The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-05-20
DASHED THROUGH A 1RES1LE
A SANTA FE PASSENGER TRAIN
WRECKED SIXTEEN MILES
SOUTH OF ARDMORE.
FIFTEEN PERSONS WERE INJURED
Two of Them FataIly-There Were
Several Texans Among the In
jured-Wreck Caused by
Heavy Fall of Rain.

Ardmore, /. r., May 1G.-South-bound
Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe passen-
ger train No. l went through trestle
sixteen miles south of here ut D O'Clock
this morning and tumbled down a 2O-foot
embankment. Fifteen passengers and
members of the crew were injured, some
of them fatally. No one was killed out
right. The train consisted of six pas
senger coaches and one Pullman. All
save the engine and sleeper went through
the trestle, which had been washed away
by high water. Many Of the passengers
had to chop their way out of the
coaches.
The injured are:
Il. E. Sparks of Orkman, |. IT,, injured
in chest and back; probably fatal.
G. G. Crawford of Hurd, /. r., elbow
dislocated and right arm fractured.
w. l.. Irwin. Kansas City, cut on
the neck.
J. Il. Hale, news agent, Fort Worth,
Texas, bruised on hip and side.
J. NJ. Order, express messenger, in
ternally hurt can not live.
j. II. Crawford Of Fox, |. r., ankle
sprained; badly cut and bruised.
VIM. Forbes. Lebanon, head, hands
and arms cut and hip injured.
o. l.. York. Palo Pinto, Texas; hip in
jured.
j. Il. Piper, Ladonia Texas; head cut,
shoulders dislocated.
AS soon as the news of the accident
reached the city train was made up
here and doctors hurried to the scene.
The injured were brought to this city
and are being cared for here.
The accident occurred near the town Of
Marietta. A heavy rain storm, amount
ing alm0st to n water spout, caused
sudden rise this morning of all the small
streams in that vicinity. The accident
occurred Mt point where deep, narrow
gulch was spanned by wooden trestle.
The foundation work supporting this
trestle was undermined by the sudden
rise of the little stream which flows
through the gulch, and the trestle went
down under the heavy weight of the
train. SO great was the speed of the
train, however. that the engine and ten
der, the express, mail and baggage cars
and one passenger coach passed over the
narrow chasm. though the trucks of
several of these cars went to the bottom,
twenty feet below. The coach next to
the last. the one Immediately in front of
the Pullman. was left standing directly
over the chasm, one end resting on each
bank Of the gulch. The Pullman re-
manned on the track. The four coaches
which were dragged by the locomotive
across the broken trestle were badly
wrecked. The baggage car telescoped
with the first passenger coach, which was
the smoker, and the latter was all but
demolished. The most of the injured
were riding In these coaches.
j. NJ. Order, the Wells-F Fargo messen-
ger was so badly crushed by heavy car
chest that he can not live
H.. Il. Sparks of Oakman, |. r., was
crushed in the wreck of the smoker and
is also MORALLY injured
The injured were brought to Ardmore
on a wrccking train sent out from here.
At . o'clock this evening track has
'Deen built around the wreck. and the be-
lated passengers resumed their journey.
except those seriously injured, who are
being cared for here ut the Wisner hotel.