The Forrest City times., 1913-12-26
ROCK ISLAND WRECK
East-Bound Passenger Train Derailed Mile East of Forest City Early on Monday Morning-One Fatally,
 Several Painfully Injured.

One woman probably was fatally in- jured, another woman was seriously hurt, and number of other passen- gers painfully bruised and injured when east-bound fast passenger train No. Al, on the Rock Island road, known as the Memphis Express, {" due in this city at 3:54 o'clock a. m. |, went into ditch little more than mile beyond the Rock Island depot here Monday morning about daylight. The train was loaded with holiday ex- curs'onists who were returning home for the Christmas season.
 Mrs. J. w. Turner, of Indianola, Okla, was crushed about the breast and received internal injuries which may prove fatal. She was carried to Memphis, where she was taken to a l hospital.
 Miss Kate Garland, of Union, Okla, had her left hip dislocated and was seriously cut and bruised She was l taken to the home of Dr. ]. Q. Rush, of this city, in an auto, where she is now confined to bed.
 Capt. Hugh Simpson, 3l2 South l Thirteenth street, Fort Smith, Ark, suffered badly wrenched and sprained back. He was en route to his boyhood home for the holidays, and following his injury, decided to abandon his trip and return to Fort Smith. Others wounded were V. R. Davis, McAlester, Okla, shoulder dislocated. and R. J. Tomlinson, Scott Hin, Tenn left arm cut.
 The other passengers injured were not seriously hurt.
 The wreck is believed to have been caused by a faulty railroad and track, decayed ties and the lightness of the steel rails, The smoker and day coach were derailed and the chair car and three sleepers turned over on one side.
 An embankment beside the track prevented the sleepers and the chair car from turning completely over. The rear sleeper was also derailed, but did not turn over, the only part of the train remaining on the track be- ing the engine and the all-steel bag gage, mail and express cars.
 Mrs. Turner was riding up near the front end of the chair car She was crushed beneath the weight of two heavy men, who were thrown from the opposite side of the car, on top of her, when the chair car left the rails.
 All Rock Island trains and Cotton Belt trains in and out of Memphis were detoured over the Iron Noun tain, via Wynne, on account of the wreck, which was one of the most disastrous in the history of this sec tion Traffic was completely delayed something like twelve hours by the wreck.
 uperintendent A. B. Copley, of the Arkansas division Little Rock; Train master NJ. 0. Gay and Claim Agent Emile NOgel. arrived at l2 o'clock on the wrecker to make an estimate of the damage and superintend the clearing of the wreck A track was built around the wreck, over which fast passenger train No. 4G into Mem phis passed about 6l5.
 The railroad officials who conducted the investigation into the wreck said that it was entirely unavoidable. The rails were practically new and had shown no signs of effectiveness be- fore the derailment occurred.
 The train was going at 20 miles an hour when derailment occurred. It was bound for Memphis and was bear ing large number of holiday excur- sionists who were returning to their homes in the East.
 Major Bellamy, of the Arkansas Railroad Commission, announced that the commission would commence an investigation into the causes of the Rock Island wreck at Forrest City as soon as it was asked to do so.
 A petition drawn up by Senator E. J. Williams calling upon the Arkansas Railroad Commission to make an in- spection of the Rock Island tracks in eastern Arkansas, is being circulated here by J. w. Martain.