People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-03-07
AN AWFUL DISASTER.
OVER ONE HUNDRED PEOPLE
KILLED IN A WRECK.
Nearly One Hundred Others Injured,
Many OF Whom VIII Die-An Excur-
sion Train In Mexico Dashed Over a
Precipice-The Engineer to Blame.

CITY OF MEXICO, March 2.-One OF
the most frightful accidents in the
history of Mexican railroads, result
ing in the killing of 1O4 persons and
the serious, if not fatal injury Of
nearly 100 others, occurred Thursday
afternoon on the Inter-0ceanic rail-
road at point not twenty-five miles
from this city. A few days ago a
great number Of persons left the cap
ital and the towns in the vicinity to
go on a pilgrimage to the Catholic
shrine at Sacre Monte. Tickets were
sold at reduced rates over the Inter
Oceanic line, and this road carried
the bulk of the pilgrims
Thursday long train, aboard of
which were 1,2OO passengers, was re-
turning from the place of pilgrimage.
1t went well until point on the line
about midway between Timamita
and Tenango was reached. On this
part of the road there is steep in
cline, the line at one place on it hav-
ing sharp curve where it runs close
to the edge of high precipice. This
is one of the most dangerous places
on the road, and was rendered more
so by the fact that the track was not
in the best of condition.
As the train began to run down the
incline many of the passengers were
laughing and joking, while others
were looking out of the windows at
the rapidly passing scenery, which at
this point is grand. Soon the speed
Of the train began to increase, and it
was soon running at frightful rate.
The passengers ceased their laughing
and joking and looked at each other
with a strange fear depicted in their
faces. Steadily the momentum of
the train, which was now swaying
and bounding fearfully, increased,
and soon the dangerous high curve
was struck.
As the pilot wheel of the engine
took the curve the locomotive swayed
outward and then back. As the
drivers went on the curve the engine
again swayed heavily, and then either
! jumped the track or turned a rail. 1t
dashed across the scantv space be-
tween the rails and the edge of the
chasm, and then plunged downward
One after another the three coaches
filled with passengers dashed after
it and piled up in mass of wreckage
at the foot of the precipice. The
next two coaches also jumped the
track, but most fortunately did not
90 over the edge of the precipice. As
vhe fifth coach left the metals it
twisted and broke the coupling con-
Meeting it with the cdlches behind it.
These coaches kept the rail and
passed safely around the curve. After
running considerable distance they
were stopped by the hand brakes
When the engine and the three
coaches fell to the bottom of the ra-
vine there was a fearful crash, and
mingled with it were the shriells OF
the affrig hted passengers.
In the meantime a number of pas
sengers in the other coaches had re.
turned to the scene of the wreck and
devoted themselves to the work OF
rescuing those imprisoned in the
wreck. The sight here was a most
gruesome one. The carriages were
shattered and majority of the occu-
pants were lying beneath the wreck.
age The shrieks and means of the
injured were heartrending, while
many of the unhurt women and chill
dren moaned and walled in an agony
of terror.
The train hands were Americans,
and some of them, as soon as posi-
BILE, telegraphed the news of the DIS
aster to this city. Aided BY some Of
the men who were in the coaches that
did not 60 over, the railroad employees
and the relief corps soon cleared away
the wreckage sufficiently to allow the
extrication of the dead and injured.
One hundred and four dead and
eighty-four wounded were taken out
OF the wreck. The injured who could
stand to be moved were brought tC
the City of Mexico on the special
train and taken to the Military hos
pital, which was thrown open to the
sufferers by orders from President
Diaz
Many of the dead will never be in
Identified, some of them being 81
horribly mangled that 1t is almost
impossible to recognize the remains
as those of human beings.
So far as can be learned, the ac
cident was due to the negligence Of
the engineer. 1t is stated that wher
the train entered the incline he made
no attempt to check its speed by the
use of air brakes. Had the brake
failed to work the momentum could
have been checked with the hanC
brakes, but persons on the train state
that they heard no whistle for the
application of the hand brakes. TIL,
engineer and fireman are believed &C
be under the wreck of the engine,
and why the train was allowed t
run practically wild, on one of the
most dangerous sections of the roaC
will probably never be known.
As is the case in Mexico whenever
a railroad accident occurs the feel
ing is very bitter against the rail
road company and the train hands
All the latter who survive will bt
held to strict accountability under
the Mexican law, although as a mat
ter of fact they were in no way re
sponsible for the disaster.
The most terrible Mexican rail
road accident was the one that oc
Cured on the night of June "a, 1851
when train on the San Morelos rail
way was precipitated by the fall of 4;
bridge into the river Cuartla. Abou
200 lives were lost in that accident.
Mistaken for Burglar.
Cr JocpDu No Eoh 90 NJ