Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-02-19
ESCAPE OF SON
WAS THRILLING
Clyde Il. Tavenner Had Left His
Mother but for a Moment
When Accident Occurred.
FUNERAL AT c0RDoVA
"Details of Disaster Which Took Life
OF q Good Woman-Was
County Pioneer.
Especial to The Argus.l

OhcE Tue DOug VI MIS-. y. 4. 1df0AuSI,
who was killed in the wreck on the
Pennsylvania railroad at Warriors
Gap, Pa. last Thursday, was held yes
terday afternoon at the home of Super
visor Edward Cool. Mrs. Tavenner's
remains were accompanied to Cordova
by her husband, her son, Clyde H. Tav-
enner, and Arthur West, Washington
newspaper correspondent, who is a
personal friend of Clyde Tavenner.
Mrs. Tavenner was the wife of Ed
ward Tavenner, one Of the early set
tiers of Rock Island county. and the
mother Of Clyde H. Tavenner, the
newspaper correspondent. The funeral
was largely attended, Mrs. Tavenner
having been held dear by all who
knew her. The funeral services were
in charge of Rev. George Gibbs, pastor
Of the Cordova Baptist church. Music
was furnished by William Tew and
daughter, Lois, and Mrs. Rena Sidlin-
ger. The bearers were Gus Haak, w.
X. Armstrong, Charles Toner, Lee
Bruner, Frank Zimmerman and Alfred
w. Mullery.
Mrs. Lucinda Tavenner was born in
Green county, N. Y, Nov. %, 1876.
While still a girl, she came to Cor
dova, with her parents, where she was
married to Calvin Applebee. OF this
union three children were born, Mrs.
Emma Ethridge and Charles Applebee
Of Chicago, and James, who died when
he was years old.
Mr.: Applebee died in 1875 and four
years later Mrs. Applebee married
John E. Tavenner of Cordova, and of
this union one child, Clyde H. Taven.
ner, was born. Mrs. Tavenner is also
survived by three sisters, Mrs. Edward
Cool and Mrs. Sarah Sargent of Cor.
dova, and Mrs Hannah Williamson OF
Carroll, Neb.; two brothers, Elder Van
derburgh of Cordova, and Matthew
Vanderburgh of Winterset, Iowa; two
of her husbands children by a previ
GUS marriage, Charles Tavenner of Mt
| Warren, ILL.,, and four grandchildren
Mrs. Tavenner united with the Cor
dova Baptist church in March, 1884
always desiring to be with Gods PEG
pie wherever she was.
| A striking feature of Mrs. Taven
ner's character was her strong devo
| ton to her children. She loved then
with a passion that was almost pa
thetic, devoting her whole life to Civ
ing them sympathy and encourage
ment, and to tenderly showing then
how it paid to do right.
1t appears there were some inaccu
racies in the dispatches which told o
Mrs. Tayenner's death. Clyde H. Tav
enner, who was in the same car will
his mother when she was killed, de
scribed the tragic event as follows:
MY mother and boarded the Penn
sylvania limited for Washington, a
Chicago. last Wednesday afternoon a
, $50 o'clock. We occupied the frs
Pullman car after the diner, it beinl
the third or fourth of the train
Thursday morning about. s o'clock W
had breakfast in the dining car, an,
after we had returned to the Pullman
was sitting with my mother abou
11:40 and she asked me to step to tn
water cooler and bring her a drink
had just reached the water coole
when there was a violent lurch of tn
car, and the next instant we wer
going down a steep bank toward tn
river. We had been an hour late, an
the train was running 60 or 20 mile
an hour to make up time. The me
mentum of the train caused il to tuT
over, and our car crashed into tn
!. diner ahead and smashed both a
II they were cigar boxes, despite tn
fact that they we're of steel Suddenl
the roaring and crashing ceased, an
everything was as still as death. NJ
first thought was that the wreckag
was going TO catch fire, and that
: must hurry to get my mother out
climbed over the wreckage and Gale
TO her, but received no answer an
could not see her anywhere. | sa
others there, but there seemed I
be but one person in that car that wa
alive. The steam came up from III
bottom, and / thought it was smoL
and returned 10 the end of the car an
climbed to the top and broke out
window with chair and got on tc
of the car. Immediately | saw Il
other cars lying along the river ar
saw people breaking out Of the wi
dows on top of the overturned cars
| had done. / saw then everythiI
was over. and taking of my coat !
myself down into the car again al
helped out a man who had been stan
ing by me at the water cooler VIII,
the accident occurred, and who at Il
time seemed TO be the only live m,
in the car. satisfied myself u
mother was not In the car. and elm
ing out again on top of it jump
to the ground and looked under the I,
wrecked cars. found my mother thel
The bottom and side OF the PullmI
had parted, leaving considerable wreC
age push through. Ny mother h
been instantly killed. As she was {
ting on the side Of the car that crash
against the diner. | think the edge
the window sill struck her head. s
had no other bruise on her entire DO
save the fatal injury TO the side OF
head With the help of a section Ia
got my mother out of the wrecka