The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-06-30
CRUSHED
Two Sections of Christian En-
deavOr Excursion Train
Crash Together at Midnight on
the {. & n. w. Ry.
KILLING 3 PERSONS
And Injuring 20 to 80 Others,
Many Dangerously.
Passengers We're Asleep in
Their Berths at the Time.
Rear Sleeper Driven Through
the One in Front.
OFFICIALS PUZZLED.
Say They Are Unable to Ac-
count for the Catastrophe.
Every Possible PrecautiOn Had
Been Taken.
OFFICIALS PUZZLED.
Say They Are Unable to Ac-
count for the Catastrophe.
Every Possible PrecautiOn Had
Been Taken.

CHICAGO. June 3O.-Three persons were
TITLED outright and about 20 or 80 per
sons injured and about 20 or 80 per
the Chicago < Northwestern road at
12.45 o'clock this morning at West chi
cago. 80 miles out of Chicago on the
Calena division.
THE DEAD.
MRS. JOHN GOODING, Appleton,
Wis.
MRS p SHIPNrAN. Appleton, Wis.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN. riding be
tween engine and baggage car. suppos-
ed to be a tramp.
THE INJURED.
Mrs. N NJ. Baird, Neenah, Wis
Mrs Daisy Blackwood, Depere, Wis
Mrs. A E Fffer, Green Bay, Wis.,1n-
jured about the head.
w II. Finney, OcOnto. Wis.
Mrs. AIgernon Galpin, Appleton, Wis
W D. Gibson. Appleton, Wis
Raymond Gibson. years old, son of
the foregoing
Mss Irene AfacAllister, OcOnto, WIS.,
hurt about head.
Miss Amelia Mckay, fracture of left
arm.
Mrs Mckay
W. N. NIickelstetter. Seymour, Wis
Mrs. w. NJ NIickelstetter, Seymour,
wis.
DR. f. a. Miller, ClintOnville, Wis
s A Russell. Appleton, Wis.
Mrs S A Russell. Appleton.
Mrs. Ripley, Fond du Lac, Wis, ser
iously.
Miss c. z. Shipman. Appleton, Wis.
Miss :. c. Shipman, Appleton, Wis
Michael St. Letter, ankle broken and
internally injured.
Mrs ST. Letter, back strained and in
ternalIy injured.
arm and wrist injured
Charles Courtney, Belvidere, Ill. en-
gineer OF section five, fatally injured.
Mrs W. d Gibson, Appleton, Wis
L. 3. Mersh. Appleton, Wis
Raymond Mersh. Appleton, Wis.
Three children of Mr.. and Mrs VIM.
1Iickelstetter, of Seymour. Wis.
The victims of the collision were
Christian Endeavor delegates who left
Chicago last night en- route for the
great convention in San Francisco.
The coliding trains We're sections
NaS. 4 and 8. of a Christian EndeavOr
sreciaI sent out in nine sections begin
ming at 10.30 y. m. Section No. ran
into section No. a. which left Chicago
j. minutes ahead of it. Section No. 4.
carried the Wisconsin delegates, nearly
SOC strong. and in the rear sleeper were
people from Fond du Lac. Green Bay,
Al 1SEOnSln
Section No. / had come to a stop just
out of West Chicago. where the Free
port lire diverges from the main line.
Section No came up behind at great
speed and the shock Of the collision was
terrific.
TIE passengers in the two rear sleep
ers IF section No. +, We're all in their
berth and most of them We're asleep.
They received no warning and those
not killed outright awOke 10 find them
selves jammed in the wreckage. Pas
seugers on both trains hastened to the
spot and began the work of rescue. One
of the first Of the injured taken out
was Engineer Charles Courtney of sec
fipn No. 5. He had stuck to his post
like hero and is 50 seriously injured
that he cannot live
The body of an unidentified man. sup
posed to be tramp, was found between
the b9ggage car and the engine. The
man had been crushed to death. An
immediate call was made for help on
every point within reaching distance
chicago was notified and asked to send
physicians at once, and medical helm
was requested from Geneva Whea ton
and Aurora.
The engine of section No. 5 struck the
rear sleeper of section No. with ter
rife force. The engine was totally
wrecked. Strange to say. the rear
sleeper of section No. 4 was not the
one te suffer most. It was driven with
terrific force upon the second sleeper.
ana such was its impetus that it crush
ed through it as if it had been a card
box and reduced it to a mass of wreck
age. The passengers in the second
sleeper were, therefore, the ones to suf-
fer most and it was in it that most of
the victims were hurt. Mrs. Shipman
and Mrs. John Gooding were both in
the sleeper.
Men and women could be seen strug-
Cling to eXtricate themselves from the
Wreckage. Others pinned down by some
crushing weight We're crying for help.
mere ana there was an arm or a leg
protruding from the debris. A pathetic
scene was the rescue of the two daugh-
rers OF Mrs Shipman of Appleton. The
rescuers were attracted to them bv
their cries They were unable to ex-
tricate themselves, and, though hurt
refused assistance. begging that their
mother be first helped Mrs. Shiuman
was found crushed under part of the
roof and life was extinct when she was
taken out. 1t is strange that the two
daughters escaped with comparatively
slight injuries, while the mother, close