WPA Iowa Grave Records:
CUNNING, William A.
Born: 22 YRS
Died: 22 AUG 1897
Cemetery: I.O.O.F.
Location: BROOKLYN
County: POWESHIEK CO. - IOWA
Record Notes: KILLED IN R.R. ACCIDENT 1897
-------------------------
William A. CUNNING was born on 12 February 1855 and died in a train incident known as "The Four Mile Train Crash", near Altoona, IOWA on 29 August 1877; he was in the primetime of his life when he died at 22 years, 6 months and 17 days of age. He had evidentally not married nor did he have any children born of him.
The GREAT TRAIN WRECK of 1877 ~The Worst Accident in IOWA's History
(The following is adopted by an atricle written by the Altoona Historical Society)
Heavy rainful plagued central IOWA in August of 1877. Little Four Mile Creek became a raging torrent of water, fifty feet wide at some points.
Sometime after midnight on August 29, the force of the water caused stone arches supporting a railroad bridge to be washed away. Early that morning, a passenger train headed for Des Moines, sped around a curve in the track located about a mile southwest of Altoona, IOWA.
The engineer could not see, that only part of the bridge was standing. He opened his throttle, and the train plunged into the water.
The IOWA STATE REGISTER reported that the locomotive had jumped the stream and landed hard against the western bank of the creek. A tender car and a Barnum & Bailey circus poster car, were pulled in behind the engine, followed by the rest of the train. A sleeper car was saved, because there was no room for it in the creek bed. Twenty people died and 35 were injured.
Dr. F.E. ENGLISH of Altoona was the first doctor on the scene.
News of the disaster spread quickly, and people rushed to the site of the accident. By the following afternoon, thousands of people had walked from as far away as Des Moines to see the wreckage.
For many years, local people scoured the banks of the creek for the remnants of the accident. The disaster was called "the worst train wreck in Iowa history."
The site of the Great Tain Weeck of 1877 is marked by a monument,
located about one mile southwest of the bike trail entrance,
near the intersection of 8th Street SW and 17th Avenue SW in Altoona.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The tragedy was caused by weather related conditions; excess rain during that week which caused an old stone railroad bridge along the route, to collapse.
The land eroded under the track, which left it unable to support the train.
As the train took the curve, part of it plummeted to the waters below. There were 7 railcars which filled the chasm; and caused It is reported that there were personell on board a special
P.T. Barnum railcar, from the advertising department of the Barnum & Bailey (traveling) Circus. At least 6 of these employees are listed as having died in the tragedy.
The incident is mentioned in the annals of Barnum&Bailey as well as circus historical documents.
The advertisers would go to towns scheduled on the Barnum & Bailey circuit, to "post" promotional notices. The employees were then called "posters". Later the term "poster" came to mean the advertising item that was "posted"... but "poster" was originally the name for a person employed by any company to "post" an advertisement.
It is uncertain if 22 year-old William A. CUNNING was employed by the railroad, P.T. BARNUM;
or a passenger on the train; or perhaps just in the area when the train derailed, and he lost his life on that tragic day in Altoona, IOWA's history; August 29, 1877.
CUNNING, William A.
Born: 22 YRS
Died: 22 AUG 1897
Cemetery: I.O.O.F.
Location: BROOKLYN
County: POWESHIEK CO. - IOWA
Record Notes: KILLED IN R.R. ACCIDENT 1897
-------------------------
William A. CUNNING was born on 12 February 1855 and died in a train incident known as "The Four Mile Train Crash", near Altoona, IOWA on 29 August 1877; he was in the primetime of his life when he died at 22 years, 6 months and 17 days of age. He had evidentally not married nor did he have any children born of him.
The GREAT TRAIN WRECK of 1877 ~The Worst Accident in IOWA's History
(The following is adopted by an atricle written by the Altoona Historical Society)
Heavy rainful plagued central IOWA in August of 1877. Little Four Mile Creek became a raging torrent of water, fifty feet wide at some points.
Sometime after midnight on August 29, the force of the water caused stone arches supporting a railroad bridge to be washed away. Early that morning, a passenger train headed for Des Moines, sped around a curve in the track located about a mile southwest of Altoona, IOWA.
