The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-02-23
TWO TRAINS CLASH
BOTH TRIED TO PASS OVER A CROSS
ING AT THE SAME TIME
Fire Department Called Out to Pre-
vent Threatened Confagration
of the Wreck-Luckily No One
Was Hurt, Although One
Train Was Full OfPeople.

At the crossing OF the two roads at
| Eighteenth street and Emporia avenue in
this city last night, Santa Fe freight
train from the north struck an engine of
the Missouri Pacific east bound express
No one was hurt. The Missouri Pacific
baggage car, mail car and engine truck
were partially broken and the Santa Fs
engine broken to pieces.
Harry Davis, known as Cannon Ball."
was engineer on the Santa Fe and Robert
Resdon was his fireman. When they saw
that collision was inevitable they made
Il jump for their lives and when seen by a
reporter the fireman said: II didn't know
what did or where l was until I found
myself running somewhere, over by the
stock yards" The engineer also did not
know what he did and the brakeman, w.
S. Simpson, who had run ahead to
turn the switch said that they jumped
none too soon, as hardly had the whistle
stopped blowing before the steam giants
leaped together.
The Santa Fe engine struck the truck of
the Missouri Pacific in the middle, glanced
along its half length, entered the front
end of the baggage Car and turned it nearly
upside down. Baggageman Guy Myers
was the only one in the car and he found
himself digging hole in the roof of the
car. while the flying trunks, tables and
chairs were hopping around like corn in a
pepper, The smoke and Goals began to
fly out of the stove and for while things
looked dangerous. Mr. Myers said: II
heard a terrible whistle aud went to the
door to see what it was when the engine
struck. l didn't know where the Car was
struck and only remember keeping on the
bottom side when it tilted. l then
crawled out the door on the upper side"
Chief Clerk Purdy of the Missouri Pa
cific, in the absence of Mr.. Harding, was
on the scene getting statements from the
passengers as to whether the trains had
stopped and at the crossing and whistled.
This revealed the fact that there was
passenger coach attached to the freight.
1t contained citizens of Wichita on their
way home from the Grand Army encamp.
ment at Newton.
Among others were w. j. SHELTON, Mrs.
E. J. La Paz, Mrs. Mason. Judge Camp
bell, George l.. Douglass, Charles Hatton.
NJ. A. Carvin. Tom Fitch, j. H. Alley. w.
w. Harris, Ezra Beard. Captain Kirk,
Charles B. Bell. Z. w. Berdine, Miss |
Claud, Miss Auna Powell. Miss Flora |
Hawkins, Miss Pearl Harris. On the |
Missouri Pacific were also q. A. r. people, |
among whom were j. Randolph, w. S. |
Vader and A. c. McMaken, all of Atch-
son; and Frank Gregs and Charles NJ. |
Drake OF Brainard. Those on the passen-
ger train said that they were pitched about
Ia their seats and somewhat shaken up
while those from the freight say it was
ike a very very heavy jolt, such as hap
pens in joining on a car a little carelessly.
Some in each train stated that their
rain had stopped and some that it did
lot. Otto Dittlnan. u German who works
It the packing house. saw the whole of it
md says that both trains stopped. That
he Missouri Pacific whistled when
t stopped. but the santa Fe did not
Until just before the collision.
Superintendent Hartman of the Santa
&c was also on the ground. He called the
attention of Mr.. Purdy to the fact that the
ruck was struck in the middle and had
lfterward moved nearly twenty five feet
Which" said he, Indicates that your
ngineer must have tried to pass by our
reight so that he would not have to wait
ill the long freight had crossed"
The engineer and fireman of the Mis-
ouri Pacific were found. and when Z T.
,arrel was asked if he was the engineer
e said: 81 was, but do not know if l can
lain that position now"
did you see the other train ?"
81 didn't know what was the matter till
be train was struck"
His fireman, f. Leslie. said the same.
The joint investigation will be held
omorrow, when it will be sought to lay
he fault in the matter. Whoever made
he mistake made grave one. for bad one
f the coaches been struck loss of life
7ould have resulted.
An attempt was made to clear the
rack. The passenger train was
tarted III order to tear itself
rom the baggage car when the whole
lail and smoking car combined was lift
d off it wheels, and for while another
7reck was threatened.
''Gev me a chasel," cried one Of the
Zen.
await and I'll gev her bang" said an
ther and down the small embankment {
rent the defunct baggage car.
Both trains passed the wreck by creep
~ around the and two aud a half hours
fter the accident occurred they were
n their way to their destination.