Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-02-05
ON 60" TRAIN At
CROMWELL IN AGONY FROM
COLD AND INJURIES.
MAN WAITING For WIFE
FINDS HER DYING
Victim Expires While Pray
ins-Survivors Tell Many Narrowing
lnoidents-Fifty Persons on Chair
Car Demolished by Deraiiment-Com-
plete List Of Injured

Il
pute as to the cause of the wreck Of
the Burlington passenger train at
Cromwell. whether a broken driving
rod caught in switch frog and tore
loose rail, or whether the rail just
broke.
The locomotive clinging to the track
carried three cars which were off the
track, for quarter of mile. The rest
of the broken train turned half over
and slid down the bank. the chair car
stopping $50 yards from where it left
the tracks.
1t was from this car that rescuers
took first the body of Miss Mary Haw-
kins and the dying Mrs. Sash. 1t was
from under this car at $50 next morn
ing that the bodies of Norman Schroe-
der and J. D. Dawson were taken.
Escape From Dining Car.
The dining car, empty of all except
six employees, rolled over several times.
Four of the men were negroes. Two
were in the kitchen and were caught
against the stove which, however, had
no fire as the diner was to have been
left at Creston. The six made their
escape by crawling thru a ventilator.
None was seriously hurt. Many things
happened in the next hour.
The Pullman porters proved heroes,
doing valiant rescue work, altho them
selves suffering severe injuries and re-
fusing medical attention until all the
passengers had been cared for.
Pleaded to Be Killed,
Men and women, badly hurt or fear
ing fire. pleaded with rescuers to kill
them.
D. T. Bagnell, % years old. chief
clerk to General Superintendent P. Fl.
Enstis. of the Burlington, stepped off
trest!e in the darkness and fell TWEEN.
ty-two feet. receiving perhaps fatal in
juries.
DR.. o. E. Coakley, of Creston. in
formed Of the wreck by telephone,
cranked his Ford and went to Crom-
we'll in fifteen minutes He had given
first aid to thirty-six injured before the
first relief train arrived from Cres-
ton.
Found Dying Wife.
John Sash, a farmer of Creston, was
waiting at the Creston station for his
wife to return from Denver, when the
news was received a wreck had taken
place. Unaware that Mrs. Sash was
among the victims, he went with the
relief train. He saw his wife in bag
gage coach a few minutes before she
died.
o. NJ. Rice, of Creston, able to talk
despite two broken ribs, badly cut
eye and body bruises, described the
scenes in the chair car yesterday after
noon.
Il felt the front end leave the rails.
The car turned over on its side and
lights went out. We kept going ana
going until it seemed we would never
stop. Children began screaming. There
were a lot Of children. It's miracle
they didn't get hurt.
Seats were torn loose and the pas
sengers were thrown in all directions.
When I came to two seats and several
suitcases were resting on me. A few
feet away was a man with his head
split open. 1t was very dark.
Girl Dies While Praying.
Near me was a large man whose
leg had been broken. He was moan
ing. Hit me over the head, some
body. Put me out Of my misery. I
can't stand this
Mrs. Hawkins and her daughter
We're praying. Each was praying for
the other. The daughter became too
weak to pray and soon she died, but
the mother kept on.
when they took me out of the car
I saw two legs sticking up thru a
window. There was a man under the
coach. They told me he was from
Omaha and they couldn't get the body
out until morning"
Have Marrow Escape.
Rice said that family consisting
of man and wife and three small chill
dren who occupied seats near those
who were killed, escaped without be-
ing scratched. All steel equipment, he
added, was all that kept the death
list from being forty instead Of four.
The steel cars snapped off trees and
telegraph poles in their slide down the
bank. A section of concrete culvert
was broken off. Yet the exterior OF
the coaches showed hardly dent. Had
they been of wood they would have
been crushed with the passengers.
About fifty persons were in the chair
car. Travel was light among those
who use Pullmans. In one OF the
sleepers there were but eight occu-
pants and in another only fifteen.
None Of the passengers had upper
berths to be thrown out Of
The Dead and injured.
Following is a list Of the dead and
injured in the Cromwell wreck:
Mrs. John Sash, ~ years old. OF
Creston, Iowa. She was returning
from the funeral of sister at Denver,
Colo.
Miss Mary Hawkins 40 years old, OF
Eagle, Neb.
J. D. DAWSON II years old. travel
ing salesman Of Neenah, Wis, on way
home from funeral of mother at
Greenfield. Iowa. Leaves widow and
one small child.
Norman F. Schroeder, 26 years old,