The engineer could not see, that only part of the bridge was standing. He opened his throttle, and the train plunged into the water.
The IOWA STATE REGISTER reported that the locomotive had jumped the stream and landed hard against the western bank of the creek. A tender car and a Barnum & Bailey circus poster car, were pulled in behind the engine, followed by the rest of the train. A sleeper car was saved, because there was no room for it in the creek bed. Twenty people died and 35 were injured.
Dr. F.E. ENGLISH of Altoona was the first doctor on the scene.
News of the disaster spread quickly, and people rushed to the site of the accident. By the following afternoon, thousands of people had walked from as far away as Des Moines to see the wreckage.
For many years, local people scoured the banks of the creek for the remnants of the accident. The disaster was called "the worst train wreck in Iowa history."
The site of the Great Tain Weeck of 1877 is marked by a monument,
located about one mile southwest of the bike trail entrance,
near the intersection of 8th Street SW and 17th Avenue SW in Altoona.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The tragedy was caused by weather related conditions; excess rain during that week which caused an old stone railroad bridge along the route, to collapse.
The land eroded under the track, which left it unable to support the train.
As the train took the curve, part of it plummeted to the waters below. There were 7 railcars which filled the chasm; and caused It is reported that there were personell on board a special
P.T. Barnum railcar, from the advertising department of the Barnum & Bailey (traveling) Circus. At least 6 of these employees are listed as having died in the tragedy.
The incident is mentioned in the annals of Barnum&Bailey as well as circus historical documents.
The advertisers would go to towns scheduled on the Barnum & Bailey circuit, to "post" promotional notices. The employees were then called "posters". Later the term "poster" came to mean the advertising item that was "posted"... but "poster" was originally the name for a person employed by any company to "post" an advertisement.
It is uncertain if 22 year-old William A. CUNNING was employed by the railroad, P.T. BARNUM;
or a passenger on the train; or perhaps just in the area when the train derailed, and he lost his life on that tragic day in Altoona, IOWA's history; August 29, 1877.
WPA Iowa Grave Records:
CUNNING, William A.
Born: 22 YRS
Died: 22 AUG 1897
Cemetery: I.O.O.F.
Location: BROOKLYN
County: POWESHIEK CO. - IOWA
Record Notes: KILLED IN R.R. ACCIDENT 1897
-------------------------
William A. CUNNING was born on 12 February 1855 and died in a train incident known as "The Four Mile Train Crash", near Altoona, IOWA on 29 August 1877; he was in the primetime of his life when he died at 22 years, 6 months and 17 days of age. He had evidentally not married nor did he have any children born of him.
The GREAT TRAIN WRECK of 1877 ~The Worst Accident in IOWA's History
(The following is adopted by an atricle written by the Altoona Historical Society)
Heavy rainful plagued central IOWA in August of 1877. Little Four Mile Creek became a raging torrent of water, fifty feet wide at some points.
Sometime after midnight on August 29, the force of the water caused stone arches supporting a railroad bridge to be washed away. Early that morning, a passenger train headed for Des Moines, sped around a curve in the track located about a mile southwest of Altoona, IOWA.
The engineer could not see, that only part of the bridge was standing. He opened his throttle, and the train plunged into the water.
The IOWA STATE REGISTER reported that the locomotive had jumped the stream and landed hard against the western bank of the creek. A tender car and a Barnum & Bailey circus poster car, were pulled in behind the engine, followed by the rest of the train. A sleeper car was saved, because there was no room for it in the creek bed. Twenty people died and 35 were injured.
Dr. F.E. ENGLISH of Altoona was the first doctor on the scene.
News of the disaster spread quickly, and people rushed to the site of the accident. By the following afternoon, thousands of people had walked from as far away as Des Moines to see the wreckage.
For many years, local people scoured the banks of the creek for the remnants of the accident. The disaster was called "the worst train wreck in Iowa history."
The site of the Great Tain Weeck of 1877 is marked by a monument,
located about one mile southwest of the bike trail entrance,
near the intersection of 8th Street SW and 17th Avenue SW in Altoona.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The tragedy was caused by weather related conditions; excess rain during that week which caused an old stone railroad bridge along the route, to collapse.
