The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-02-18
IN DEAD MANS CUT.
Two Santa Fe Trains Come To-
gether at Full Speed.
A Passenger Train Dashes Into
a Stock Train With
TERRIBLE EJECT.
Charles Umpleby of This City
Among the Killed.

GUTHRIE, Ok, Feb. 18 The most
disastrous railroad wreck known on
this division in many years occurred
at midnight Saturday on the Santa
Fe at the curve known as "Deadman's
Gut" Eve miles south of Guthrie and
a half mile north of Seward. 1t was
caused by a terrific collision between
the south bound Santa Fe passenger
train and the north bound stock ex-
press and was due, it is said, to the
engineer of the freight placing a
wrong construction on his orders.
Two men were killed and sixteen in
jured, seven seriously. Seventy head
of cattle were killed and S4O,o 600
worth of rolling stock was destroyed.
The dead are:
Charles Upleby, engineer freight
train, of Arkansas City.
Patrick Coldron, fireman on pas
senger train, of Arkansas City.
Injured trainmen-A. Hahn, Pur-
cell, legs crushed; Mail Clerk Hutch
ms, Topeka, Kan, head badly cut;
Express Messenger R. D. beagle, body
badly bruised; Passenger Conductor
Edward Kitchen, of Arkansas City,
hand mashed and body badly bruised;
James Norman, of Arkansas City,
freight conductor, arms broken; Bag
gageman George Neville, Newton,
Kan, badly scalded; Roadmaster
Mckinney, Wichita, Kan, terribly
bruised; A J. Graves, of Purcell.
freight brakeman, arms dislocated.
Passengers injured-Harry Trower,
Kansas City. cut in neck and face; L.
B. Weidenheimer, Fort Worth, Texas,
badly cut on face and body; Mrs.
Agatha Hardy, st. Louis, Mo-, face
Nv Accn1iaxa T,-c$iaa Scott
of Oklahoma supreme court, bruised;
John Hook Ardmore, cut by flying
pieces of glass; ex- District Clerk R.
L. Collins, of Enid, legs badly bruised;
Bridgemen John J. English and Fl. A
Sprow. bodies lacerated.
The stock train had been made up
at Purcell and Engineer Upleby had
received orders to sidetrack at Sew
ard and wait for the south bound pas
senger. According to the stories told
by his brakemen, the orders were
nisinterpreted and the train of eigh-
teen cars loaded with Texas cattle
owned by Harry Trower passed Sew
ard at flying rate.
As soon as the passenger engineer
sighted the freight rounding the
curve at Dead Mans cut he immedi-
ateIy reversed his engine, but he was
too late. The crash was q terrific
one. Both engines fstrucK mead on
and were completely demolished.
Both the engineer and fireman of the
passenger jumped-the former es-
capped but the latter, Pat Coldron was
caught in the flying debris and
scalded. His death agonies were
awful The mail and baggage cars
of the passenger left the track and
were smashed, but luckily the coaches
kept the track and the passengers
were but slightly hurt. The messen-
ger and baggagemen, however, were
severely hurt.
Six cattle cars left the track and
almost every head of stock in them
were either killed or injured. It IS
estimated that seventy head of cattle
were killed. Immediately after the
wreck traiDmen walked to Guthrie
and took yard engine to the scene of
the wreck. The killed and wounded
were placed on board the coaches
and the train was brought back to
Guthrie at $3.50 o'clock yesterday
morning. Freight Engineer Upleby
remained with his engine and was
horribly mang1ed while his fireman,
A. Hahn, jumped and escaped with a
broken arm.
The scene at the wreck is terrible.
Engines, cars, rails, ties and dead
cattle are jun bled together in an un-
recogniza BILE mass, with the bellows
of dying cattle adding distress to the
scene. Both engines were totally de-
molished and all togethsr the loss Of
rolling stock will reach $40 OOa