The Butler weekly times., 1897-09-16
DEATH IN A WRECK.
On the Santa Fe, Near EN-
poria, Kansas.
Two Trains, Running at High Kate
Of Speed, Crash TogeiheT-Ten
Persons Known TO be
Dead, Others
Missing.
NEARLY A SCORE INJURED.
xSm. j. Bryan Had n Narrow Escape
sis Coach Balanced on the Top OF
the Wreck-He Crawied Out

Ais Coach Balanced on the Top OF
the Wreck-He Crawied Ont
OF a Car Window.
Emporia, Kas.. Sept. 9.-About
7:3O o'clock last night, three miles
east OF here, an awful wreck on the
Santa Fe road occurred. The fast
mail. going east, and the Mexico and
California train, going west, collid-
ed, and the list OF dead and injured
il appalling.
The trainmen state that the acci-
dent was due to the negligence of
the agent at Lang, who failed to
flag No. l, the west-bound train, as
'he was instructed by the dispatcher
TO do.
The west bound train drawn by
Gwo engines was going around a
sight curve, and met the fast mail
an less than 200 feet.
All three engines exploded, hurl
ing huge pieces of metal from 100
to 200 feet. The mail and baggage
cars of the fast mail were total
wreck.
William j. Bryan was in the
wreck, but was uninjured. He was
on his way to lola. Kan. where he
was to speak to-day. He was seat
ed in the smoking car on the west
bound train. It careened over the
cars in front and stopped, just bal
ancing on top of the wreckage.
nlr. Bryan escaped through a
window, losing his baggage. He
did great service in helping to carry
out and care for the injured.
County Attorney Butler of Chase
rnonnty, was fatally hurt. Calling
Z Mr.. Bryan he said: "It's all up
with me, Mr.. Bryan. I love you"
Mr.. Bryan stopped over the dying
man and burst into tears.
Said Mr.. Bryan: II have Travelled
thousands upon thousands Of miles
on railroads and / was never in a
wreck before. I can not for the life
of me see why We were not all kill
I'D. The scene here presented is the
most terrible I haye ever seen. 1t
has made an impression on me that
can not leave me during my life
Gme."
The railroad company soon had
doctors on the scens and the dead
and injured were conveyed to EN-
poria. A train bearing II injured
was sent to Topeka, where the gen
ersl hospital Of the road is located.
The explosion of the engines was
simply terrible. Pieces of iron
were thrown as far as $50 feet into
a corn field, and boiler iron, rolled
up and twisted, was thrown fully as
far. There is practically no two
pieces of the three engines left to.
.gether.
1t is thought that had it not been
for the fact that the west-bound
train had two engines pulling it the
disaster would be still more appall'
1ng- The second engine, being very
deavy, protected to some extent, the
coaches that followed.
The train must have been making
at least 40 miles an hour. There
was no warning signal, and it mus
have been been terribly sudden. 70,
no one felt the air brakes working
There was shock as if the trair
had bumped up against a stone wall
One man after getting out through
a window, said: Il thought / wal
going through the fumes of hell :"
After the clash and the crash th,
smoking car went off the rails ant
piled itself up in the wreck. In fac
1t ran over the wrecked coaches ant
engines, and as it rose and fell with
the rise and fall of the wreck it wa.
~uEning upon, the sensation of pas
sengers was dreadful Nobod,
knew how 5000 it would fall OF
either side, CT go to pieces, or b,
set on fire ty the engine fires .La
were under it. Steam and smok,
hllen the cars and all the lights sud
denly went out.
When the people realized the full
extent OF the great aceident, the ex