The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-09-15

Kansas City, Mo, Sept 8 "A spe.
cial to The Times from Emporia, Kas.,
says I:
One of the worst wrecks in the
history Of the Santa Fe railroad oc-
cured three miles east of here at
about I o'clock tonight Twelve or
fifteen persons were killed and as
many more badly hurt The fast
mail train going east and the Mexi-
co and California express bound west,
colIided head on. The Mexico and
California express was pulled by two
locomotives. and when they struck
the engine drawing the fast mail, the
boilers of ali three engines exploded
and tore hole in the ground SO deep
that the smoking Car of the west
bound train ran en- top of the three
engines and two mail cars and bal
ancsd there. 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 and
steam, boiling 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 en-
gines The cars in the hole and the
smoker burned to ashes in short
time. In climbing out of the smok-
ing car several men fell through the
riffs into the wreck below, and it is
impossible to tell whether they es-
capped or were burned to death.
The westbouod train carried seven
or eight coaches, and its passengers,
included many excursionists. who
had been to hear Hon. W j. Bryan
speak at the county fair at Burlin-
game. Mr.. Bryan himself was on
the train. but was riding in the rear
Pullman, some 400 feet from the cars
which were wrecked He states that
nothing but heavy jolt was expert
enced by the passengers in his coach.
Mr.. Bryan was one of the Doblest
men in the crowd of rescuers. He
helped to carry out the dead and
wounded and gave the greatest atten-
ton to their care. One poor fellow,
who was badly manned, called to MIR
Bryan aud said
81 went to hear you to-day, I am
now dying and want to shake your
hand and say God bless you If you
possibly can, Mr.. Bryan, get me a
drink of water"
M. Bryan went into the fast mail
car, one end of which was burning,
and came out with the water, which
he gave to the suffering passenger.
He brought out cushions for others
of the injured, and was everywhere
present to administer to the wants of
the suffering
1t is feared that nearly all of the
seven mail clerks perished in the dis
aster, but so far only eight bodies
have been taken from the wreck.
Ben Walters, the St. Joseph, Mo-.
fireman on the westbouud train, is
missing.
The engineer of the westbound
train had received orders to meet the
fast mail at En,poria, and was max
ing up lost time. These two are the
fastest trains on the Santa Fe system,
and the westbound train must have
been running at a speed of at least
forty miles an hour. The westbound
express was going around slight
curve. and met the fast mail proba-
bly, within two hundred feet. Of the
seven or eight cars making up the
Mexico and California express, only
the mail, baggage and express and
smoking cars were destroyed The
coach following the smoker was bad
ly splintered.
There welo n more than dozen
passengers u last mail. all in one
coach, and wn..o none of them were
seriously injured. their shaking up
was terrible. Every seat in the
coach was torn from the floor, and
many floor planks came up with t.
seats. One man. John Sweeney.
was thrown over three seats AID
through window, bot escaped with
only scratches and bruises
1t is stated that the wreck was
caused by miscarriage of orders
from the trainmaster. At Emporia
the eastbound fast mail train received
orders to pass the California express
at Land. seven miles east Another
order was sent to Land for the Cali
fornia express to take the siding
there, but this order was not deliver
ed, and the westbound train passed
on, the trainmen expecting to pass
the fast mail at Emporia
i Il