New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-09-09
WRECKED ON THE SANTA FE
rvo FAST TRAINS IN A HEAD-OT
COLLISION
At LEAST DOZEN PERSONS BELIEVED TO BE
KILLED AND AS MANY MORE SERIOUSLY
HURT-MR BRYAN ONE OF
THE PASSENGERS.

THE PASsENGSh"'
Kansas City. Sept. S.A special dispa'ch u
sThe Times" from Emporia. Man, says
zone OF the worst wrecks in the hiS'o'' VI
the Santa Fe Railroad occurred three Hi"e' e"9'
q, here at 7:30 o'clock Tonight I"eNe Vi III
teen persons were killed and as many i'oie
tadIv burt The fast mail train going east and
the Mexico and California express. westoouno'
co,,,dea head on The Mexico and California
ros. uas nulled by two locomotives. and
uten they struck the engine drawing the fast
wall the boilers Of all three engines exploded
ond tore a hole in the ground so deep that the
smoking car OF the westbound train went in on
ton NJ the three engines and two mall cars. ana
balanced tHAre without turning over.
The passengers in the smoking car escaped
through the windows The front end OF this car
WAS enveloped in a volume Of sitting smoke ana
steam rushing up from the wreck below, ana the
rear door was jammed tight In the wreck OF the
- habind The wreck caught fire from the
engines and the in the hole. with the smoK-
,ne-car were quickly burned to ashes In CHIMP
,ng ont of the smoking-car. several men leii
,brough the riffs in the wreck below. and II is
,,oroseihle 10 tell whether they escaped or were
burned to death
u &c feared that nearly all OF the seven ma'i
clerks perished in the disaster but SO far ohiv
s,x bodies have been taken from th7 "l'oN'
Those known TO be dead are:
BRAGMAN. -. Topeka
FREEMAN James. Topeka. engineer
DORAN r. A. Emporia. postal ol.rk'
FRIsBEY William. engineer
GONZALEZ, --, fireman.
uo1JJsTER Nate Topeka. fireman
SOLDIERS J. F. Kansas CITY. express messenger '0N
WALTERS benjamin. st. Joseph NO. hreh'an 0" ''e
westtound tran.
Unknown tramp.
Among the more seriously injured are '"e
following:
ADAMS D. City of NkTHK fkTRSck p ws@ III nTSDs Eansa.
BTb1E slIy Sba. q G coS6y T2Sn'Y scHtER Philip Kansas
IAGAAEE AE JGe' On TO- To'sfS Kansas swEENEY Michael of
HOLIDAY. Claude. Law VAN vILET { A. Kansas
JoXEs. william F. Kansas
The westbound train carried seven or elgh'
coaches and its passengers included many eA-
cursionists who had been to hear w D. Bryan
sneak at the county fair at Burlingame' MT
BRYAN himself on the train, but was rlolhs
in the rear Pullman. He says that nothing ou'
q heavy Jolt was experienced by the passengers
in his coach.
Mr. BRYAN was one Of the most energetic men
IN the crowd OF rescuers He helped to carry out
the dead and wounded, and gave the greatest
attention IN their care. One poor fellow who
,ros had,v uaimed called TO Mr. Bryan and said:
ct went to hear you to-day; am dying now,
md want TO shake your hand and say God bless
vou II YOU possibly can. Mr.. Bryan, get me
drink Of water
Mr. Brvan went into the fast mail car one end
NJ which was burning and came out with the
drink Of water, which he gave TO the suffering
Messenger He brought out cushions for others
OF the injured, and diligently ministered to the
wants Of the suffering.
The engineer of the westbound train had re-
ceived orders to meet the fast mail at Emporia,
and was making up lost time. These two are the
fastest trains on the Santa Fe system, and the
westbound trains must have been running at
speed of at least forty miles an hour. The west
bound express was going around slight curve
when the collision occurred.
OF the seven or eight making up the
Mexico and California express, only the mail.
baggage and express and smoking cars were de-
stroyed. The coach following the smoker was
badly splintered.
on the fast mail. all in one coach. and While
none OF them seriously injured they got a
severe shaking up Every seat in the coach was
torn from the floor, and many floor planks came
UP with the seats.
One man, John Sweeney, was thrown over
three seats and through window. but escaped
with only scratches and bruises. The other cars
o. the fast mail train baggage and an express
car. totally wrecked.
II is stated that the wreck was caused by
rriage OF orders from the tranmaster Al
Emporia the eastbound train received orders 10
mass the California express at Lange, seven
miles east. Another order was sent TO Lange
for the California express 10 take the siding
there but this order was not delivered and the
westbound train passed on. the trainmen ex-
pecting TO pass the fast mail a. EmpOria-