Dodge City times., 1886-09-30
FATAL CARELESSNESS.
Fearful Collision Of Two Freight
Trains

Both Engineers Killed and Large Naua-
:ber Of Cattle Perish-Ths Wreck.
Takes Fire and Nine Cars Are
| Destroyed.
KANSAS CRY, Mo-, Sept 23.-The most
frightful wreck which has occurred on any
railroad in this vicinity for long time
happened in dead Mans cut'' on the
Missouri Pacific railroad. nineteen miles
east of Kansas City, about 4:30 O'Clock
yesterday morning. Two freight trains
came together with q terrific crash in .
head collision, and both engineers were
horribly mangled and instantly killed. The
cars were piled on top OF each other In .
mass twenty-five feet high and the wreck
caught fire Immediately. One of the trains
was loaded with cattle, and about ninety
head were killed outright or burned by the
fire, and two cars of wheat and one
of ice on the other train were
destroyed. In the opinion of Chief
Hale the loss will foot up almost
100000. The accident was caused by the
care!essness of the operator at Greenwood,
who reported to the dispatcher that the cast
bound train had not passed his station,
when in fact it lad gone by. The east
bound train. No. 28, was in charge of Con-
ductor F. NJ. Mount Engineer James
DOwler and Fireman H F. AlcOrn. 1t con-
sisted of eighteen cars of grain and general
merchandise. The west bound train con-
sisted of twenty-five cars ioade,i with cat
| 81 90 DNth hml IT,
gineer j. II. Lighter aud Fireman J. w.
Calfus.
HOW IT OCCURRED.
The west bound train had orders TO run
to Lees Summit to pass the east bound.
E. e. Jamison, the night operator at Green.
wood. had been asked concerning tie east
bound freight and he reported that it had
not passed his station. 1t is supposed that
he had been asleep when lie was called up
and that the east bound freight had passed
without his knowledge. The run to Lees
Summit was long one for the west bound
train and Engineer Dowler put full head
of steam Oh and at the time the accident
occurred was pushing his engine forward at
the rate of fifteen miles an hour. The
other train had slight grade to overcome,
but the time she was making was fully
twelve miles an hour. dead Mans
Curve" is quite deep cut with a
| rock embankment nearly thirty-five feet high
OH one side and a similar one ten feet high
on the other side. The curve is the sharp
est ON the road, and In the daytime trains
can not be perceived coming rOund it dis
tahce Of Uvef forty feet 1t has always
been regarded as one of the most danger
Gus places on the road, and It's name was
significant of wreck and disaster. The cut
received its name on account of d man who
died of Aslstic cholera during the war hav-
ing been buried on the spot. Some years
since dreadful accident occurred at the
place and the railroad men feared the spot.
The engineer on the lwest bound train
was funnlng under orders to pass the other
freight at B.ue tank, and he was making
speed for that pOlnt. snppOslng the east
bound freight was sidetracked there wait
ing for him. The night was quite dark and
both nieh ere keeping sharp lookout as
they went into the curve, but the first init.
nation either had of danger was when the
headlight of each approaching engine swept
into view from around the curve. Both
men reversed and threw back the thrOtIles
and whstled the shrill signal Of danger. En-
gineer Dowler and his fireman both lcaped
from the cab at once. The forward brake
man was on the tender end he leaped of
at about the same time. AlcOri, the fire.
man, jumped to the side on which Is The
lower embankmeDt and succeeded in
getting out of danger, and the brake
man also got out of the way.
Dowler, however, tried for his life
on the other side. and was clambering up
the steep and rocky bank when he lost his
hold and fell just as the trains came to-
fnor nd Ss,ifl fIx.Y,
engineer of the west bound train. j. II.
Lighter. was equally unfortunate. He per-
formed his duty like hero and called to
his fireman, j. W. Calfus, to leap for his
life, and attempted to leap out of the cab.
lie stuck to his post moment too long,
and at the crash lie was unable to clear the
engine, and was buried together with his
brother engineer beneath the wreck. Cal
Ius, the fireman, narrowly escaped with his
life, being partially buried by the piing up
of the cars. He was badly crushed and in
jured as it was. Thomas Perrymau, who
had charge of the water tank at Little Blue,
was on the west bound train at the time,
going 10 Lees Summit In 1eaping from
the train lie broke his leg.
AWFUL SCENES.
The engines were "Moguls," which weigh
eightv0ne tons. At the high rate of speed
both were going they went together with a
fearful crash and being SO heavy they
crashed right through the iron and steel OF
the other. The west-bOund was going the
faster of the two and it was slightly raised,
although the parts of each as they appeared
after they forced themselves together looked
as though they were welded in one piece.
The cars Of both trains piled on top Of each
other over the prOstrate engines, and as the
deep cut prevented them from falling to
the sides they raised themselves in ryra.
mid over twenty-five feet high. Some bore
semblance to cars, but the most of them
were nothing bat mass of broken timbers |
and iron. The front ten cars loaded |
with cattle in the west-bOund train be. |
ing lighter than the heavily loaded |
grain and ice cars in the other train were |
thrown in one unshapely mass over the |
others, the timbers parting and the cattle
believing with fright. With nearly fifteen
cars and the engines piled up in one un-
sbapely mass the scene beggars description,
To add to the fearful fright and terror of
both the men and animals the fire in the
engines soon communicated to the cars and
in very little while the flames had spread
and envelOpcd the whole mass There
were nearly ninety head of cattle in tho
cars which had gone over the engines.
Part of them had escaped from the cars
which had broken but the most of them
were roasted in the fire which soon became
raging. Being in the deep cut there was 10
chance for the cattle getting out and they
perished uttering the peculiar noises made
nv animals in mortal terror.
New Ulm (Minn. is probably the