, 1896-10-26


travelling toward him Is all the more re
markable. for the reason that he wa!
for a time its engineer, and was. there
fore, perfectly familiar with its sched
ped completely out Of his recollection
He failed to take the siding and his
conductor. George Atwood, who wa.
taking tickets, failed to notice the fact
The collision occurred between the
second section OF an excursion train
bound west and the Frisco Valley Park
accommodation.
From what can be learned at this
hour the accident was the result OF dis.
obedience or neglect of orders on the
part Of the excursion train crew. who
should have remained at Spring Park
for orders, and to have let the accom-
mediation train through.
LOADED WITH G. A. r. VETERANS
The excursion train was the second
section of a specia! bound for 81. James,
Mo-, 100 miles west Of st. Louis, where
pna Missouri home for aged veterans
was dedicated today under the auspices
of the G. A.. r. and Women's RELIEF
corps. The first section had gone
through safely and the second, which
consisted OF II coaches, heavily laden
with G. A. r. men and their wives ana
children. left St. Louis about 9 O'Clock
According to ]. D. Dishman, the tele-
graph operator and station agent at
| Spring Park. it should have stopped at
SO the second section passed by the sta
ton and Don after me- the acommoda.
ton coming down grade at full speed.
Engineer Hohl OF the accommodation
was not aware the second section was
on the road and in trying to make the
switch at Kirkwood. crashed into the
ill-fated train in a cut just Is miles from
the st. Louis union station.
The accommodation train consisted
of an engine, tender, baggage car and
two coaches, in which there were only
five passengers. The engine and ten
der was wrecked, but the other three
cars were not damaged. 1t is due to the
lightness of this train that the accident
was not worse than it was.
The wreckage was piled high on the
track, and above the sound of escaping
steam could be heard the cries of fright.
ened and injured passengers.
Next to the engine of the excursion
train was the commissary car filled
with refreshments. Barney McKenna
wac in charge of the edibles and with
him was his 14-year-o,d daughter, Maud.
Both were instantly killed. being scald-
ed and crushed. A number OF passen.
gers. mostly young men, were grouped
around the temporary counter, eating
and drinking. Almost all were either
killed or injured. This and the next
car. in which were 70 passengers, SUI
fered the worst damage and most OF the
killed and injured were taken from
Them. Engineer Hohl. of the
dalton, which was running on tune, was
killed and his fireman, Frank Hasler,
badly injured.
HELPED BY THE PEOPLE.
Immediately after the wreck occurred
people began to come in from all di-
reo.ion3 on wheels, In buggies and
wagons and on foot and within an hour
after the accident occurred thousands
could be seen grouped around the pile
CT debris. No w%reoking train was avail
able but everybody turned to and in a
short time had rescued the injured and
taken out the dead. Doctors from sur
rounding towns hurried to the scene
and rendered what assistance they
could to the suffering. who were trans
ported to places OF safety. All the med,
ical resources CT St. Louis were placed
at the disposal CT the Frisco road as
soon as the news of the accident reach,
ed the city dispensary. DR.. Starklof,
the city physician, Immediately set out
for the scene Of the wreck, with a corps
Of assistants and ~ambulances, but ow-
ing to the delay experienced in getting
there. their services we're not needed.
At 2:40 o'clock this afternoon the re-
lief train bearing the survivors OF the
wreck reached the union station and
was Immediately besieged by a crowd of
friends and relatives anxious to see If
their dear ones had escaped injury.
Some Of the wounded were removed to
their homes by friends. while others
were taken to various hospitals. Among
the latter were three, whose injuries
will probably prove fatal.
]. d. Dishman, the station agent at
Spring Park. stated to a reporter that
bad the excursion train stopped at
Spring Park for orders as 1t should have
done. the accident would have been
ayerted. He said he got a message from
Valley Park when the accommodation
train left that point and he added that
had the excursion train stopped he
would had It pull into the switch until
tho accommodation passed. Dishman
said that he was in hk once when the
excursion passed at a high rate Of speed.
He said that he knew that the two
trains would come together. but that
he was powerless to avert the accident.
HON. r. W. MONDELL AT MAEN-
NERCHOR THURSDAY.
90