The Oskaloosa herald., 1911-02-16
TRAFFIC WAS DELAYED
Switch Engine and Two Cars Of
Coal Leave the Tracks.

The switching crew in the aorth
yards of the Iowa Central had mir
aculous escape from the jaws of
death about five o'clock Saturday
afternoon when their engine, No. 201
turned over on its side when travel
ing at fair rate of speed, and two
ARE were derailed. The accident oc-
Cured near the Yearly Meeting
house and tied up the passenger and
freight traffic for sixteen hours. The
accident was caused by a rail turn
ing over.
The switching crew WIS in oh. rye
of R. H. Fuller, Engineer Con-
ners and Fireman Bogard. They
We're endeavoring to push four car
loads of coal and one empty car up
iato the coal chutes, but were unable
to reach the top, so they reversed
and started back down the incline
so as to make another run to gain
the top. When they reached the
bottom of the steep incline they
were travelling at fair rate of
speed and were running on level
track when the rail turned over, de-
railing the engine and the two cars.
The cause of the rail turning was due
to the dirt being soft, caused by the
recent thaw. When the rail turned
over the engine reared and fell
across the main line track on her
side, while the two cars that were de-
rallied remained upright. The en-
CINE is badly damaged and twisted
out of shape. The cab is smashed
to splilters and the tender is badly
smashed How Engineer Corners
and Fireman Bogard escaped death is
miracle. The track was torn up
for several feet where the cars left
it. The steam wrecker and crew
from Marshalltown arrived on the
scene and proceeded with the work
of cleaning up the track so as to let
passenger No. 2 pass, The old say
ing that trouble always comes in
lunches" proved true on this occa'
sion. When the wrecking crew was
progressing rapidly with the work OF
clearing up the track and was lifting
| the engine to an upright position the
wrecker was disabled. The large
cable that was used broke in three
different places. Large jacks were
used to prop the engine up so as to
clear the main line track. After this
was accomplished the crew moved
the main track over, enabling the
passenger trains to pass around the
wreck. Passenger No. 2 was the
first train to pass around the wreck
passing It at $40 Sunday morning.
Traffic Tied Up.
The traffic was tied up for twelve
hours. Passenger No. 2, due in the
city at $40 p. m. was on the Other
side of the wreck and north-bOunC
passenger No. 5. due out of the city
at 1920 p. M, did not depart unit
$50 Sunday morning. South-bount
passenger No. 6, due in the city al
ASS a. m, arrived at $40 a. IN
The passengers and baggage ant
mail were transferred from No. 2 tc
No. and No. 2 departed as No.
north bound, two hours late.
... More Trouble.
Trouble did not only come il
punches, but it came thick and fast
After all the passenger trains hat
passed the wreck an extra freight
was coming into the city and when
about half aof it had passed the wreck
an oil car jumped the track and tore
up several feet more track before the
train could be stopped. This tied I'll
the traffic for the most of the day
and it was impossible to get trair
past the wreck Sunday is certainly
Jonah day" to the Iowa Central. II
was only few Sundays ago that the
round house at Marshalltown burned