Arizona republican., 1910-01-03
GRAPHIC STORY OF
 ROCK ISLAND WRECK
Incidents Related by One Who Glanced
 to Be on the Train.

Charles H. McArthur of Chicago ar
 rived here on the train from the south
 yesterday morning. expecting to re-
 main permanently, having spent the
 three preceding winters in the valley
 as a student of the Evans school near
 Mesa City. MT. McArthur was nine
 hours behind his schedule time in ar
 irving and about 9:30 o'clock Friday
 morning he had logical reasons for a
 few minutes for doubting whether he
 would ever get here. At the moment { of his fullest appreciation of that pos sibility he was lying on the floor or the dining car on the Rock Island lim- ited westbOund train. two and one
 half miles from Trenton. Missouri In assuming that position he had cleveriy dodged a plate of scrambled eggs de- signed for his breakfast, but had re- ceived the full force and effect of a cup of hot coffee on his forehead In order. the stratification above him con- sisted of layer of furniture. one thickness of colored dining car walters and a blanket vein of men. women and | children who had assembled uncere-
 moniously from the rear of the dining car to his end of it. which was nearest | the engine There were no dilatory or
 obstructive tactics employed by any
 body in the ear relative to their emer- gence from it. the windows being found the most accessible for that purpose and no hesitancy being exhibited in using them. No one was killed in that ! car. though some were severely hurt. | Reaching the outside the facts and
 the environment were found to be as | follows:
 The train was a little late | and trying to make up lost time. It E was going down grade at the rate Of \ sixty miles an hour preparatory to talk
 | ing a heavy grade little farther on' | when the rails spread. The engine | jumped to the left, the tender and the mail car seemingly jumped over the engine to a point ahead of 1t on the | right -of-way. the baggage car was | iammed into the engine. the chair car | and the tourist sleeper Rit the baggage \ ear and were thrown off to the right | side of the track and the diner lay on | it's side The Pullman coach was not | turned over. Mir McArthur found him. | self in company with a MT. Lathrop | travelling passenger agent of the South I ern Pacific Taking an inventory they | found they had their lives left ard their I skins were practically whole. so Il | mattered little about the rest and ir 4 company with all the other passengers 4 who were not hurt they fell to to dc all possible for the unfortunate NIT NcArthur says he never saw an az gregatiOn of women who were so cour- il ageous and who acted so sensibly 1T an emergency. They all helped wher- I ever they could and there was no hys- teria save in the instance of one wo- man who lost a pet dog in the bag q gage car AS the injured were taker A from the wreck they were removed t' a the Pullman where the women actin. N as nurses cared for them very attent \ lively and did everything possible un \ der the circumstances. binding up tn II wounds and extending sympathy ant M encouragement. For the men there wa N more energetic work ahead. The nois M of the wreck was heard for mil M away and in a short time there wer N probably 800 people on the scene. farm (l CTS from the surrounding country ant M the relief and wrecking train witt M eight physicians from Trenton.
 XII In the meantime the passengers, es U pecially the men, were devoti1g them N selves to whatever could be done. Go Ni ing forward it was found that the en VI gineer had jumped and saved his life V but the lower part of his body wa MI terribly scalded. The fireman wh M had lately been married and was eX W pecting to meet his wife at Trenton )y was found dead. partly under the en II zine. which had fallen on his side O O the track It was noted that fir MI was starting under one end of the bag M gage car and MT. McArthur said n N thinks it could have been extinguishe' U at that time with the snow tat GOV N cred the ground but the men though ~ their first duty was to the baggage MI man inside who had to be reached frs ll by cutting their way in with an aN ll By the time he was taken out, wit VI his head badly hurt. and in such N dazed condition he could do little O MI nothing for himself. the fire had gaine'