Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1895-02-23
DISOBEYED ORDERS,


And Paid tho Penalty with His LIfe-A Dis
astrous Wreck ON the Santa Fe Caused by
Collision on u Curve In n Cut Between
an Express and "a Cattle Many Per-
sons Injured, Some Fatally.
GUTHRIE, Okla, Feb. 1S.-One OF the
most disastrous wrecks the Santa Fe
has had for years took place five miles
south OF the city few minutes be-
fore midnight Saturday night.
The south-bound Galveston express
left here few moments late, heavily
loaded with Texas cxcursionists, and
at ll:43 was rounding sharp curve in
a deep cut in bend of Cottonwood
river Passenger Engineer Frey saw
shower of sparks thrown into the
air across the bluff near the other end
of the curve. He realized in an instant
the sparks were from the smokestack
OF another engine, and revers-
ing his engine, he leaped out
into the darkness against the side of
the cut, calling to his fireman to Jump
also, but before the latter could reply
the north-b bound extra came around
the curve at the rate of forty miles an
hour and the two engines came to-
gether with terrible crash, and were
buried into each other one-third their
lengths. A dozen freight cars were
piled into one great heap, and the bag
gage, express and mail cars of the pas
senger train were completely telescoped
and demolished all in moment.
The scene was an awful one. Added
to the terrific noise was the escape of
steam and the believing and plung-
ing of hundreds of cattle, injured or
maddened by the smell of blood, COM
pletely drowning the groans of the in
Jured and the cries of the badly-fright-
ened 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 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
Condor, of Arkansas City, Kas., who
was picked up for dead, but after sew
eral hours revived. lie cannot live.
A. Hahn, 1.-The freight fireman, has
his legs crushed and will die; James
Norman, freight conductor, arms
broken; Edward Kitchen, passenger
conductor, hand mashed and body
badly bruised; Express Messenger Il.
d. Beagle, of Kansas City, badly
crushed; Baggageman George Neville,
scalded; Harry Trower, of the Kansas
City stock yards, badly cut about
head; Bridgemen John English and
II. a. Sprow, bodies laccratcd; Mail
Clerk lutchins, head badly cut.
Three or four other trainmen were
badly bruised
Many passengers were badly bruised
and cut by broken glass, but none ia
tally injured. Justice IL. w. Scott, of
the supreme court, was badly bruised,
as was Senator Scott and Representa-
tiyes Brown, Willing and Sutton.
Seventy head of cattle were killed
and many injured. The track will
not be clear for hours yet: and the
loss to the railroad company will ex-
ceed $500 The stock train had been
ordered to stop at Seward, three miles
south OF the wreck, to pass the pas
senger. Why it did not wait will
never be known, for Engineer Up
pleby who received the orders and had
them in his pocket was instantly
killed.