Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-09-17
STOCKMEN CRUSHED AS
THEY SLEPT IN
WAY CAR
REAR END SMASH
TWO DIE WHILE BEING RUSHED
TO HOSPlTAl-iNJURE ARE
CARED FOR At AURoRA-MER-
cHANDlsE FREIGHT DIVES INTO
STOCK TRAIN.

Earlvile, H., Sept 17.--Eight are
known to be dead and one is missing.
following a rear end collision on the
Chicago Burlington and Quincy rail.
road at II o'clock last night.
Eight bodies were found and search
ers were looking for colored boy.
name unknown. who is missing
The dead:
W. o. DICKSON, Hamilton. la,
stockman.
oDlE coLLoUGH, kellerton,
la, stockman.
JOHN WALKER, Milo, Iowa,
stockman.
THOMAS BENDER, Fairfield.
la, stockman.
WILLIAM FoULks, Sheridan,
Iowa.
The bodies of three unidentified
dead have been found.
Those badly injured are Harvey
Vaughan. stockman of Caldwell.
Idaho; A. Carlson, engineer of one of
the collding trains; Floyd Twombly.
Osceola, Iowa, stockman; Roy Hopper.
Sheridan, IawO, stockman; Fred Cam
ady. Ford Iowa, stockman, and Jack
Rogers, of Knoxville.
One of the missing IL Fred Manley,
Osceola Iowa, stockman. and 1t Is pos
sible that one OF the bodies found may
later be identiged as Manley.
The wreck occurred when a mer-
chandise train crashed into the rear
end of stock train. Both trains
we're eastbound. The stockmen killed
and injured were sleeping In the way
car of the stock train when the col.
lision occurred.
Fire broke out in the wreck imme-
dately after the collision and 1t Is
still burning. All traffic on the Bur
lington line is delayed.
Walker and Bender were taken to
the st. Charles hospital here but died
shortly after reaching the hospital
All of the injured are in the ST.
Charles hospital.
Engineer Joseph Eckdahl OF the cat
tie train and fireman Johnson OF the
merchandise train who escaped by
jumping, are being held for the In
quest at Earlville this afternoon. An
other inquest is to be held at Aurora
over the bodies of the two men who
died in st. Charles hospital.
Oficials of the Burlington road to-
day asserted that the failure OF A.
f.. Carlson engineer of the merchandise
, train. to regard signals caused the
/. wreck The trains were eastbOund
from Galesburg.
:. The merchandise train plowed thru
. the way car in which the stockmen
s were sleeping and into a trainoad
y of mules consigned to Camp Grant.
2 at Rockford. Many of the mules were
killed and others liberated, ran fran
: tically about town. Survivors OF the
wreck declare ii miracle that every
W
; man asleep in the way car was not
: killed.
All Were Asleep.
Earlvile, Sept 17-Coroner Don
: oghue, accompanied by States Attor.
= ney George S. Wiley and Deputy Sher-
: if William Mischke, arrived here at
= noon to take complete charge OF a
sweeping investigation into the acci
;, dent. The coroner and States Attor
ney took immediate charge OF the
dead bodies and proceeded to impaneI
Jury to hear the evidence
George C.. Ritman, Of Van Vert, Ia.
was the last man to leave the ill-fated
train. He escaped injury only by
: miracle and was incensed at the ap
parent neglect of the engineer on tbs
q. merchandise train who he blamed en-
), tirely for the accident.
~ The wreck occurred about a mile
II west of Earlville on the main line o
ri the 90" The stock train had beef
= blocked against the Milwaukee rail
, way crossing. and was waiting for
clear track ahead when the cras'
came. The stock train contained
way car and passenger coach Th'
dead men and those injured were II
these cars There were twenty.on
passengers in the two cars. but IN
otber eight managed to escape witt
only minor injuries.
This afternoon the body of tn
ns man thought to be a negro was foun
hv almost ncinerated on the steam ches
of the merchandise engine. II was a
first thought the carcas was that
a sheep, but closer examination re
vealed II to be that OF a colored ma
or hoy, whose Identity is unknown.