Recent heavy rains led to the latest in a long history of flooding disasters in Jefferson County.
One particular deluge in 1938 caused a flood on Joachim Creek that derailed a train, killed the engineer and left dozens of passengers stranded in coach cars dangling above the powerful waters near Bailey Station in the Festus area.
The disaster happened in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday, June 11, after a deluge that began about 6 p.m. the night before dumped 7.84 inches of rain into Joachim Creek, according to June 16, 1938, article in the Jefferson Republican.
The flood covered the tracks for almost a mile and the water was so high that it washed away a portion of the trestle that spanned Joachim Creek.
The fast Missouri Pacific No. 7 mail train bound for Little Rock, Ark., was on its way, and the engineer, crew and passengers were oblivious to the disaster that lay ahead in the darkness.
As the train came through the Joachim valley, the engineer slowed the locomotive as the tracks disappeared under the water.
“C.T. McRill, the fireman, stated that the engineer, W. W. Malloy, ran through water for a considerable distance and was proceeding slowly when the engine gave a lurch and toppled over into the raging waters,” the article said.
McRill said it appeared that Malloy was trying to stop the train when the water suddenly became so deep that he realized the track had been washed from under the engine.
Three baggage cars and express cars also tumbled into the water, the article said.
“The express men and mail clerks managed to race through the rear cars to safety.”
Sixty-five passengers, however, were “marooned in the coaches,” according to the Jefferson Republican.
McRill was able to get out of the cab and into the water, but as he rose to the surface, he became entangled in telegraph wires.
“He finally wormed his way through the strands but not until after he had taken considerable water into his lungs. He caught hold of the branches of a small tree and hung there for four hours until he was taken to safety by rescuers in a motor boat.”
The engineer, however, was trapped in the cab.
National Guard members based in Festus were called out to keep the spectators away from the scene. There was also the fear that the mail and express cars would be looted.
“J. S. Withington, local agent for the Railway Express Company, went to the wreck in order to get the pay checks for the shop and railroad men, and it was necessary to swing down into the car by ropes, but he brought the checks back with him, even though they were soaking wet,” according to the article.
Passengers trapped by the floodwaters had to wait to be rescued until a platform and a makeshift bridge could be built.
Divers were called to the scene of the disaster to search for the body of the engineer. They finally recovered it about 7 p.m. Saturday, the article said.
One man who came to see the wreck was also killed.
A St. Louis man, John Kern, 82, fell from a bluff that overlooked the scene of the accident. Witnesses said he turned around, lost his balance and fell over the bluff backwards.
“Coroner Frank S. Frazier gave a verdict of accidental death by broken neck at the inquest, which was held at the Politte Funeral Home in Crystal City,” according to the article.
Send submissions to LOOKING BACK with a photo to nvrweakly@aol.com or mail them to the Leader office, 503 N. Second St., Festus (P.O. Box 159, 63028). Please include your name, phone number, a brief description of what’s in the photo and tell us how you came by it. Please also include when it was taken, where and by whom (if known). A new LOOKING BACK is posted regularly.
