The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1881-08-25
THE WRECK.
Fuller Particulars Regarding the .Icc!-
dent at the JunrtI.,n last Week.


Fuller Particulars Regarding the .Icc!-
dent at the JunrtIssn S-ast Week.
The wreck at the jan,aIs.I.. of u hicl /
mention was u adj ls,sI We X. proved Ia /
be n very lad smash mp AS far as proper
~ was concerned, hut was attended with |
an almost miraculous escape Of human |
life from injury. There seems to be
some difference of opinion among Of
ficers of the different roads as TO whom
the blame for the accident should at
tach, and we therefore give each side
the benefit of their statements. When
the matter has been fully. investigated
by the management of the two roads
and legal decision rendered as to who
shall pay the damages resulting from
the accident it Will be more easy to tell
where condemnation should lie.
The facts in the case seem to be that
the Missouri Pacific train had made the
usual stop of twenty minutes for dinner
at the Fuller House, at the junction of
the two roads. Two freight trains had
just passed over the Santa Fe road going
east. The conductor on the Missouri
Pacific shouted "All aboardr' and his
engineer started up. The engineer then
perceived another freight train coming
down the track of the Santa Fe road
from the west. Knowing there was
danger of being struck he pulled the
throttle of his engine open, attempting
to clear the train. The engineer Of the
freight train whistled down breaksl"
but having heavily loaded train of 81
cars his tram could by no means be
brought to stand-still and his engine
struck the passenger train, oyerturning
the baggage car and throwing one of the
passenger coaches off the track. The
terrific lunge, however, under pressure
Of all the steam she could carry. that the
freight engine was thrown around al
most parallel with the track of the Mis-
souri, Pacific road.
| The points in controversy are as TO who
was entitled to the track. The Missouri
Pacific folks say they had given the
usual signal to notify all trains they
were about TO cross, and that the freight
train, if it stopped at all when approach
ing the crossing, did so at a point more
than 200 yards from the crossing, and as
rule of the Santa Fe company says
trains must be stopped within 200 yards
of all railroad crossings, after which
they must proceed with great caution,
they were guilty of violating the rules
and were not using anything like eau
ton.
On the other hand the Santa Fe men
claim that their freight tram was in the
hands of careful engineer and they
was q second section of the freight just
Immediately preceding it, and they had
made the proper stopping, had whistled
and were approaching the crossing with
ringing bell, and the engineer of the
passenger, after receiving the signal
from his conductor (who they think may
not have seen the freight train) thought
he would be smart enough to rush his
train over the crossing ahead Of the
freight. They also clam that
4 LuC vi lAC NIB
souri, Pacific train had been duly
careful he would have backed down his
train, even if it were IN motion before he
saw the approaching freight, instead
of imperilling the lives of his passen-
gers by throwing them in the way.
So the public can "pay their money
and take their choice" of these two yer.
slons.
The Santa Fe company Immediately
put wreckers to work and had theiI
track repaired and cleared by about 20
The south-bound passengers on the Mis-
souri, Pacific were put into caboose and
were taken on their way after only about
forty-five minutes delay.
The north bound train on the MIS-
souri, Pacific, which is due here about
o'cock, was delayed several hours
the track not being clear on theil
road until about six o'clock.
The delay to the west bound passen
ger train was about an hour and half.
The Santa Fe engine was badly de
moralized. There were two coaches on
the Missouri Pacific. The one struck
is very badly damaged; the other did no
leave the rails. The engine also re
manned on the track. The overturned
baggage car is not seriously damaged.
There were quite number of passen
gers aboard, and one of them received
slight cut on the nose, beyond which
there were no injuries to anybody OF
either train.