Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1897-09-17
TWO TRAINS COLLIDE.
MANY KILLED AND INJURED IN
THE CRASH.
Fast Express and Mail Trains ON the
Santa Fe Road Come Into Coli.
sion Near En- poria-Fire Consumes
coaches-Bryan in the Wreck.
Santa Fe Disaster.

One of the worst wrecks in the history
of the Santa Fe Railroad occurred three
miles east of Emporia, Kan, Wednesday
night. Nine or ten persons We're killed
and many more We're badly hurt. Tho
fast mail train going east and the Mexico
and California Express west bound, col
liaed head on. The Mexico and California
express was pulled by two locomotives,
and when they struck the engine draw
ing the fast mail the boilers of all three
engines exploded and tore Il hole in the
grounl so deep that the smoking car OF
the wcst-bound train went i'll on the
three engines and two mail cars and bMl-
anced there, without turning over. Tho
passengers i'll the smoking car escaped
through the windows. The front end OF
this car was envelopcd i'll IL volume OF
stitlin:, smoke and steam, belching up
from the wreck below, and the rear door
WAS damned tight in the wreck Of the
ear behind.
Ihe wreck caught fire from the en-
glncs. The cars in the hole and the smok-
ing car burned to ashes in no time. In
climbing out OF the smoking car several
men fell through the riffs in the wreck
below and it is not known whether they
escaped or We're burned to death. The
west-tound train carried seven or eight
coaches, and its passengers included many
excursionists who had been to hear w. j.
Bryan speak at the county fair at Burling-
anne. MIR. Bryan himself was on the
train. but was riding in the rear Pullman,
400 feet from the cars which were wreck
ed. He says nothing but n heavy Jolt
was experienced by the passengers in his
coach.
MIR. Rrynn wlS nno of f1tn nn11ov+ ,
in the crowd of rcscuers. He helped to
carry out the dead and wounded and
gave the greatest attention to their care.
One poor fellow, who was badly manned,
called to MIR. Bryan and said: II went
to hear you to-day; l am dying now and
want to shake your hand and say God
bless YOU. Ii you possibly can, Mr..
Bryan, get me IL drink of water" Mr..
Bryant went into the fast mail car, one
end OF which was burning, and anne out
With 4; drink of water, which lie gave to
the suffering passenger. He brought out
cushions for others of the injured. and
was everywhere present to minister to
the wants of the injured.
The engineer of the wcst-bound train
had received orders to meet the fast mail
at Enporia and was making up lost time.
These two are the fastest trains on the
Santa Fc system and the cast-bound train
must have been running mt Il speed Of
forty miles an hour. The wcst-bound ex-
press was going around IL slight curve
and met the fast mail, probably within
200 feet. OF the seven or eight cars max
ing up the train of the California express
the mail, baggage and the express and
smoking cars were destroyed. The coach
following the smoker was badly spin.
tered.
There were not more than a dozen pas.
sengers on the fast mail, all in one coach.
and while none of them was seriously i'm
jured their shaking up was terrible. Ev-
cry seat in the coach was torn from the
floor and many floor planks came up with
the seats. 1t is stated that the wreck
was caused by a miscarriage of orders
from the trainmaster. AT Emporia the
east-bound fast mail train received or.
ders to pass the California express at
Lang. seven miles east. Another order
was sent to Lang for the California OK.
press to take the siding there. But this
order was not delivered and the east
bound train passed OIL, the trlinmen OK.
pectins to pass the fast mail mt Emporia.