Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1896-10-08
BAD SANTA FE WRECK.
SEVEN KILLED BY AN Elk
PEOSIoN lNKANSAS.
The Locomotive Boiler Let's Go Near
Usage City-Tho Engineer, Fireman
and Four Tramps Bmed-A Passenger
Commits Suicide

uOur lne uOller OF the locomotive
pulling the east bound California ex-
press train, No 2, on'vthe Santa Fe
railroad, exploded at Peterton, Kan, ,
a mining station twenty-five miles
south OF Topeka, at 4:45, o'clock Sum
day morning, causing a disastrous
wreck and the loss of seven'lives and
possibly more.
Those killed were:
! George Strumpf, engineer, Topeka.
Henry HOLSTER, fireman, Topeka. .
Arthur Smith, TAI Parallel avenue,
Kansas City, Kan: ssu'
William McAdams, tramp; home,
Chillicothe, Iowa.
Two other tramps unknown. t
The injured are; j
NJ. Purcell, Rutledge, Mo-; leg badly
bruised.
j. u. Stone, postal clerk; arm and
body bruised lsoi
IL. $. Fowler, postal clerk back
W. +. Evans and F.. A. Tiffany,
postal clerks; bruised about limbs
and body.
Mrs. Edna Maxwell, Kansas City,
Mo-; hand cut by glass.
MILFORD Burns, tramp, of Great
Bend; cut on legs and arms
James Coleman, cOlored tramp; both
legs crushed ,-.
William Bcclsler, of Chicago, a pas
seuger en- route from California, soon
after viewing the wreck committed
suicide by shooting himself in tho
head,
The California express left La Junta
Saturday at o'clock, two hours late.
At Dodge City, Conductor L. b. Sill
of Nicl1erson took charge of the train,
ana upon the arrival at Usage City at
4:37 Sunday morning it had made up
all but fifty minutes Of lost time.
At Newton, Conductor 'Strumpftof
Topeka took charge of the engine,
with Harry HOLSTER as fireman. Tho
trainmen were doing their best to
make up the lost time and arrive in,
Kansas City on the regular scheduled
time at q o'clock in the morning. ~
The throttle was thrown wide open,
and the train was gliding swiftly
over the plains and through the little
hamlets, when suddenly a terrific en-
| ploson took place, throw lg the pom
derous engine three Garlic '"ths head
and derailing SIX cars, eau sing loss of
life and injury, as stated above, and
creating a panic among the passen-
gers. The miraculous escape of the
passengers and trdinmen in the
! coaches from death or serious injury
was obvious to every ono when the
nature eof the wreck became fully
apparent Only one passenger, Mrs.
Maxwell, was injured She cut her
hand in breaking a window to effect
an escape from the mass of, shattered
cars
William Becker of Chicago, an In
valid on his return from tho Pacific
coast, became crazed by excitement
and committed suicide in q Pullman
car by shooting himself through the
head with q 22-caliber revolver. lie
had acted very strangely on tho train
for two days. lie had been 10 the
coast for his health
When the passengers recovered
from the shock Of the explosion they
began hasty examination. IT was
found that the engine had crashed
into q coal chute about ten feet from
the track, and that the machine was a
complete wreck. 1t was broken Ia
two and stripped Of the smoliesLack
and other outside apparatus
The body Of Engineer ,Strumpf was
found about twenty feet from the en-
CINE. II was as limp as q rag, and
was lfeless. Fireman HOLSTERS
body was.under the engine, and was
badly mntilated. - ~, .t,.
The bodies OF fonr tramps were
taken from the wreck. Ono was Ar
thur Smith, son Of a cspcctablc fam
ilY living at I4l Parallel avenue, Kan
sas City, Kan. Another was William
McAdams, OF ChillicoLhc. la. The
names of the two others were not as
certained.
The tramps all got on at Usage
City, despite the efforts OF the train
men, and they were riding on tho
front end Of the mail car. .t,.
The explosion blew a hole in tho
ground about four feet deep and the
mail car struck the hols and was
hurled over on its side. IL was badly
demolished and the mail was damaged
to some extent
The baggage car was next to the
mail car. II left the track, took
shoot across the country and landed
on it's side. The third car carried eK-
press matter and it tclescoped tho
baggage car and then settled over on
| its side
The smoking car, chair car and
tourist sleeping car were also derailed
and overturn
by O. streak good luck the explo-
sion and sudden stop put out the
| lights in these cars and fire was
avertedy There was one chair car
ana fonr sleepers which did not leave
the track.
The exact cause OF the explosion
will never be known. The engineer
and fremen are not left to tell tho
story, and the engine is so badly de-
molished that IL is impossible to OBJ
tain any information from examine
ton.
The train should have registered at
Usage City. but It is claimed at the
depot that the train ran past the tank.
An attempt was made u hold up
the same train thirty miles from Al
buquerque Friday evening ct s:45 as
already reported.
! satolIrs Farewell