The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1897-09-10

and all were in one coach. While none
were fatally injured all in this car re-
ceived a terrible shaking up and some
of them were painfully bruised. Every
seat in the car was torn from its fast
epings with such force that manv of
them pulled the planks from the floor.
John Sweeney was thrown over three
seats, clear out Of a window and by
some miracle was uninjured.
As the passengers and trainmen re-
covered from the shock they looked for
the injured and dead. Far down in the
heaps of debris sounded the wailing
voices of men, pleading for aid. While
the rescuers We're working with might
and main to get at the unfortunate, fire
broke out in the wreckage of the for
ward coaches and a cry for water went
up. The water tanks were torn from
their faStenings in the coaches that
could be entered, and blood-be -1ear~6
men carried them over the broken tim
bers to quell the fast-spreading flames.
The dead and mangled bodies of four
victims were dragged to the grass be-
side the track The women passengers
huddled together in terror and watched
the flames grow higher and higher.
After herculean efforts. the flames were
finally subdued, and the work of rescue
made more easy.
Engineer Brennan was found under
his engine dead. Engineer Nate Hollis
ter was thrown thirty feet from his en-
CINE, and was picked up dead. Engineer
F'risbie was picked UP some distance
from the track, fatally injured. Benja-
min Walters, his fireman, was terribly
{ CO. loo irp-
men on No. /, We're badly injured. and
/ died after being removed from the
! wreck.
! The four postal clerks on No. l were
/ all found. They were r. o. MCGEE, w.
J. Jones, NJ. ]. McGlade and Claude Hol-
! liday, all of Kansas City. Holidays
legs are broken and he is injured inter-
naIly. NJ J. McGlade was crushed and
/ bruised about the head and body, and
/ he died shortly before midnight. Jones'
! legs are mashed, and his head is badly
! cut McGee's legs are crushed. The
postal clerk on the fast mail, R. A. Do
ran, died shortly after he was found
J. F. Sauers. express messenger, was
killed, and c. w. Van Cleve, brakeman,
was fatally injured.
After a time a relief train arrived, and
the injured were taken to Topeka.
Many deeds of heroism were perform
ed in the brief space that seemed like
ages to the men who were struggling to
save their fellows. Mr.. Moore, whose
property was lost in the wreckage,
whose valuables were hidden in valises
that lay strewn over the ground or wait
ed to be fuel for the flames, fought for
mastery over the fire, and carried water
where it could be obtained to unfortu-
mates who were suffering from injuries.
William ]. Bryan was interviewed as
to his experience in the collision. Il
have travelled thousands upon thous-
ands of miles on railroads, and l was
never in a wreck before. / did not feel
the shock very severely where l was,
but from the way things looked 1 can
I not see why we were not all killed.
The scene here presented is the most
terrible have even seen. 1t has made
an impression on me that cannot leave
me in a lifetime"
| rs it true you were the first man to
reach the scene from your car and go
| to the rescue?' he was asked.
! please do not say anything about
| that" Mr.. Bryan replied, with a depre-
/ eating gesture. From passengers it
was learned that Mr.. Bryan was the
| first person to rush forward to the
/ assistance of the victims; that he as
| sisted to carry the first body recov-
| cred and that so long as there was
! any necessity he was foremost in the
| wreck.
Mr.. Bryan and David Leahy, a To-
! pe1a newspaper man, were in the
! smoking coach of the westbound train.
! They were discussing the days events
at BuIlingame where the Nebraskan
had been the attraction for thousands
| of people, when they heard a crash,
| then All explosion. In a moment the
lights went out, and steam and gas
! from the coal smoke filed the car Be
| fore they could make a move the car
was pushed forward with tremendous
/ force. and it seemed to toss in the
debris like a crippled ship at sea. Ev-
cry moment they expected it to turn
over. The car finally stopped, and as
it did so. began to catch fire from
below. The two jumped out of the
sanE window without their hats or
baggage, which We're afterwards burn
ed, ana escaped practically without a
scratch.
Mr.. Bryan reached Emporia about
midnight, and remained at the hotel
until morning, when he resumed his
/ journey.
Ciaud HOLSTER of Topeka had both
his less broken and shattered in half
a dozen places. When his rescuers laid
him on the grass beside the track he
turned to one of the group and asked
if he would pull through. When as
/ sured that he would live, if he was
brave, he said: Am / not brave
Look at my legs dangling and then ask
me to be brave. I suppose they will
have to be amputated, but will live
through it. I do not propose to die
for lack of nerve and courage. My
God, what has become of my COM
rades"
William Frisbie, engineer of the fast
mail, wbose residence is in Topeka, was
conscious until he died. He said: Il
did rot see the other train until l
came upon it. I turned on the air
I and jumped. I presume I cannot re-
cover, but 1 viii die as bravely as ]
can. l want you men to leave me and
help victims who are more unfortunate
than am.
liz 1t IS supposed that a handful of
eharred bones taken from the wreck
Curing the day is all that is left OF
Messenger Sauer. Route Agent L. F.
I-ytle of the Wells-Fargo Express was
at the scene when the bodies were
found and near them he picked up a
watch which he identified as Sauer's.
nj Behind the westbound train that was
wrecked was a freight train. Its engi-
neer stopped at Lang for orders. He
says to-day that the red light, the dan