Strike bulletin. (Clinton, Ill.) 1913-1915, 1913-12-09
FIREMAN KILLED INLC
WRECK At COUNCIL BLUFFS
ttRENA< LESTER FISHER - sCAIDgD To
DEATH ~ SWITCH ENGINE.
os~ "f The W"rss >ss.ksps n Sesv. Occsv~ In
Local Ssvd> OF the titssis t~ssrai Ne
sslttsx tr"m u~sd-bs solit.tes.

\ head-on collision between a mixed freight and
si"'k X tam and switch engine n"ar the round
t ~ In the ILLINOIS central Yards "a O'Clock
tlls morning resulted in tie fit. man of tie switch
erstne bong soalied II death and the engineer
badly injured
All members of the frctrht crew -, srea with
ont tnlufy from tie tangled mas II trl.sear.1
81 nearly hundred h"gs and eattl" Killed IN the
smashui
Lester Fisher. the fireman on the switch cngiue
was caught between tie snelne and tender Nhsn
tie Siud<lup occurred and sr4ided death
h,fnrc he could br .Ntrieated he suffered a
ra'tlrcd skull and numerous bruises ana ,ontu-
zed II Rauiff 'nsineer on Tie ssitch engine.
badly hurt ahoui Ia. f..i besides numerous
bruises, and wAs tak-n Ia Mercy hospital.
Fisher. whose home Was At Hamburg. boarded
a, i,o> Avenue 9 ~hiie IN the 'ity. Hatliff lives
The wreck incurred What Is known Tie
lntftr track. which Is the farthest east Ia the
roundhonse tie fr'isht No. 81 travelling at a
speed hetween twenty five and thirty miles
hour struck the switch engine. No 49,. pulling
two coal and three box
FSsht G-s O.s Mes.
when the crash came, all tie soabs Of the round
house and shops rushed To the a
possible and. midst the thick fos the flying steam
| and struggling animals. the fight TO get at the
engine msn started
Roth Engineer Stafford Of the ft.ieht engine and
his fireman climbed from under "a pile OF
wr.ckage In their engine cab through the doors 10
the running board and escaped with hardly
| scratch.
Engineer Ratliff Of the switch engine managed
TO squeeze Of his p-rilous position in the steam
fined cab with sprained foot and numerous
small cuts and bruises lie turned the efforts of
The crew 10 the work of getting at Fireman
Fisher.
the lighter switch engine the latter forced
hack some thirty feet plowng beneath car fiilt'l
With coal The bed of this shot over the
tender. sweeping the coal box and water tank Off
| tho bed. The coal bed crashed Into the cab
stopping against the boiler end
0. FrssAss.i Ps.sssss.
Th. fTnp IN h4ttH
fireman MAS thrown. headdown. between tie hoil'r
| side and the seat From this position the resrnsrs
which all life had been burned minutes before hy
| the steam escaping from two or three broken
valves
| The bedy was Immediately turned over to Coro-
ner Cutler and Was shipped In Hamburg. Fishers
| home, al so In the afternoon. The father A
Fisher, and brother. both from Hamburg. ar
rived about noon and took charge OF the ship
meni.
pr Il II Tuhbs was on the scene early and di-
rected Engineer Ratiiff taken the hospital.
| where he reported Monday afternoon as rest
Ing easily.
Members of the freight train crew. busy work
ing In the wrecksge. had failed to report and
| rumor afioat that two or three more men
| These the rescue men working anSiousl,
among the dead and injured cattle every minute
expecting TO find the bodies Of some Of the train.
men
In the pale Hight thrown by a dozen more lam
terms the digging was carried on until daylight.
TIE bellows and shreks of the dying animals added
horror the affair which was hardly better,d
after members Of the polrs force arrived and shot
| as many Of the injured stock could b. reached
HA daylight fifty or more spectators had arrA 81
| and Of the horror OF the night wore away
The Union Pacific wrecker and etsH, called earis
in the morning. did not arrive until 30 o'clock
and II Nas then HAT the real work hogan IT..
,raue in action and the main track
cleared several badly shattered ears from ths
Wreek
Iloih engines five stock cars and coal
ears very piled together IN such a manner As 10
make fast headwHy impossible. The two engines
had not turned and thrown on the
ties feet apart by the recoil from the
crash.
Itxht stti nsraisG.
Roth boiler ends were crushed IN. hut the gnagn
light In the freight engine cab was stit burning
when IL was lifted out of the pile. The tracks
were torn up for ffty feet more aud large
crew put work soon 1t was light
enough To see.
Four Of the stock were 50 badly shattered
that they were pulled from the main mass Of