The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-02-21
TRAINS COLLIDE.
Engines Hurled Into Each Other
One-Third Their Length.
The Scene Was q Terrible One-several Of
the Train Crews Badly Hurt, Some
Fhtal1y-A Conductors Fatal Inter-
probation of the Orders

GUTHRIE. O. T., Feb. 1s-One of the
most disastrous wrecks the Santa Fe
railway has had for years took place
five miles south of this city about mid
night Saturday night. The south
bound Galveston express left here a
few moments late, heavily loaded with
Texas excursionists, and at 11:45 was
rounding sharp curve in a deep cut
in bend of Cottonwood river.
Passenger Engineer Frey saw a
shower of sparks thrown into the air
across the bluff near the other end of
the curve. He realized in an instant
that the sparks were from the smoke
stack of another engine, and, reversing
his engine, he leaped out into the dark
ness against the side of the cut, calling
to his fireman to jump also, but before
the latter could comply the north
bound live. stock extra came around
the curve at the rate of forty miles an
hour, and the two engines came to-
gether with terrible crash. The two
engines were hurled into each other
one-third their length. A dozen freight
cars were piled into one great heap,
and the baggage. express and the mails
OF the passenger train completely tele-
scoped and demolished all in an in
stant.
The scene was an awful one. Added
to the terrific noise was the escape Of
steam and the believing and plunging
of hundreds of cattle injured or mad
dened by the smell of blood, complete
ly drowning the .groans of the injured
and the badly frightened passengers.
The passenger coaches remained on
the track, but many of the gigantic
Texas steers, breaking loose from the
wreckage, would plunge madly in the
darkness making it dangerous for any
one to venture out in the night to as
sist the injured trainmen.
Buried beneath the engines and
crushed to death was Freight Engineer
Charles Uppleby, of Topeka, and lying
beside his engine, terribly burned and
scalded, was Passenger Fireman Pat
Coldron, of Arkansas City, Kan, who
was picked up for dead, but, after sew
eral hours, revived. He can not live.
A. Hahn, the freight. fireman, had his
legs crushed, and will die; James Nor
man, the freight conductor, had both
arms broken; Edward Kitchen, passen-
ger conductor, hand mashed and body
bruised; Express Messenger r. d.
Beagle, of Kansas City, badly crushed;
Baggageman Geo. Neville, scalded;
Harry Trower, of Kansas City, cut
about the head Bridgeman John En-
glish and H. A. Sprow, bodies lacerated;
Mail Clerk Hutchins, head badly cut
Three or four other trainmen were
hurt.
Justice H. w. Hughes, of the State
supreme court, was badly hurt, as was
State Senator Scott and Representa-
tives Brown, Willing and Sutton. None
of the through passengers. were in
jured. The injured were all brought
to this city, and are now receiving the
best of treatment. Seventy head of
cattle were killed and many injured.
The loss to the railroad company will
exceed $4,000.
The stock train had been ordered to
stop at Seward, three miles south of
the wreck, to pass the passenger. Why
it did not will never be known, as En-
gineer Uppleby, who received the Or
ders and had them in his pocket, was
instantly killed.