Semi-weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings Co., S.D.) 1894-1898, 1896-10-28
Railway Catastrophe Near St.
Louis the Result of Neg
lect Of Orders.
Two Passenger Trains Collide,
Manning and Mangling
Many People.
Eight Persons Instantly Killed
and Over Thirty More or
Less Injured.

O'Clock two passenger trains on the St.
Louis and San Francisco railroad, going
in opposite directions, collided near
Windsor station, about IS miles from
this city, instantly killing persons and
injuring more than 30, 3 of whom will
probably die. The killed are all Of st
Louis. Their names are Adolph
Hohl, engineer of the accommodation
train; Charles Mobine, Conrad Kuntz,
G. G. Blevins, H. Thall, Barney Nc
Kenna, in charge Of the refreshments
Miss Maud McKenna, aged ID, his
daughter, and John Cartwright.
The collision occurred between the
second section of an excursion train
bound west and the Frisco Valley Park
accommodation.
Result of Disobedience.
From what can be learned the acci-
dent was the result of disobedience or
neglect of orders on the part of the ex-
cursion train crew, who should have
remained at Spring Park for orders and
to have let the accommodation through
The excursion train was the second
section of special bound for st. James,
Mo- The first section had gone through
safely and the second, which consisted
of IL coaches heavily laden with G. A.
r. men, their wives and children, left
ST. Louis about o'clock. According
to j. d. Dishman, the telegraph opera
tor and station agent at Spring Park, it
should have stopped at that place. In
stead of doing SO the section passed by
the station and soon after met the ac-
commOdation
Coming Down Grade at Full Speed.
Engineer Hohl of the accommodation
was not aware that 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. The ac-
commodation train consisted of an en-
gine, tender, baggage car and two
coaches, in which there were only five
passengers. The engine and tender
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.
Next to the engine Of the excursion
train was the commissary car, filed
with refreshments. Barney Mckenna
and his daughter Maud were in charge
Of the edibles. Both were instantly
killed, being
ScaIded and Crushed.
A number of passengers, mostly young
men, were grouped around the tempor-
ary counter eating and drinking. AL
most all were either killed or injured.
This and the next car in which were 70
passengers suffered the worst damage
and most of the killed and injured
were taken from them. Engineer
Hohl of the accommodation, which was
running ON time, was killed and his
fireman, Frank Hasler, badly injured.
Immediately after the wreck occurred
people began to come in from ell direc.
tions 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 of de.
bris. No wrecking train was available,
but everybody turned to and in short
time had rescued the injured and taken
out the dead. Doctors from surround
ing towns hurried to the scene and
rendered what assistance they could
to the suffering, who were
Transported to Places of Safety.
DR.. Starkloff, city physician of st.
Louis, Immediately set ont for the
scene of the wreck with corps of as.
sistants and ambulances, but owing to
difficulty in getting to the wreck their
services were not needed. At 2 40 p.
m. the relief train bearing the survivors
reached the union station. Some Of
the wounded were removed to their
homes by friends while others were
taken to various hospitals.