Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-09-09
DEATH LAYS A TRAP
And Catches a Dozen or More Pas.
sengers Of a Western Railway
! in a Pit Of Destruction.
TRAINS CONE TOGETHER HEAD-oH.

Two Locomotives Draw One OF the Trains
ana All Three Engine Boilers Explode
scooping Out q Chasm Into Which the
ea" with the Victims Fall To He Crushed
and scalded-Hon. w. J. Bryan, an TN.
hurt Passenger, Does Noble Work Aiding
the Wounded and Dying.
Emporia, Kas., Sept. 9.-One Of the
worst wrecks in the history of the
santa Fe railroad occurred three miles
east OF here at about 1890 o'clock last
night. Twelve or fifteen persons were
Killed and as many more more badly
hurt. The fast mail train going east
ana the Mexico and California express
West-bound collided head-on. The Mex
ico and California express was pulled
py two locomotives, and when they
struck the engine drawing the fast mail
the boilers OF all three engines exploded
and tore hole in the ground SO deep
that the smoking car of the west t-bound
train went In on top Of the three en-
gines and two mail cars and balanced
there without turning over. The passen-
gers in the smoking car escaped through
the windows. The front end of this car
was enveloped in a volume of sitting
smoke and steam. belching up from the
wreck below. and the rear door was
1anmed tightly in the wreck of the car
behind. The wreck caught fire from the
engines. The cars in the hole and the
smoking car burned To ashes in no time
In climbing cIt of the smoking car sew
cral men fell through the riffs into the
wreck below. and it is impossible to
tell whether they escaped or were burned
to death.
w. j. Eryan on the Train.
The west-bound train carried seven
or eight coaches. and its passengers in
cluded many excursionists who had been
TO hear Hon. W. J. Bryan speak at the
county fair at Burlingame Bryan him
self was on the train. but was riding in
the rear Pullman some 400 feet from
the cars which were wrecked He states
that nothing but a heavy Jolt was ex-
perienced by the passengers in hiscoach
Bryan was one Of the first men in the
crowd Of rescuers. He helped to carry
out the dead and wounded and gave tho
greatest attention to their care. On
poor fellow who was badly MANNED
called to Bryan and said: Il went to
hear you today. 1 am dying now, and
want w ShdNt yOuI HdII ana say Coo
bless you. If you possibly can, Mr.
Bryan. get me n drink of water" Bryan
went into the fast mail car. one end OF
which was burning, and came out with
the drink OF water which ne gave to til
suffering passenger. He brought out
cushions for others of the injured. and
was everywhere present to minister to
the wants of the suffering.
Names at the Dead and Injured
Later.-The latest estimate of the
death roll is that it will not exceed ten
or eleven. During the excitement early
In the evening it was reported that
nearly all Of the six postal clerks on
the two trains were killed or missing
Two of the clerks were killed. All of
the others save one are more or less
seriously injured. The list of dead as
known at this writing is as follows:
james Brennan, engineer. and Nate
Holiister fireman. Topeka: William
F'risby. engineer: - Gonzales. fire.
man; j. r. Saurs. express messenger
Kansas City; Z. y. Doran. postal clerk.
Emporia. died at II o'clock: - Shur-
ley. fireman: Daniel McKenron, boy
Kansas city: unknown man. tramp.
Ben Walters. fireman. of st. Joseph
Mo, Is missing