Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1893-09-30
BRAKEMAN'S ERROR.
It Causes Fearful Wreck In
Indiana.
q Wabash Passenger Train Dsshes Int .
Freight Eleven Persons Killed and
Fully . Score Injured Details
Of tho Affa1s.

KINGsBuRy, Ind, Sept ga pas
senger train crashed into freight
train at this place early yesterday
morning and ut least ten people were
killed and thirteen or more injured,
some seriously.
The passenger train was an extra,
running as the second section of No.
55. 1t LETT Detroit last night at 10
o'clock heavily loaded with passengers
1t was due Mt Kingsbury at $50 q. m
but owing to the heavy traffic, was if
teen minutes late. Freight No. 90, east
bound, received orders to sidetrack on
its arrival at Kingsbury and allow the
two sections of the passenger train to
pass. The first section passed in safety,
but through some misunderstanding
about the approach of the other sec
ton Freight Brakeman Herbert
Thompson, of Ashley, this state,
was ordered forward to throw
the switch that the freight might
pull out on the main track and pro-
coed. Before the freight had gotten
under motion the second section of the
passenger train came laundering along
at the rate of IS miles IN hour to make
up lost time. Before the switch could
be closed the passenger train ran in on
the side-track and crashed into the
freight train. The engines were jammed
into each other up to the cylinders and
the smoker and day coach were tel
escoped, crushing the sleeping pas
scnger. The second day coach was
thrown across the tracks on top of the
debris of the forward coaches There
were two sleepers. The head one
crushed into the forward coach and
for the length of three berths was torn
to atoms, the passengers, six in num-
Der, being badly injured but none
killed outright.
HOW IT OCCURRED.
KiNGsBuRY, Ind, Sept. a3.-Eleven
bloody objects, torn and mangled be-
yond semblance of human beings,
eleven souls hurried without warning
into eternity, scores of bleeding and
bruised victims moaning in their agony.
Such are the awful results of the horror
occurring at this little village on the
Detroit division of the Wabash rail-
way.
The calamity is directly attributable
to Brakeman Herbert Thompson's care
lessness. Since his disappearance all
efforts to find him thus far have been
futile. The wreck and the cause lead
ing to it is thus told by Wabash Off
-cial and is the only correct version thus
far published.
Vestibuled train No. SIS, from Detroit
to Chicago, was running in sections
and was due to pass this station at 4:4O
a. m. Fast freight was lying on the
siding here to let No. So pass. The
first section of No. IS was about thirty
five or forty minutes late and passed at
Bills, and, by whistle, called attention
to the fags they carried for the second
section. The engineer of the freight
replied that the flag was seen, but it
seems that Brakeman Thompson did
not notice either the signal or the flag,
No. 9s to leave. He had hardly done
this before the second section of 55 was
seen bearing down upon him at speed
of fifty miles an hour. Thompson
seems to have been paralyzed
Swerving to the left the ponderous
mass of steel, drawing its precious
load, plunged heavily into the waiting
freight train with horrible crash.
Thompson rushed up to his engineer,
wringing his hands and crying hys-
tcrically. '.For Gods sake what have
you done?" asked the engineer. II
don't know; / turned that SWITCH"
said the brakeman and then recover
ing himself he dashed hurriedly away
into the semi-darkness and disappeared.
The result of the crash was fearful.
The terrific impact of the two mighty
machines drove tank and cab of the
freight engine into q carload OF
dressed beef, the engineer and fireman
remaining in the cab, and by mira
Gle escaped with their lives, the fire.
imam sustaining fractured leg. En-
CINE 473 of the passenger train was
torn to pieces The smoker behind it
was forced through the tank on the
pilot of the engine. The splinters killed
Engineer Green and the escaping
steam badly scalded his fireman, Bar
Der. In the smoker was where most of
the fatalities occurred, and 1t being
the smoker accounts for the majority
of the killed having been men
The scene that ensued was awful
Nearly all the passengers were asleep
and the suddenness Of the crash SO
dazed the unfortunates that for a few
minutes all was still, save the escaping
steam, but soon the agonizing screams
of the injured rent the air with borri-
BILE portent Few Of those uninjured
had the presence Of mind to make any
effort for some minutes to rescue the
victims, but with the arrival Of num-
Der of residents near by, the work Of
releasing the victims was soon under
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