ENGINEER HERBERT CARTER KILLED

LARIMER, CARTER, THOMPSON, INGRAM

Posted By: David (email)
Date: 1/12/2005 at 10:59:17

The Chariton Leader, Chariton, Iowa
Thursday, September 5, 1907

Mrs. H.H. Larimer has just received the details of the death of her brother,
in a railroad collision, near Chattanooga, Tenn.:

"With a report which could have been heard for a mile, second section of
train No. 3 crashed into a switch engine at the belt line at Chattanooga at
seven o'clock Wednesday morning, and the life of Engineer HERBERT CARTER, of
this place, was snuffed out in an instant, while his fireman, G.S. Thompson,
and baggagemaster, John Ingram, also of this place, were injured, Thompson
receiving pretty bad injuries. The wreck occurred at what is known as a
dead" crossing and does not require passenger trains on the C. & C. R.R. to
stop and see if the track is clear. No. 3 was running at a rapid rate of
speed, and as the signal showed a clear track, no danger was apprehended by
Engineer CARTER. At the same time, it is said, a switch engine on the other
road was signaled a clear track to cross, and it is not believed that CARTER
had any intimation of the pending danger until it was too late to do
anything. He yelled to his fireman, Thompson to jump, who did so, but
CARTER stuck to his post and met death at the throttle. He reversed the
engine and did all possible, and while none of the passengers were injured
beyond a shake-up, the brave engineer paid his life in an effort to save the
lives on board. It is remarkable that none of the passenger coaches were
even damaged to speak of.

The engine which was manned by MR. CARTER was turned completely in the
opposite direction by the awful crash. A mistaken signal on the part of
flagman Warpington is said to have been the cause of the awful wreck. MR.
CARTER was a member of the Somerset Lodge of Elks and also of the B. of L.E.
The Elks Lodge will hold funeral services from the residence this afternoon
at 3 o'clock, and will also assist in the services at the grave by the B. of
L.E. MR. CARTER had only been married about two years. He was well known
and well liked by all and was one of the most efficient and popular
employees of the Q. & C. Mr. Thompson, while pretty badly injured, is
getting along nicely. Mr. Ingram had the most remarkable escape and came
out of the whole with only a cut and bruised hand and a bad shaking-up. The
engineer and fireman of the switch engine were also badly injured.
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January 3, 2005
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