The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1912-02-08
TWO RAIL MISHAPS
One Head-on and One Rear End
Collision on M. & St. L.

An unusually severe rear end col
lision occurred on the Peoria line of
the East Division, NJ. & st. L., Satur-
day afternoon when engines 131 of
the old Iowa Central, and NJ & st. l..
engine No. 41s crashed into the rear
end of second section of No. 95 west
bound, three miles west of ollie sta
ton in the southern part of Keokuk
county. Freight No. So was run :
ming in three sections handling time
freight. Section No. l stopped for
water near Ollie. She protected the
rear with fiagman against second 50.
Conductor Harry Snider was on this
section. He Immediately sent out
his brakeman to protect against third
So. Second 95 was lying at the foot
of hill when the crash came. When
third 95 came along it was moving
with considerable speed and down
hill. The signal of the fiagman was
seen but the train was under such
Roadway that the brakes refused to
hold on the slippery ana frosty rails
and the engine coasted and crashed
into the rear of second So. Conduc-
tor Snider was in his way car to
within few seconds of the crash and
had he remained in the car he must
certainly have been killed, for the
car was pulverized into splinters and
bent rods. He did not save a thing
of the property it contained.
Snider's train was made up for the
greater part of coal, loaded in steel
cars, and it stood like the rock of
Gibraltar. This train had only two
of the cars and the way car demol-
ished, while the other train Jared
worse. Both engines were derailed
and turned about and one of them
was thrown over on it's side across
the right-of-way. All trainmen not
ing the impending trouble, jumped.
Engineer John D. Nelson was the
only one severely hurt. He received
bad cash across the face. How
Snider escaped is more than any one
can understand. Harry says he had
"hunch" that something awful was
about to happen, sudden unaccount-
able feeling to get out of the car
seized him. He rushed to the door
to see what was the trouble. He
reached the platform in an instant
and escaped death by the fractional
| part of minute.
Engines and Wreckage were piled
| high above the place where Sniders
car had stood, both engines and three
cars following them being damned
| h. n,,1 h.
cars of Snider's train. All engine
men on the i'll fated third section
jumped from their places just as Sni-
der jumped and the wreck was all
but upon them as they got out of the
wa. ,v.> .srra~ -.-. -. aa.. ,.ss
Conductor Russell was in charge
of section No. I, Snider of section
No. 2, and Searles of section No. 3.
- - -:
A head-on collision occurred Satur-
day evening in the M. & St. l.. yards
near the coal chutes, when an extra
switch engine coming down the main
| line track to the coal chutes to take
coal. The freight was pulled by M.
& st. L. engine No. Ais and was in
charge of Engineer Mike Mansfield
and Fireman Hardy, while the switch
engine was an old Iowa Central Iron
horse" No. 203, and was in charge
of Engineer Ellis and Fireman 3D.
gard. Engineer Mansfield states
that when he whistled for the city
tho main line was clear and on &C.
count of the smoke and steam which
was coming from the round house he
did not see the switch engine until
after the crash. Engineer Ellis also
states that he did not see the freight
pulling in on account of the steam
and smoke. Fireman Bogard of the
switch engine was on top of the tank
when the crash came and he was
thrown violently on one corner of
the tank and sustained injuries. The
tender of the switch engine was COM
pletely demolished, and the traffic
was tied up until early Sunday morn
! ms.