The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-06-28
The Victims Sent Home to st
Louis for Burial.
FIVE CLERKS KILLED
Conductor Copeland Will Prob
ably Survive.
II. P. Dillon of Topeka, Tells of
the Disaster.


souri, CITY Yesterday There were oc-
cupants for seven of them, the victims
Of the iH-fated Wabash train which
Dlunsed through the bridge in Clay
county Saturday night. Although &C
COPELAND. conductor of the train sufIeI-
ed serious injuries, he was not killed, as
at first reported. Copeland was remov-
ed to Moberly yesterday, and the sur
geons say he may recover. Following
is the list of the dead:
Onesimus NJ. Smith, postal clerk.
Gustav A. Smith, postal clerk.
Charles Withers, postal clerk
Frederick w. Brink, postal clerk.
Edward Grindrod, express messen-
ger
Charles P. GreasIey, brakeman.
William S Mills. postal clerk.
All Of those killed lived in St Louis
None OF the injured are in a danger
Gus condition except Copeland, the con-
ductor of the passengers the most
seriously injured was Mrs. W. H. Viii
kius0n of $50 Wabash avenue, Kansas
City. Two of the small bones of her
left hand We're fractured and her thigh
was badly lscerated. She was also Sc
veraIy bruised about the head and neck
She was removed to her home, and last
evening the attending physicians said
that she was not in danger.
Nine of the injured were taken to
Missouri City Saturday night. Nine
city. Two went to Excelsior Springs.
This makes a total of 30 injured. Sever
al whose cuts and bruises were only
trifiing, however, were not included.
Onesimus M-Smith, the clerk in charge
Of the mail car which was torn into
splinters against the abutment of the
bridge. was % years old, ana had Oeen
in The railway mail service for IS years.
Pricr to entering the service he con-
Quoted a grocery store at Mexico, No
He lived at 3121 Locust street. St. Louis.
wi r1cnnrr rE7fe T.
daughter is married. and lives in St
Louis Smith expected to leave the
mail service in a few weeks, and told
o friend of his but few hours before
his death that he expected to receive an
appointment in the st. Louis pOstOffice
in a few weeks
Gustav A. Smith was IS years old. He
lived at 1913 California avenue St.LOuis
and leaves a wife and four children.
William S. Mills was % years old and
leaves young widow to whom
he was married only six months ago.
Frederick W. Brink lived at 218 North
Garrison street, St. Louis. He was mar
ried.
Edward Gr-indrod was married and
lived at 1884 Belt avenue, St. Louis.
Charles p. Greasley lived at 1903 Ben
ton street, St Louis He also was mar
ried-
Copeland the conductor. is 43 years
of age He Is married and lives at 1853
A Garfield avenue, St. Louis. He has
no children.
Serious as was the wreck, the great
wonder IS that it was not much more
disastrous The escape of the passen-
gers is little less than miraculous.
The train was the St. Louis express
which left the Kansas City union sta
ton at $40 Saturday night and was one
mile west of Missouri CITY and % miles
from Kansas City when the accident
came
A farmer tried to flag the train. but
could not be seen in the darkness.
The engine had passed over the weak
ened bridge in safety The mail car
baggage car, smokers and chair car
went down with the bridge, a distance
of 20 feet. the wreck landing in water
from 10 to 20 feet deep. One-haIf a sec
oud chair car also went into the awful
wreck The sleeper telescoped the chair
car ana was left partly hanging over
the chaSm. Two Excelsior Springs ca RS
id not leave the track.
The train was plunging through the
storm at high ate of speed. 1t must
have been going almost 40 miles an hour
although the rain was falling as though
there had been a clOudburst, and it was
impossible for the engineer to see more
than a few feet ahead of the engine
he creek where the wreck occurred is
usually dry. or almost so, but Saturday
night it was a roaring torrent.
Just above the railroad bridge was a
wagon bridge, and this had been wash
ed away The wrecIage of this bridge
bore down against the railroad bridge
and carried away the wooden trestle
that supported the bridge in the cen
ter The floor of the bridge was left
standing The bridge was an old style
sAalr and not strong at the best. Had
II oeen an iron bridge there would
nave been no accident
w men the crash came the passengers
were hurled In every direction Some
OL 1leih We're thrown half a car length
ana some OF them struck the roof of the
car everyone for the time seemed TO
lose self-cOntrol. Not only ala the W
men scream. but strong men ana 77e,,
VINO were not injured, cried aloud IN
their fright. For . time no one seemed
TO realize the extent of the cs+a,s+,.c
pne- Everyone made a dash to get ont
OF the cars, and when they clalnbers6
OUT into the storm. with the rain fan
ing In sheets and the lightning flash
ing, there was a wild break to get back
into the cars For a time the passen-
gers sat there nursing their own
bruises, but finally some of the men re-
covered their f-pCssession and went
Forward to attempt to rescue those who
had been caught beneath the broken
cars Others started back to Liberty
lahdlng to telegraph the news of the
wreck to Kansas City.
H P Dillon. attorney of ToDal-o
with his wife and son and servant vvas
IN the sleeper en- route to New York
he said one end of the sleeping car
was un0er water in the gorge It was
standing on end and the PASSENGERS
escaped by climbing through the win
dow No one in the sleeper was hurt
Mr. Dillon was unable to tell how
many persons were in the sleeper. b11t
said estimates of five, made by pa ssen-
gers. were too low, and that there were
at least eight or nine persons. Mr.
OA4Ion was scratched on the face, but