The land eroded under the track, which left it unable to support the train.
As the train took the curve, part of it plummeted to the waters below. There were 7 railcars which filled the chasm; and caused It is reported that there were personell on board a special
P.T. Barnum railcar, from the advertising department of the Barnum & Bailey (traveling) Circus. At least 6 of these employees are listed as having died in the tragedy.
The incident is mentioned in the annals of Barnum&Bailey as well as circus historical documents.
The advertisers would go to towns scheduled on the Barnum & Bailey circuit, to "post" promotional notices. The employees were then called "posters". Later the term "poster" came to mean the advertising item that was "posted"... but "poster" was originally the name for a person employed by any company to "post" an advertisement.
It is uncertain if 22 year-old William A. CUNNING was employed by the railroad, P.T. BARNUM;
or a passenger on the train; or perhaps just in the area when the train derailed, and he lost his life on that tragic day in Altoona, IOWA's history; August 29, 1877.
CUNNING, William A.
Born: 22 YRS
Died: 22 AUG 1897
Cemetery: I.O.O.F.
Location: BROOKLYN
County: POWESHIEK CO. - IOWA
Record Notes: KILLED IN R.R. ACCIDENT 1897
-------------------------
William A. CUNNING was born on 12 February 1855 and died in a train incident known as "The Four Mile Train Crash", near Altoona, IOWA on 29 August 1877; he was in the primetime of his life when he died at 22 years, 6 months and 17 days of age. He had evidentally not married nor did he have any children born of him.
The GREAT TRAIN WRECK of 1877 ~The Worst Accident in IOWA's History
(The following is adopted by an atricle written by the Altoona Historical Society)
Heavy rainful plagued central IOWA in August of 1877. Little Four Mile Creek became a raging torrent of water, fifty feet wide at some points.
Sometime after midnight on August 29, the force of the water caused stone arches supporting a railroad bridge to be washed away. Early that morning, a passenger train headed for Des Moines, sped around a curve in the track located about a mile southwest of Altoona, IOWA.
The engineer could not see, that only part of the bridge was standing. He opened his throttle, and the train plunged into the water.
The IOWA STATE REGISTER reported that the locomotive had jumped the stream and landed hard against the western bank of the creek. A tender car and a Barnum & Bailey circus poster car, were pulled in behind the engine, followed by the rest of the train. A sleeper car was saved, because there was no room for it in the creek bed. Twenty people died and 35 were injured.
Dr. F.E. ENGLISH of Altoona was the first doctor on the scene.
News of the disaster spread quickly, and people rushed to the site of the accident. By the following afternoon, thousands of people had walked from as far away as Des Moines to see the wreckage.
For many years, local people scoured the banks of the creek for the remnants of the accident. The disaster was called "the worst train wreck in Iowa history."
The site of the Great Tain Weeck of 1877 is marked by a monument,
located about one mile southwest of the bike trail entrance,
near the intersection of 8th Street SW and 17th Avenue SW in Altoona.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The tragedy was caused by weather related conditions; excess rain during that week which caused an old stone railroad bridge along the route, to collapse.
The land eroded under the track, which left it unable to support the train.
As the train took the curve, part of it plummeted to the waters below. There were 7 railcars which filled the chasm; and caused It is reported that there were personell on board a special
P.T. Barnum railcar, from the advertising department of the Barnum & Bailey (traveling) Circus. At least 6 of these employees are listed as having died in the tragedy.
The incident is mentioned in the annals of Barnum&Bailey as well as circus historical documents.
The advertisers would go to towns scheduled on the Barnum & Bailey circuit, to "post" promotional notices. The employees were then called "posters". Later the term "poster" came to mean the advertising item that was "posted"... but "poster" was originally the name for a person employed by any company to "post" an advertisement.
It is uncertain if 22 year-old William A. CUNNING was employed by the railroad, P.T. BARNUM;
or a passenger on the train; or perhaps just in the area when the train derailed, and he lost his life on that tragic day in Altoona, IOWA's history; August 29, 1877.
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