- He was killed in a railroad accident. He met death in a headend collision between extra freight train No. 251, going east on the Southern Division, and passenger train No. 202, bound from Memphis to Kansas City, at half past five o'clock in the morning of the above mentioned date, at Horsehoe Curve, five miles north of Thayer, Missiouri. It is the suposition that the freight had mistaken it's order ans was running on the passenger's time. A sort of mist, or fog prevailed at the time, which added to the darkness of night and prevented crews from seeing very far ahead of their trains, which were running at full speed. The two trains were almost totally wrecked and a section of track about the length of four cars was torn up.
Mr. McQuiston, engineer of the passenger train and his fireman, Ernest White, were killed instantly, while John Finch, engineer of the freight and John Tune, the fireman, both died soon thereafter.
Mr. McQuiston was spoken of at the time by the press as one of the oldest and best engineers running out of Springfield. One of the sad features of his death was the fact that he was soon to retire from the road, having purchased a good farm in Greene County and was preparing to remove thereto and spend his old days quietly.
He was buried with Masonic honors.
|