Chariton, IA (near) Train Accident, Aug 1918

KILLED BY THE TRAIN.

GEORGE AND HARRY HOUCK LOSE THEIR LIVES IN WRECK.

THREE OTHERS ALSO KILLED.

WRECK OCCURRED NEAR CHARITON, IOWA, ON WHITEBREAST HILL, LAST SATURDAY MORNING.

Chariton, Ia. -- GEORGE HOUCK and his nephew HARRY HOUCK, two residents of Adams County living in the vicinity of Carbon, were killed in a wreck on the Burlington railroad last Saturday morning, when a fast freight, on which they were shipping stock to Chicago, broke in two and about 20 cars ran back and collided with an extra. Three other persons lost their lives at the same time.
They were:
GEORGE McNEILL, a stockman of Brdgewater.
AL RUDAT, a poultry shipper of Hastings, Nebr.
FRED BOLTZ of Ottumwa, who was a brakeman on the train.
The wreck was on the Whitebreast Hill, about seven miles west of Chariton, where there is a very heavy grade. A portion of the stock train broke off from the main part, and some 20 cars ran backward down the hill, colliding with an extra train that was a short distance behind the stock train. The conductor and head brakeman on the stock train were on the front portion of the train and weree not in the wreck. BOLTZ, the brakeman on the runaway portion of the train, did his best to stop the cars, setting 15 brakes before the collision. The grade was so great that the airbrakes and the brakes which BOLTZ set would not hold the cars.
The engineer and fireman on the extra saw the runaway cars coming toward them with such speed and escaped. They were not running at the time and the engineer was oiling the locomotive.
The cars were piled on each side of the track -- a single track at this particular place on the line. There were several cars of cattle, one or two of poultry, one of butter, several cars of hogs, and other things in the wreckage. Most of the cattle were killed. The railroad company sold many of the hogs to Chariton buyers and the butter and poultry was also disposed of to Chariton Firms.
The body of HARRY HOUCK was underneath several cars of the wreckage. He was instantly killed, and his body was terribly mangled. His right leg was cut off, his left shoulder amputated, and almost every bone broken. He had evidently been standing on the way car in a position to jump if the opportunity presented itself, as one arm was engaged in the iron on the end of the car, placed there to swing onto the train.
GEORGE HOUCK was thrown about 50 feet from the wreck. He was still alive and was taken to a hospital in Creston, where he expired some 15 hours after the terrible accident. His right hand was badly mangled and his head bruised. A hole in the right side indicated the place where the injury was fatal. The bodies of both men were brought to Corning on the evening train Sunday and left in the Christie undertaking rooms until next day, when they were taken to the homes near Carbon.

Adams County Free Press Corning Iowa 1918-08-21
__________________

Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!