The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1897-07-02
.SEVEhPERSONS WERE KILLED
Particulars of the Accident
Near Kansas City.
SWOLLEN CREEK THE CAUSE
The Conductor Is Still Alive-Those
Who Were Injured Will Recover
All the Mail Was Lost.

The Conductor Is Still Alive-Those
Who Were Injured Will Recover
All the Mail Was Lost.
Kansas City, June 29.-Seven cofins
were forwarded to st. Louis today from
Missouri City. They contained the re-
mains of the victims of last nights
wreck on the Wabash road. A correct
ed list of the dead is as follows:
W. S. Mills, postal clerk, st. Louis;
o. M. Simth, postal clerk, st. Louis;
Gustave A. Smith, postal clerk, st.
Louis; F. W. Brink, postal clerk, st.
Louis; Charles Winters, postal clerk,
st. Louis; Edward Grindrode, baggage
man, st. Louis; Charles P. Greasley,
brakeman, St. Louis.
The conductor of the train, G. G.
Copeland, of St. Louis, who was re-
ported last night among the dead, is
still alive. He was removed this morn
ing to the hospital at Moberly with a
faractured skull and several ribs brok-
en-. He fingers between life and death,
but the surgeons express hope that he
will recover. Conductor Copeland was
supposed to be dead when taken from
the wreck, and his body, with hand
kerchief drawn over the face, was
ranged in row with the seven dead
corpses. A few minutes later some one
observed a sign of life, and he was
quickly transferred to stretcher and
given every possible attention.
Of the 10 others injured, not one is
in a critical condition. Among them
Ill ,c, ~ hro fhnr1nh
many of them were thrown three-quar-
ters of the length of the coaches in
which they were riding. Mrs. Wilkins,
of Kansas City. is the most seriously
hurt. Two small bones OF her left
hand are broken, and she suffered a se-
we're laceration of the thigh, as we'll as
bruises about the face and neck. The
wounds of most of the others are triv
ial.
All indications are that death came
to at least four of the five unfortunate
mail clerks almost instantly. Their
car pitched end first through the tres
tie, and they must have been drowned
in the raging stream while in an un-
conscious condition. The remains OF
the four were carried from the wreck,
| and were recovered some distance down
the stream. There were signs of life
in the body of the fifth mail clerk when
the rescuers dragged him from the
wreck, but he died few minutes later
on the bank of the creek.
Last night it was feared there were
more bodies in the stream, but a care
full search today proved that the fatal
tiles were limited to those already
named.
To-day. baszs IN ;seam was now-
ing beneath the trest1 where the wreck
occurred. In ordinary weather it is a
dry creek bed. The storm of last night,
which was almost a cloudburst; had
swollen the little stream to torrential
proportions. The flood carried away a
wagon bridge short distance above
the Wabash trestle. The wreck of this
bridge was hurled down upon the rail-
road trestle and carried away row OF
wooden supports in the center.
The scene of the wreck, which is
only 20 miles northeast OF Kansas
City, near Missouri City, was visited
todays by many persons. A wrecking
train. worked there all day, repairing
the trestle and raising the shattered
coaches, and tonight trains are moving
over the road as usual
The postal authorities report that
probably nearly all of the mail carried
on the train was lost or destroyed:
When the wreck occurred the five pos
tai clerks are supposed to have all OF
their pouches open, and to have been at
work distributing the mail. The car
was SO broken and splintered that most
of the mail fioated off. The Wabash
train each evening carries all of Kan
sas Citys.s mail for the East, and it is
always heavy and valuable.