BARNES. Hiram: Died 1899

BARNES

Posted By: Volunteer: Sherri
Date: 8/26/2013 at 16:51:19

**Handwritten: St. Line Dem. 29 June 1899

KILLED BY A LOCOMOTIVE
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A Frightful Accident at a Railroad Crossing East of Birmingham.
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IN WHICH HIRAM BARNES WAS KILLED.
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Mr. Barnes and Wife and Grand Children Were Out Riding When the Horse Plunged on to the Track in Front of the Evening Passenger Train.

The C.F.M. and D.M. crossing just east of Birmingham was the scene of a terrible accident, Friday evening, writes an eye witness in the Fairfield Daily Journal.

As the east bound passenger approached the crossing a buggy was also nearing it, with four occupants. Mr. and Mrs. Hiram Barnes and their two little grandchildren, Keith and Hannah Snider. The party were merely out on a pleasure drive, and were returning home at the time of the accident. At this point the railroad and wagon road cross, making between them an angle of about 35 or 40 degrees. As the regular passenger and freight trains, according to schedule time, meet at Birmingham in the evening about 5 o'clock, the old people were naturally expecting the freight to come in before the passenger came out, and as they neared the crossing kept looking down the track east for it. Even if they heard the passenger whistle for the crossing they might easily have thought it was the freight farther down the track, and did seem to be looking intently that way. The old general (missing) hard of hearing and in this might found a partial explanation of the trouble. When they first became conscious of the nearness of the train from the west they were within a very few rods of the crossing.

The horse, which did not seem to be much frightened at all, then made a dash to the track at the nearest point in order to cross in front of the train. It thus turned from the road and crossed the track a rod or two east of the road crossing. The animal cleared the railroad ditch at one bound and the track at another, carrying the buggy and four occupants behind it, carrying them into the very face of the flying monster, which was vainly trying to slacken its speed enough to avert the catastrophe. The engine struck the buggy fair and square, cutting it instantly loose from the horse. The top and bed were stripped off and thrown to one side of the track and Mr. Barnes to the other; the remainder of the buggy, together with the other three occupants were carried along on the pilot of the engine. There, bruised and bleeding, but alive, they were found after the train was stopped, which was not accomplished until it had run about fifty yards. The two children, aged about four and four and two years respectively, do not seem to be dangerously injured, although they are both considerably bruised about the face. The old people, who are near their 80th years, were almost unconscious when gotten into the baggage car-the old gentleman entirely so. Quite a number of people had by this time arrived at the scene, including several near relatives, as their home is near the tract. The train backed up to the depot where Dr. Jay Norris attended to the injured ones. Then the engineer pulled down again to a point about a block from the Barnes home and the two old people were carried home on stretchers. Mr. Barnes died soon after reaching his house. His wife many recover, but her cuts and bruises are numerous and very serious. (Barnes)

Source: Van Buren Co. Genealogical Society Obituary Book C, Page 195, Keosauqua Public Library, Keosauqua, IA