John Masterson,George Schmidt,J.J. O'Brien,A.W. Hoyt (-1899)

MASTERSON, SCHMIDT, OBRIEN, HOYT

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 8/7/2011 at 23:46:02

From Story County Watchman August 4, 1899

Northwestern Wreck.

Boone, August. 1-Train No. 9 on the Chicago & Northwestern railway, known as the overland fast mail, was wrecked at a point three and one-half miles southwest of this city at 4 o'clock this morning. The wreck was the most disastrous that has occurred on the Northwestern in recent years, and as a result four of the train crew are dead, another is fatally injured and five others are more or less seriously hurt. The dead are:

John Masterson, engineer of Boone. George Schmidt, fireman, of Boone. J. J. O'Brien, express messenger, of Chicago. The injured are: A. W. Hoyt, assistant mail clerk, of Chicago, fatally. F. E. Ackert, postal clerk, of Cedar Rapids. F. M. Shirk, trainman, of McDansland. D. C. Rorick, postal clerk, of Dixon, Ill.. F. S. Legatoof, express messenger, of Chicago. George Lindell, mail clerk, of Chicago.

It is thought that all of the injured will recover with the exception of A. W. Hoyt, assistant mail clerk, who is terribly bruised and crushed.

No. 9 is the new fast mail and express train put on by the Northwestern a few months ago, and by far is the fastest train in the service of the company. It carried through mail and express, but no passengers. The train left Boone on time. Just before the Des Moines river is reached there is a sharp curve, and in rounding this at a high rate of speed the train left the track. The survivors say the engine and cars rolled over and over away from the curve of the track, landing in a ditch spanned by a high culvert. The engine and ll the mail and express cars are almost total wrecks, and the wonder is that nay of the train men escaped from the wreckage alive.

It is thought that a loose rail caused the train to leave the track, or that a rail was loosened by the train going around the curve. The train is a light one.

After the wreck word was sent to Boone and assistance was secured from here. The dead and injured were removed from the wreck as quickly as possible and were brought to this city.

The stretch of line in the vicinity of the Des Moines river is the worst on the Northwestern road, and the company is a present ex-expending thousands of dollars in securing a better crossing of the river and valley.