Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1897-07-01
A TERRIBLE WRECK
. TRAIN GOES THROUGH A TRESTLE
In MISSOURI.
me Number of the Dead Ia Estima-
tea at About Tvventy-Five-One
Oh The Heaviest Rain storms I'm
the History Of the WAS
IN Progress at the Time of the
Accident.

hahsas City, June 2S.-The st. Louis
express on the Wabash railway
plunged through a trestle at Missouri
olty, Mo-. carrying down the entire
tram with the exception of the real
car, a Pullman.
Inc numbe of dead is estimated at
from nine TO twenty-five. The train
Was composed of a mail. baggage and
express car, smoker, chair, sleeper and
Two coaches Tor Excelsior Springs. 1t
niaue the run without incident until
tne bridge about w miles this side
OF Missouri City was reached. There
is q wooden trestle on a curve which
was hullt several years 10 avoid
using a tunnel that vas formerly used.
AS The train struck the trestle il
sWerved, owing to undermining caused
by the volume of water under it. The
engine passed over. but the bridge
went down after il and the tender
broke loose from the engine and fell
on its side. The mail car went down
INTO the water, the express car fol
lowed, each falling on it's side; the
chair car tipped down into the chasm
and as the ear end raised up the front
end of the sleeper went up and it stood
on end, the lower end grinding and
crushing the mail and baggage ears
beneath it. The front end of the
sleeper was out over the chasm, but
1T was held in place by the coupling Of
the two Excelsior Springs ears behind
il.
One of the most important things.
and one which secured the safety of
the remaining passengers on the train
was the tagging of a freight train
which followed the passenger train
about ten minutes. The freight train
was tagged by passengers 800 feet
from the wreck.
The accident happened during one
Of the heaviest transforms ever seen in
that country. 1t was accompanied by
a tremendous roll of thunder and the
most vivid lightning. The elements
and the horrible nature OF the accident
combiaed to make ii of the most
terrifying sights imaginable. Before
any one could realize what had hap
pened the cries of the injured filled the
air. Shrieks and shouts for help came
from all sides. Some IN shouted the
wreck was on fire and another shout
ed that another train was following
closely. One of the young men in the
G coach sprang off and ran back
down the track, and with an umbrella
tagged the train that was close III the
e and the crew of that train hurried
down TO render all aid possible. The
work of rescuing the passengers who
were injured began with promptness,
but was accomplished with the great
est difficulty. Not a trainman was to
be found. The crew were all in the
wreck, and only the conductor of the
Pullman and his porter were there TO
help the passengers. They took charge
promptly and rendered valuable as
sistance.
The occupants of the smoker who
were in the e end managed to
scramble out of the car and escaped,
although it Is pretty certain a number
were unable to get out. The worst
damage was done In the chair a
Conductor Copeland had just entered
the front door Of that coach when 1t
went down. The pinch of b sleeper
behind and under il sent the occu-
pants of the car in a pile down at the
front. Chairs went tumbling down
along with the people and beneath the
mass Copeland met his death. A
heavy chair struck him and crushed
his head out of all semblance OF hu-
manity, while a score of other people
were piled over him. The brakeman
and news agent were IN the smoker
and went down with 1T.