Wichita eagle., 1890-02-18

| m, SO that the south bound express due te
leave Wichita at 11:40 a. m, was only g
little over three hours late at Arkansa:
City.
The loss to the Santa Fe company will
not be as heavy as at first supposed. 1he
engine hept its equilibrium and the dam
age to 1t will not be as heavy as might be
supposed. The train was made up at New
ton in this order: The three baggage, mail
and express cars, chair car. smoker and
sleeper. The first three cars are total
wrecks and the front of the chair car is
crushed.
The escape from death By the baggage
men, express and mail messengers is con-
sidered miraculous The forward car was
thrown crosswise on the track, one end
thrown high in the air, the Sec
Ond car running underneath it.
The occupants of the first car were thrown
violently around from side to side of the
car and were considerably bruised. Even
before the cars had settled from their
violent tossing the men ran up the incln-
ed car floor and out through the end which
had been completely torn away. They
jumped to the ground, distance Of about
twenty feet, almost before the roar of the
wreck had died away. The railroad boys
We're considerably frightened. The engi-
neer and fireman say that they have
"made their last rum" No blame can at
tach to the engineer. One of the roads
officers said to the EAGLE reporter: "Nand
is a good engineer-shrewdsig and
as quick as cat. Upon the occasion of a
slight accident north of Wichita he reversed
the lever and put on the air, stopping the
train in an almost incredible short space
of time"
There are various theories as to the
cause of the trestle burning. Reports
were circulated that it was fired by an in
cendiary, but the roads officials say they
have no good reason to believe this to be
SO.
Superintendent Turner was seen by the
EAGLE reporter, and during the brief in
tervals when he was not directing the
workmen, talked freely about the wreck
and the supposed Cause of the trestle burn
ing. 1t seems there is no night track
walker, the first one coming on duty aud
leaving Wichita at about a. IN. The
end of this section is mile Or two south
of the burned trestle, and the "track-
walker" had not yet reached the end
of the division when the train
passed, his hand-car being re-
moved from the track to clear
the way for the passenger train.
Mr.. Turner stated that the last train be-
fore the wreck occurred passed Derby at
about SIT p m. the night before. Goals
from the engine of this train probably set
fire to the trestle which burned and
Tt
have been travelling" prairie fire which
ignited the trestle as the grass on either
side of the track was not burned.
Mr.. Luke Herring, of the Wellington
Standard was passenger on the train,
He was conversing with the EAGLE re-
porter about the scenes incident to the
wreck when Mr.. Woods, Of Wellington,
the local attorney for the Santa F'e at that
place, intimated that conversation he
had just had with farmer named Will
liam l.. Carlton, living near the scene of
the wreck, had created a suspicion in his
mind that the wreck was the work
Of an incendiary, and was pro-
ceeding to give certain ''clues" which he
had picked up, when he became aware for
the first time that he was talking to A re- |
porter, and at once became as dumb as an
oyster.
The EAGLE reporter repaired to this |
'armer's house, at the east side of the |
rack. and inquired for William l.. Carl |
on. This gentleman said that he had |
irst noticed the fire down near the track
IS he thought about 10 o'clock p. m., the |
hight before, but paid no attention to it,
Is it might have been a prairie fire or a
pile of burning ties.
Didn't you see man prowling around
lere. rather suspicious -looking?" asked
he reporter, in a hap-hazzard, hit or miss
way, in order to get at the suspicious cir
as Mr., Woods had called it.
"Oh, yes," said Mr.. Carlton.
yeing the reporter closely, ''you heard
bout that did you? Yes, ] saw tramp
n the afternoon about o'clock. He came
p to the house and while here asked me
bout the trains. | suppose that he
merely wanted to know what time they
assed so that he could beat ride and l
ttached no significance to his questions.
saw him afterward, sitting on the tres
lie. This was about 6 o'clock. | then
rent to supper and saw or heard nothing
nore of the man"
|
tramp could have in setting fire to the
restle and causing a wreck which endan-
cred hundreds Of lives. but it is barely
ossible that Attorney Woods clue will !
ring to light the plot of an incen-
iary to burn the trestle, wreck |
be train and pillage the cars of valuables, /
n the excitement and confusion, though s
requires an extraordinary imagination |
} conceive OF such brute, SO denatural- ,
.ed as to murder innocent passengers,
mong them women and children, IN
rider to secure a small booty.
The wreck will be entirely cleared away {
= an early hour this morning, and there {
i'll be little or no delay IN the traffic or
'ayel over the road.
WILLARD c. l.. s. c.
Program for Friday, February q, 1890:
oman history. ...-....-. ..--dr. burWell {
attn literature. Miss Halsey S
aper. Observation-Disclosures. Pompeli
Mr.. Walters.
eading. g........ Horatius, by McCauley
Miss Anna Mason.