Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1896-01-04
TRAINS COLLIDE.
An Accident on the Baltimore g
Ohio Southwestern Railway.
TWO MEN KILLED AND SIX INJURED.
The Accident Caused by the Failure of the
Operator to Order One of the Trains
to Wait and Let the
Other Pass.

CINCINNATI, Dec. 31.-Two passenger
trains collided at 7:3O last night on the
Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern rail-
way, near Coal City, IA miles from Gin
cinnati. They were the Louisville ex-
press, which left this city at 7:05 p m,
and the St. Louis accommodate ton. due
here at 7:O5. The latter was an hour
late. The widest rumors of loss of
life were soon current. The hospitals
were put in readiness and police quar-
tiers were promptly equipped for the
care of the injured. When informa-
ton was obtained from the scene it
was found that there were two killed
and six injured. Both engines were
totally wrecked, as the engineers had
very little time to check their speed.
The ombination car of the Louisville
express and the express car on the
train from ST. Louis were telescoped.
Coal City is coaling station on the
road and has no telephone. When
the engines were wrecked they
knocked out a telegraph pole with
such force as to cut off all telegraphic
communication. 1t required some time
for the railroad to get Geographic COM
munication with the city, and then the
wire and the operator at Coal City
were kept busy with orders. The Big
Four tracks parallel those of the
Southwestern at Coal City, and their
tracks were not DISTRACTED. Passen-
gers arriving on the Knicker booker
express after nine o'clock say their
train shot by Coal City at great speed,
and they had only passing view. but
that there was a horrible spectacle of
wreckage. It is reported that all of
the injured have been rescued and are
being cared for, and that the elaborate
preparations in this city for injured
will not be needed.
The dead are: Fireman Wilson, of the
Louisville express and an unknown
man, burned under the wreck.
The injured are: Fireman Hiram
Bruning, of the st. Louis train, bruises
and cuts of leg, skull and shoulder,
very dangerous; Jacob Bower, of the
big cooper shopin Lawrenceburg. Ind.
hip dislocated, leg, arm and head cut
and bruised; Alonzo Pruett, engineer
of the Louisville express, internal in
juries, left arm badly cut and gashed;
James Gabriel, engineer of the St.
Louis Cfdln, UdCh anu sue
Fred Binekamp, of Aurora,a passenger,
severe scalp wounds; T. NJ Voight, ex-
press messenger on st. Louis train, in
ternal injuries, besides bad cuts and
bruises; Express Messenger Eisen born,
of the Louisville express, very slightly.
OF the injured all are very seriously
hurt except Binekamp and Eisen born.
It is feared that Bruning, Bower and
Pruett are fatally hurt. A special
train arrived at midnight with the in.
iured, and they were at once taken to
the Belts street hospital, where com
plete arrangements for the care OF
them had been made.
The cause of the accident was the
failure of the operator at Storrs sta
ton. within the city limits. to report
to the Louisville train an order to wait
at Delhi and let the ST. Louis train
pass it there. The trains when they
sighted each other, mile this side Of
Coal City, were going at full speed
and had but little time to slow ur
before the collision. The road is com
parativelv straight at this point, other
wise the casualty would have beer
terrific. The injury to passengers
other than those named was very
! slight. The Louisville express was
| heavily loaded