Waco evening news. (Waco, Tex.) 1888-1889, 1888-08-08
HORRIBLY WRECKED.
A LONG MIXED TRAIN ON THE
TEXAS CENTRAL WRECKED
Engineer Killed, Fireman Danger
ously Wounded and the Train
Nearly Demolished.


night train which is due at Waco at o
p. IN. was wrecked last night at o D.
m. at section house No. Z, three miles
this side of Ross station and six miles
from Waco. The tram was q mixed
train consisting of fifteen cars, four
flats and eleven box cars and loaded
mainly with wheat and oats, and two
passenger coaches. On board the
passenger coaches was about thirty
five or forty passengers, more than
half of whom were ladies and chill
dren. The train left Whitney at
about seven o'clock, half hour be-
hind time, and proceeded safely past
Ross station, when in cotton field at
moderately sharp curve the engine
struck an obstruction and left the
track, running about three hundred
yards when 1t turned over on the side,
square across the track, and the cars,
which kept running on to the disa-
bled engine, made complete wreck.
AS the first car struck the tender it
was smashed up, and the second was
piled on it and the third on the Sec
ond until the fifteen were piled up in
indescribable confusion, making q
heap of wrecked cars, some of which
were crushed into kindling wood, as
high as a house. Fortunately the
train was long one so that by the
time the two passenger coaches struck
the wreck the momentum had been
spent and the living and precious
freight was uninjured. AS the engine
and tender went over, the brave en-
gineer was caught under the engine
and killed and the fireman was thrown
under the tender and seriously in
jured. Another train, a special, was
following but instant measures were
adopted to save collision and the
train was tagged just in time.
MIR. FRED H. KINGsBURY
was aboard the wrecked train and
gave NEWS reporter this morning u
clear and coherent account of the
wreck. He says: got on the down
train Of the Texas Central ut Whitney
The train was a mixed one of about
fifteen freight and two passenger cars
on which were about forty passengers
largely ladies and children, many OF
them returning home. Mrs Il. G. AL
exander and daughters were aboard
the only ladies from Waco 1 recogniz-
ed. The't train was understood hall
hour behind time but did not notice
any extra speed as if lost time was
being made up. We left Ross station
little before nine o'clock and had
, proceeded about three miles and were
going at the rate of eighteen miles al
hour or thereabouts and were pass
ing through cotton field and around
slight curve when there was a sud
} den shock followed by three distinc
shocks which threw the screaming
passengers about in their seats ant
shook up things badly. I was stand
ing in the aisle of the car in which
was riding and at the second shocl
!. was thrown forward some ten fee
and to the floor. The engine had lef
the track and was running on the tie
which was the cause of the successive
; shocks, the cars, charging on the en-
l CINE, being driven back and then rush
o ing forward again. In what seemed
l. to be but a moment the cars wer
brought to a dead standstill, stopped
= suddenly. Several OF us, after quiet
Q ing the lady passengers who were Il
II great fright, got out to find out tn
! cause and extent of the disaster
Lights were flashing here and there
4 the railroad force from a section hous
were pouring out and, while in tn
}. passenger coach there was nothing t
8 indicate a great disaster, the momen
S they had been passed it was eviden
I. the train was badly wrecked.
d THE DISASTER.
O The freipht cars. fifteen in numbe