The herald., 1896-10-05
DANGER AND DEATH
BY wreck ANDF|R[
A Serious Disaster on the
Santa Fe
william DEEKLER OF Los AnGEIS
Driven to Suicide by Insaas
SEVEN BODIES REcovERED
Others Remain Under the Wreck e
the Cars
The Accident Caused by the Esglaeers Gross
SEVEN BODIES RECOVERED
Others Remain Under the Wreck e
the Cars
The Accident Caused by the EngiaeerS Gross
Carelessness
The Boys College Of the Choctaw M
tion Burns, Cremating -Four Of the
Young Pupils and Burning
Many Others

Associated Press Special Wire
OSAGE, Kans., Oct. IA ffightful
wreck, attended by serious loss Of life,
and made more terrible by the SELF
murder of one Of the terrified passen-
gers, occurred at o'clock this morn.
ing on the Santa Fe road. two miles
north of here. Seven dead bodies have
been recovered from the wroclk. and It
is feared that other victims are buried
in the debris.
The wrecked train was the east-bound
passenger No. 2. the same that had such
thrilling experience with bandits In
New Mexico on Friday night last
The wreck was caused by the 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 it is not positively known. the
engineer and fireman having both met
death in the wreck, 1t is surmised that
this neglect was the cause Of the disas-
ter,
The train had gone but two miles be-
yond the place, about to the Peterson
coal chutes, when two terrific explo-
sions were heard. The locomotive was
completely shattered. The express,
baggage and passenger coaches came
crashing upon 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 cars escaped
serious injury.
The wreck was marked by scenes Of
the widest confusion among the passen-
gers The nerves of many were at
high pitch as a result Of their expe-
rience with the road agents of New
Mexico, and when the crash came the
first impression of nearly all was that
the train had been attacked again by
robbers. One passenger, William Beck
Ter, of Los Angeles, en- route to Chicago,
seemed to lose his reason. When the
crash came he drew a pistol from his
pocket and In the presence of a car full
of terrified passengers, took his own life,
sending bullet into his brain. Beck
Ter had been drinking heavily. He was
about So years of age.
Owing to the excitement and confusion
little could be done to rescue the injured
injured and remove the bodies until
the morning sun appeared. Seven bod
les were finally recovered. They are:
William Becker, Los Angeles, Cal.
Engineer Strump. Topeka.
Fireman Harry Hollister. Topeka
William McAdams,. tramp, riding on
baggage car. Chilicothe. Iowa.
Three tramps, names unknown, all OF
whom were riding on the baggage car.
Injured:
Mrs. Emma Maxwell, an ediobr Of tho
Evening Telegram, Colorado Springs,
Col; hands and arms cut and bruised.
William Burns. tramp, legs and arms
cut.
James Coleman. tramp, cut and badly
bruised.
None of the express men or mail clerks
were seriously injured.
The force of the explosion broke the
locomotive entirely in two and the front
trucks crashed into a coal chute thirty
feet from the track. 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
on it's side. The baggage car, next be-
hind, was torn from it's trucks and also
rolled over on its side. The smoking
car, a chair car and a tourist sleeper.
which were behind the express car, Were
also derailed and overturned, and
though their occupants were badly
shaken up, none were seriously hurt.
The Pullman coaches in the rear Of the
train remained upright, though they
were badly shaken up, as the train was
running probably forty miles an hour
when the accident occurred.
At o'clock this afternoon a track had
been built around the wreck and traffic
was resumed. At late hour tonight
no other bodies had been taken from the
wreck.