Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-01-29
HL-FATED SEVENTH.
The Killed and Wounded Soldiers
at Fort Riley.
DETAILS OF THE RAILWAY 'CCIDEET.
List of the vIctims-Few of The Regular
Passengers Hurt-Many Narrow Escapes
The Aggregate Damage very
Large.

cial train, bearing officers and men of
the Seventh cavalry from the the Blue
valley railway wreck, arrived at Fort
Riley yesterday morning at daylight,
when particulars of the accident were
secured from DR.. P. Daugherty, Union
Pacific railway surgeon, who had been
at work all night caring for the wound.
ed, and others who were aboard the
two fated trains or were witnesses Of
the scene after the collision.
Four troops of the Seventh United
States cavalry and one battery of artil-
lery, en- soute to Fort Riley from the
scene of the recent Indian disturbances
IN South Dakota, comprising the second
battalion, under command of Captain
1lsley, were aboard a Union Pacific
mixed train of twenty-six cars, includ-
ing five or six passenger coaches, all
heavily loaded with men, horses and
accoutrements, drawn by two en-
gines. This train, southbound, was
to have met and passed the north
bound Blue valley afternoon passenger
train at blind siding south of Irving,
and thirty-three miles north of Man
haitian. The meeting occurred while the
soldier train was moving about fifteen
miles an hour, and the other at about
double that rate of speed. The ruin
resulting is described as the most COM
plete wreck that can be imagined, and
the wonder is, considering the numbers
aboard, so few people were killed and
injured.
The four troops of the Seventh caval-
ry were: C, Captain Jackson; G, Cap
taiu Godfrey; E, Captain IIlsey, COM
handing battalion; G, Captain Edger-
ley. Light battery E, of the First
artillery, was also on board, in COM
mand of Captain Capron.
Private Meal, CT G troop, and Sergeant
Shartel, OF battery E, were killed out
right, and eight others, including Cap
tain Godfrey, were injured so severely
as to be carried on stretchers, and sew
eral other soldiers were slightly in
| jured. Those hurt were: Sergeant
Sharp, troop G, Seventh cavalry,
right arm broken; Captain God
frey, troop B, leg and shoulder
injured; Corporal Maxwell, troop D,
left wrist broken; Sergeant Thompson,
troop c, right arm sprained; Private
McCullam, troop G, right arm sprained;
Sergeant Writ, troop C, internal injur-
les; Private Mcclure, troop c, left side
and face badly scalded; Private Goss,
troop E, left shoulder sprained; Ser
geant Dolan, troop A, left shoulder bad
ly cut; Private Errick, troop E, right
arm broken and hand cut; Private
Hoese, battery E, First artillery, right
| leg bruised; Lizzie bennett, of Lincoln,
right arm broken and forehead cut;
Baggageman Kimball and Conductor
Flynn, slightly injured, and Bohe-
milan from Council Grove whose nam,
was not learned.
None of the passengers aboard the.
north-bound train were killed, but oni.
lady was quite severely injured and one
gentleman slightly. All the passengers,
fifteen or twenty in number, were re-
turned to Manhattan on a special.
| Many narrow escapes are related
Two small children escaped unhurt-
The engineers and firemen and the mai
messengers and two soldiers who were
riding on the pilot of the engine es
capped by jumping. A third soldier
Private Meal, failing to jump, wa!
killed.
The coach, in which were fifty-seveI
soldiers, was so completely demolished
that not a whole seat remains, and
even the lamp hangings were wrenched
from their fastenings, yet, strange tc
say, all the human occupants escaped
with their lives.
Two horses were killed and several
others so badly injured that they had
to be shot. The aggregate loss OF
property is very large, all three engines
being reduced to mass of scrap iron