The Forum Nodaway Countians in History column has this photo donated by Merele Hammond which is labeled a train wreck in 1903 a mile north of Skidmore. I cannot find a reference to such a wreck, but I find these two items in 1903 on the same Burlington line, 7 miles south of Skidmore at Maitland.
Caption and reference for above
The Maryville Daily Forum, January 19, 1973, Page 2. via Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-maryville-daily-forum-train-wreck-sk/200069486/
The train wreck pictured happened in 1903 about one mile north of Skidmore. The photograph was donated by Merle Hammond, Skidmore.
A TRAIN IN THE DITCH. The Burlington Freight Jumps the Track Monday.The Maitland Herald, May 7, 1903, Page 1. via Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-maitland-herald-train-wreck-mile-sou/200076042/
The Burlington freight, northbound, is due at 1:40. jumped the track a mile south of Maitland, Monday afternoon, and piled five cars in the ditch. No one was seriously injured.
The train was heavy, and, coming down the grade at that point at a lively rate, the accident occurred. Just in front of the way, there was a heavy car, oak lumber, and a car of coal. It is thought that these were so heavy that they spread the rails, as the track was rather soft and the ties somewhat decayed. Those in the way car say that the first thing they knew of the accident was a loud crash ahead of them, and then a violent wrenching of the car. The passengers were shaken up a bit, but beyond a few scratches, they were not hurt.
The way car left the rails but did not turn over.
The five cars immediately preceding it were in the ditch. The lumber car was the first to go off. It broke loose from the train in front, and the others followed it. The engine and the cars attached to it ran on down the grade some distance and then returned.
Word was at once sent for the wrecking train, and when it arrived, the work of clearing the track began. The southbound freight was laid out here, and the northbound passenger, due at 6:25, stopped at Mound City. It lay there till 10:30, when the track was sufficiently cleared for it to come on. It arrived here at about 11 o’clock, after which the southbound freight pulled out.
The wreching crew worked all day Tuesday and part of Wednesday before they got all the fragments cleaned up. The cars werepretty completely smashed up, and were turned with their tops down. The passengers on the north bound passenger took supper at Mound City. Miss Gwyn Hatfield and Blanche Morrison, who had been to St. Joseph, paid a call on friends at Mound City while the train was waiting.
They became so much interested that the train pulled out without them, and they took a moonlight ride overland. Ed. Edmonds was on the freight, on his way home from Percival, Iowa. He waa scratched on the leg and arm, but will not sue for damuges. The Broad Guage had a consignment of flour in the wreck, and it was somewhat shaken up.
The wrecking crew and regular train men numbered about 45 men. The Commercial and Colvin houses had quite a run, but proved equal to the occasion. Landlord Bridson, of the Commercial hustled up the provisions for a hungry set of men, and sent all away declaring they had enough and to spare.
Passengers had “three hours for supper” at Mound City, so they did not have to bolt their food. Traffic was all right Tuesday morning, and trains were running as usual.
FRIGHTFUL WRECK Freight Train Run Into 100 Head of Cattle-23 Steers Killed.
Skidmore Standard, January 30, 1903, Page 4. via Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/skidmore-standard-burlington-train-wreck/200075885/
One hundred head of Galloway cattle got away from their drivers in this city yesterday evening. They ran north on the railway just as the southbound train was coming into town. The cattle and train met in the cut just south of the fairground corner. After the train crashed through the herd, twenty-three steers were ground and crushed, legs broken, bones sticking through their hides, and many of them were dead. Those who were dying were orderd killed by the Burlington Company.
Another steer was shot, and there are a few others supposed to have broken legs. There are six in the stock yards so badly crippled that they could not be driven home. The cattle belonged to Frank R. Rozelle. He bought them in St. Joseph, where they were the best and highest priced stockers on the market this week.
They were all dead black color and appeared to be as even as that many eggs. The day was foggy, which added to the confusion when the wreck took place. It is said that the engineer and the fireman jumped from the engine. Two wheels were thrown from the rails, but the train was heavily loaded, and this protected the passengers in the way car.
As the Burlington is ordering the carcasses buried, the company is evidently assuming the loss. — Maitland Herald.