Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-06-27

of the Excelsior Springs cars. on his way
to Excelsior Springs with his wife. Both
escaped uninjured.
1T all came so swiftly and without the
slightest warning" said DR.. Haley, in talk
ing of the accident, that 1t is difficult to
give a connected story of the terrible af-
fair. We had reached point about mile
this side of Missouri City, when, without
moments warning, the bridge over a
narrow stream at that point gave way and
in a moment the train was in a wreck. The
engine and tender passed safely over the
bridge. The baggage car, the smoker, the
mail car and the chair car went down. The
sleeper was thrown under the chair car
and the baggage car was thrown almost on
end upon the top of the other cars, at an
angle of fully 80 degree, as IL hoisted in
that position with derrick.
''The two Excelsior Springs cars were the
last cars of the train, and were left stand
ing on the track with a yawning chasm
filled with the debris of the wreck between
them and the engine. which was on the
other side of the bridge.
1.-The scene which presented itself was
absolutely indescribable. 1t was simply
awful. and the cries of the wounded were
frightful. L can never forget the spectacle.
Fortunately the agony of fire was not add
ed 10 the other horrors of the occasion. The
rain poured down in torrents and deluged
the whole mass with floods Of water.
or something of that sort. for even the
hardest rain would not have produced such
floods Of water. The water came five or
persons must have been drowned.
Pullman Conductor Talks.
f. A. Boswell, the conductor of the Can
more. the Pullman sleeper. was still labor
ing under great excitement when the train
pulled into Kansas City with the injured
and other passengers. He could not give
a very connected account of just what had
happened, though he was congratulating
himself over the fact that his car came out
of the wreck without any injured passen-
gers.
Il had eight passengers in my car" said
Conductor Boswell, ''and 1 am happy to
say that not one Of them was injured.
though the car went down with the rest
through the bridge. The Pullman was the
third car from the rear and was just in
front of the two Excelsior Springs cars.
N went on top of the wrecked cars. but
was about half under the chair car.
II really don't know just how the thing
occurred. The first / knew the Pullman
rave a terrible lurch forward and then the
chair car was about half way upon the
front end of the sleeper, which did not
turn over or even very far around. None
of the cars was overturned. though the
baggage car is standing almost end
on top OF the smoker.
while none of my passengers was in
iured. my porter. d. l.. Davis, Of this city,
had his wrist cut and his left arm spratned.
He was the only person in my car who
was hurt and he received his injuries by
being thrown against the front end of the
car when the crash came.
Il did not go to the front at all, as /
had no business there. Ny business was
TO take care of my own cAr and | stuck
to it without doing anything else. l
couldn't say how many persons were hurt
nor exactly how many bodies were taken
from the wreck. II was an awful wreck
and the only wonder is that no more were
killed and hurt"
A womnn's Tale.
81 was sitting in the middle of the chair
car" said Mrs. Sally Matthias, Of 2i2i For
est avenue. when the train went down.
1t dropped quite easily. Just appeared TO set
tie down beneath us, and we felt no Jar I'M
til the coupling broke from the car ahead
of u.s. Then the front end went down. and
Just as that was done the front end Of the
sleeper caught under the rear Of the car
aud threw il up in the air. We went tum-
bling pell nell in a promiscuous heap to
the front end of the car. / never heard
such shrieks and cries in my life before. 1t
was simply awful.
Then all was still for moment. The
thunder was rolling dreadfully, the light
ming was blazing all over the sky, and the
rain was falling in torrents. There were a
dozen men in the car and all but three ran
out as fast as they could and left the dozen