Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1896-10-09
MET DEATH ON THE
SEVEN KILLED IN A TRAIN WRECK
ON THE SANTA FE.
Locomotive Blew Up Near Usage
City, Kan, for Lack of Water
In the Boiler.

Usage City, Kan. Oct. "A frightful
wreck, attended by serious loss OF life,
and made terrible by the self-murder of
one of the terrified passengers, occurred
at o'clock this morning on the Santa
Fee road, two miles north of this sta
tion.
Seven dead bodies have been recovered
from the wreck, and it is feared that
other victims are buried beneath the
debris The wrecked train was the east
bound passenger No. 2, the same that had
such a thrilling experience with bandits
In New Mexico on Friday night last
The wreck was caused by che explo-
sion OF the boiler of the locomotive. The
engineer should have stopped for water
at Usage City. but being behind time he
endeavored to run to the next tank
Though 1t is not positively known, the
engineer and fireman having both met
death in the wreck, 1t Is surmised nat
this neglect was the cause of the dis
aster.
The train had proceeded but two miles
beyond this place when two terrific ex-
piosions were heard, one following close
after the other. The locomotive was
completely shattered. The express, bag
gage and passenger coaches came crash
Ing on the wrecked engine and the
coaches that were ahead were piled up
In heap of wreckage. The coaches
| In the rear were all derailed, but the
| passengers riding in the rear car escaped
| serious injury.
The wreck was marked by scenes of
| the widest confusion among the terri
FED passengers. The nerves of the pas
| sengers were at a high pitch as a re-
suit of their experience with the road
agents of New Mexico, and when the
crash came, the first impression of all
was that the train had been attacked
again by robbers.
One passen ger, William Becker of Los
Angeles, Cal, en- route to Chicago, seem
ed to lost his reason entirely. When the
crash came he drew a single barreled
pistol from his poc..et and in the pres
ence of a car full of terrified passengers
| took his own life, sending a bullet into
his brain.
He had been drinking heavily. He was
about IS years of age. Owing to the ex
element and confusion, little could b.
done to rescue the injured and remove
the bodies OF the dead until the morning,
sun appeared Seven bodies were finally
recovered. The dead are:
William Bockler, Los Angeles, Cal.
Engineer Strump, Topeka, Kan
Fireman Harry Hollister, Topeka.
William McAdams, a tramp, riding OIL
the baggage car, and supposed to b.
from Chillicothe, Ohio.
Three tramps, names unknown, VIII
were riding on the baggage car.
Among those injured are: Mrs. Emm
Maxwell, an editor on the Evening Tele
gram, Colorado Springs, Col, hands AM
arms cut and bruised; William Burns
a tramp, legs and arms cut; James Cole
man, tramp. cut and badly bruised.
| None of the expressmen or mail clerk
were seriously injured.
| The force of the explosion broke tn,
| trucks crushed into coal chute 30 fee
| from the tracks. The explosion blew
a hole in the ground four feet deep. The
mail car, which followed the tender
| plunged into the hole and rolled over or
| it's side. Third from the locomotive was
| baggage car and also rolled over on its
| side. The smoking car, chair car and
| a tourist sleeper, behind the express car
were also derailed and overturned. Thell
| occupants were much shaken up, as this
train was probably running 40 miles al
hour when the accident occurred.
| At / o'clock this afternoon a track hat
| been built around the wreck, and traffic
was resumed.