The herald., 1897-09-09
HEAD END
COLLISION
OF Fast Mail and Flying
Express
THREE BOILERS BURST
And Then the Awful Pile
Takes Fire
SIX BODIES ARE RECOVERED
BUT AT LEAST A DOZEN PEOPLE
ARE DEAD
SIX BODIES ARE RECOVERED
BUT AT LEAST A DOZEN PEOPLE
ARE DEAD
Details Of the Worst Wreck in the His
tory Of the Santa Fe Road.
Bryan Shows Him
self Hero

Associated Press Special Wire.
KANSAS CITY, Mo-. Sept. S.-A spe-
cial to the Times from Emporia, Kan,
says: One Of the worst wrecks in the
history Of the Santa Fe railroad oc-
CURED three miles east Of here about
1880 o'clock tonight. Twelve to fifteen
persons were killed and as many more
were badly hurt. The fast mail train
from the east and the Mexico and Cali
fornia express was pulled by two loco
motives, and when they struck the
engine drawing the fast mail the boilers
Of all three engines exploded and tore a
hole in the ground SO deep that the
smoking car Of the westbound train
went in on top of the three engines and
two wrecked mail cars and balanced
there without turning over. The pas
sengers in the smoking car escaped
through the windows. The front end Of
this car was enveloped in volume Of
sitting smoke and steam belching up
from the wreck below and the rear door
was jammed tight in the wreck OF the
car behind. The wreck caught fire from
the engines. The cars in the hole and
the smoking car burned to ashes in a
very short time. In climbing from the
smoking car. several men fell through
the rifts in the wreck below and It is
Impossible to tell whether they escaped
OF were burned to death. 1t Is feared
that nearly all the seven mail clerks
perished in the disaster, but 30 far only
six bodies have been taken from the
wreck. Dead:
JIM BRENNAN, engineer, Topeka.
NATE HOLLISTER, fireman, Topeka.
j. F. SOURS. Kansas City.
EXPRESS MESSENGER, body al
most consumed by fire.
WILLIAM FRISBEY, engineer.
r. A. DORAN, Emporia, postal clerk.
- GONZALES, fireman west bound
train.
UNKNOWN MAN, tramp.
- BRAGMAN, Topeka.
Among the seriously injured are:
CLAUD HOLIDAY, Lawrence Kan,
express messenger, both legs broken.
D. C. 'ERTER, Kansas City. express
messenger, legs broken; will die.
JOHN DAGAN. Topeka, face
smashed.
J.. It. BUTLER, county attorney Chase
county, may die.
WILLIAM F. JONES, Kansas City,
leg and arms broken.
b. P. METIK, Atchison, badly
bruised.
PHIL sCHIER, Kansas City, hip
crushed
C. A. VAN FLEET, brakeman, Kan
sas City, badly bruised
WILLIAM H. ALRICK, Kansas City,
leg and arm broken.
c. D. ADAMS. City Of Mexico, pain
fully bruised.
MIKE SWEENEY, Gainesville, Tex,
back hurt,
BEN WALTERS, st. Joseph, fireman
on the westbound train. is missing.
The engineers of the westbound train
had received orders to meet the fast mail
at Emporia and were making up lost
time. The two are the fastest trains on
the Santa Fe system and the westbouni
train must have been running at least
forty miles and hour. The westbound
express was going around slight curve
and met the fast mail probably within
200 feet. OF the seven or eight cars max
ing up the Mexico and California ex-
press only the mail, baggage and express
cars are destroyed. The coach follow
ing the smoker was badly splintered.
Every seat in the coach was torn from
the floor and many planks came up with
the seats. One man, John Sweeney, was
thrown over three seats and through a
window, but escaped with only scratches
and bruises The other cars Of the fast
mail train, a baggage and an express,
were totally wrecked.
BRYAN ON BOARD
The westbound train carried eight
coaches and its passengers included
many excursionists who had been to
hear Hon. w. j. Bryan speak at the
county fair at Burlingame. Mr. Bryan
himself was on the train, but was riding
in the rear Pullman, some 400 feet from
the cars that were wrecked. He states
that nothing but heavy jolt was expe-
rienced by the passengers in his coach
Mr.. Bryan was one of the noblest in
the crowd of helpers. He helped to re-
IuOVG LIE Ocdu anu WOuHoCu. Ouc pun
fellow who was badly manned called 70
Mr.. Bryan and said: II went to hear you
today; I am dying now and want to
shake your hand and say God bless you.
II you possibly can, Mr.. Bryan. get me
a drink Of water" Mr.. Bryan went into
the fast mail car, one end Of which was
burning. and came out with the drink of
water, which he gave to the suffering
passenger. He brought out cushions
for others OF the injured and was every
,