The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-06-01
poUele, WRECK.

oouslE- WRECK.
wreek q I'VE HssaGAs fr.sss xesr Kaasas
Cuy-s1ve Mon KillsA aaA Several Ia
jureA-Cuasea ~ Aeavy 1saaA
Kansas CIR, No, Nay IA double
wreck occurred this morning q . small
creek one mile esss Of the Milwaukee
bridge Ct Randoiph aud i've miles from
this city. The accident was eauaed By the
giving way Of the bridge spanning the
creek Many cars and two engines Wero
precipitated into the water.
A little before three o'clock this morning
IN east bound freight train On the Rock
Island approached the creek st high rate
Of speed IN order 70 clear the way for the
east bound freight on the Hannibal railroad.
The Rock Islsad uses the Hannibal track
between Ksusas City and Camsro1. just b.
fore the engine reached the bridge Hngin-
Scr Pete Weltser noticed The structure
swaggiug nearly 70 the water, which was
running like . torrent uadsrneath. He
shouted to Fireman Snyder % jump Be-
fore they had time 70 do 70 the train
dashed on 70 the bridge and both Wsl,ser
and Snyder were thrown into the creek.
They escaped With slight isjuries. Five
freight cars loaded to their utmost capa.
city thea piled into the creek In ~ indie
criminate mass, spiaterinG and smashing
the cars and throwing their conteats into
the water and on the banka
The engine, No. s2S got over the bridge
safely, but Was pulled back BY the teadsr
and stands up on end far above tbe debris.
Y. Royston, . brakeman, ~ a. en- top OF ono
OF tho freight cars which went into the
creek, and was instantly killed. being
mashed beyond recognition. I;oyston Was
. married man and lived ss Edgsrtoa. Kan.
Brakeman Edward G Armstrong was
sent ahead to nag the HaEnibal freight.
He mstook tho tracks, and ~ alked along
on the Wabash tracks In the direction OF
the Milwaukee bridge. Armstrong did not
carry . lantern, and ~ the moon WAS shin
ing brightly he relied upon being able
to stop the train before it got
to the bridge Just below the Milwaukee
bridge both the Ham bal and Wabash
tracks make . sudden curve TO the right
so that coming ira n can not b. Scen uu-
til it Is we'll out from under the bridge.
Both sides of the track are heavily wooded
SO that it would be impossible for any one
to see headlight until it had passed the
curve. Armstrong. 1t is supposed, walked
down the track near the bridge and
was struck by . wc>tbound freight train
on the Wabash railroad. The Rock Island
men claim that the Wabash train
had n, headlight. and that Armstrong was
run over and killed before he had time TO
g. s OF the track
1t was Just tea minutes after the wreck.
ing OF the Rock Islaud tram when the Wa
bash freight, cong osed of An engine and
twelve box cars, heavily laden, came thun.
dering along. The wreck WAS not discov-
cred by the engineer, E lamin Mcclellan,
until It was too late to stop his train. He
sounded the whistle and the engineer, Ire
man and brakeman jumped from the train.
In jumIiag Engineer Mcclellan was
thrown against Q pile OF tieA His scalp
vas torn in several places and one Of his
legs broken.
At this time the men about the wreck
heard heartrendiug shrieks and saw two
men standing on top Of the approaching
train. They were gesticIlating and shout
ing for help Their cries were drowned By
the horrible crash which followed. Tue
Wabash bridge was parallel to that OF the
Hannibal and distant from IL only about
two feet. They were brAced together, and
the breaking OF the former destroyed the
braceA Instead Of this bridge breaking
1t turned 70 one side, throwing the engine
into the creek and piiiug eleven cars on
top OF it The engine - completely demol.
ished and the cars are broken into spin.
tiers.
The wreck OF the waha III train was more
disastrous than that OF the Rock Islam I.
The todses OF two men wer. found, tcrrib =
cut and msnged. From their dress It a.
supposed that they ere tramps steali
their last ride on the top OF the train. The
noise Of the escaping steam from both eu.
gines, an the possibility OF Al explosion,
p eve med the train hands from a.tcmptiEg'l
To rescue any the who might be in the
wreck. After the turmoil had ceased,
faint groans were heard from the Wa
bash wrecx. Wiling hands ut once
set to work to find the unfortunate. After
WORKING half an hou. the men pulled cut
Ben Norris, q coiored youth, who was
pinned down by heavy beams with his
face and head nearly submerged IN the
water which had been damned Up by the |
wreck and now was beginning to run over |
it. Norris was roustxtout aud wxs in
box car when the wreck Q, CARED. Nearly |
every bone in his body was broken and he |
is not EXP ected to live.
Brakeman John u. Leydcn Of the Wabas: !
train sustained intern. injuries.
The spot where the accident occurred is I
low ground, lying between the foot OF the |
bluffs and about 10) yards fron the Mis-
souri, river. The bridges spanned . ravine
hich is forty feet wide and twenty feet |
deep. They were the common wooden |
trestls bridges usually constructed by
railroads to cross irvine, and small |
streams. The heavy rains Of last night
washed away the piers aud left nothing &c
support the bridge BIT the soft clayeJ
earth on her side, which was being con.
washed away by the incrcasin,
volume Of water.
Later-At 6:3O this evening the body OF
James Taylor, another tramp, was taken
from, the wreck. He was found beneath q
pair Of freight car tracks and his death
must have been Simultaneous The work.
men also discovered the remains Of an.
OF .r man later, who is supposed TO be an
other tramp, lnasmgci as the trainmen
have all been accounted for. He was held
down under mass OF heavy timbers, and
as it would have required mucn time to ex.
tricate the toby the wOrkmen turned their
attention to repairing the track.
The list Of killed AMI injured is now as
follows: Kiilei-E- Z. Armstrong, Rocs
Island brakeman, Belleyi!le.O.; Y. Royston,
Rock Island brakeman, Edgerton junction,
Kan; Emil Strohan. tramp. Allegheny,
Pa; James Taylor, tramp, residence un.
known; unknown tramp. Injured-Ben
Rock Island engineer; Michael
HAITI, tramp; Elmer Norris, colored tramp:
c. J. Snyder, Rock Island fireman.