
the greatest in the history of the state
Four additional bodies were identified
during the night. leaving seven dis
unknown.
The Iowa board of railway commits,
sioners left today for Marshalltown
where an investigation will he held
this afternoon as tn the causes which
led to the disastrous wreck.
The North Dakotans. injured are ms
follows:
p, \. Russell Grand Forks. y. ID.
badly bruised.
Mrs. =. A. Russell. Grand Forks. n.
D.. badly bruised.
A. :. Mcdonald, Perth. \. d., jaw
dislocated.
l.. w. Whalen. Washburn. y. d,
head cut. collar bone broken.