The Topeka state journal., 1897-10-20
BIG HIPPOS
IN A WRECK.
Engine Smashes Into the Rear
of Sells FOrepaugh Train.
HippOpOtami Cage is Thrown
Upon the Ground.
WITH MOUTHS GAPING
The Big Animals Are Found
Staring About.
Lions Cage Smashed and Lions
Nearly Get Out.
Cleopatra's Barge Wrecked and
Could Not Appear.
HippopOtami Cage is Thrown
Upon the Ground.
WITH MOUTHS GAPING
The Big Animals Are Found
Staring About.
Lions Cage Smashed and Lions
Nearly Get Out.
Cleopatra's Barge Wrecked and
Could Not Appear.

AS the Forepaugh-S circus train
was about ready to pull out of St. Joe
on it's way to Kansas d Missouri Pa
cifc engine which had a cabOose at
tached and which was to haul the
third section of the train, crashed into
the rear of the circus train, causing
serious wreck.
Two sections of the train had been
loaded and We're ready to start The
third section was being loaded and was
on the main line of the Missouri Pa
cific William Fay, master OF trans
portation for the Forepaugh- Sells SHOW
asked the railroad officials to send
switchman down to their train to pro
tect the train as it was on the main
line The sWitchman came, but hnd1ng
that it would be some time DeLore lne
train would move, he eXtlnSulShed the
light in his lantern and went 10 near
by saloon. Meantime an engine and
cabCOse of the Missouri Pacific with
Conductor Thomas Pittman in charge
arrived from AtchisOn to haul the tnlfd
section of the train to Atchison-
The train stood on the main line
ready to start and the workmen mad
lain down in favOrite hooks for nap
when the engine and cabOose crashed in
to the rear hatcar of the section and
demolished it The sWitchmQn had LETT
no signal lights on the train and when
the engineer approached it, he did not
know that he was going to have col
lisiOn until the light from his headlight
flashed on the "CleOpatr barge which
was on the rear car. He applied the
air brakes and reversed. He claims
that he was running at the rate OF
eight miles an hour ShOwmen say that
the locomotive had a speed OF at least
Is miles an hour. The fireman saw the
danger first and jumped The engineer
jumped just as the crash occurred and
he escaped injury.
The rear car which had on it ''Cle-
a ca ge of lions and a lunch wagon, was
broken so that it had to be left be-
hind. The trucks were demolished and
the long beams snapped in two. The
cleopatra wagon was thrown high
in the air and fell to the side of the
track, being badly crushed. 1t could
not be repaired in time to appear in the
parade in Topeka today.
The hippOpOtamus cage was thrown
off its truck and but for the immense
weight OF the two hippOpOtami the
cage would have turned over The two
animals became very much excited and
the keepers rushed to their cage and
cOwed them into submission. The lion
cage was broken and at first it was
feared the animals would escape, but
the lions crOuched in fear 1t was fort
unate that they did not get out as they
are especially savage and considerable
trouble has been had before when ac-
cidents have happened to their cage.
A cage in which panthers are kept was
thrown off its "chalkS' and the ami
mails pitched about savagely. The
"chalks' are blocks which hold the
wheels on the cars.
The cowcatcher of the locomotive
was mashed and the front truck dam
aged The engine telescOped into the
rear car, the rear trucks of the car be-
ing on top of the engine.
On the next to the rear car the tiger
cage was also thrown off its ''chaIks''
and the kingbOlt broken. The tigers
were too frightened by the crash to stir
The third section had in it Is cars.
Most of these cars had on them wild
animal cages. Almost every wagon on
this section was damaged by the coll
lision. The sea lion cage was on the
front of the section and the force of the
collision at the rear was SO great that
the running gear of the cage was bro
ken off.
When the wreck occurred, the switch
man, who had been in the saloon too
long, ran to the place where the engine
and car had telescOped and began
swearing and blaming the circus EN-
pIoyes. A fight ensued in which the
switchman was severely beaten by the
circus hands. It took all night to clear
up the Wreckage.
Ephraim Sells said today: cit was
all due to drunken carelessness The
SW1tcnman was drunk and he left the
train there without any signals Then
the engine came down the track forty
miles an hour and threw us in the
ditch
VIM. Chambers, superintendent of the
menagerie, said:
They were ready to start and the
men had gone to bed. Patsy Fore
paugh and I have staterOoms in the ell
ephant car and we had gone to he'd
We were up quite a way in the yards
and a switch engine had come up for
us When we got down there Patsy
says to me, Star. were in the ditch
(A1r. Chambers is known in the circus
as Star KIDD When we got out there
we found the engine under the last car
ana the cages all jammed UP and Cleo
patra' s wagon was tipped over The
hlppOpotarnus cage was down on the
ground and all that saved it from tip
ping over was the weight of the hippo
potarnl- They weigh 3,400 each The
sWlIGnnan came down there drunk and
got KIND OF sarcastic and some of the
boys beat him up. The engineer told
me that he was running eight miles an
nours out ne must have been going
raster than that. The hDpOp0tar7j
We're Wild and they had their mouths
VIDE open and were grunting They
could easily have broken out of the
cage. The lion cage was badly broken
ana they might have gotten out if thew
had tried. It would have been sKftty
lock the door if they had If it had
happened ten minutes later Patsy and 7
would have been killed, for our eleDhanf
car was to have been fastened AT the
end of the train. The passenger coach
es are attached back of US and if thew
had been on, several people would have
been killed All the wagons on thar
section We're damaged. The calIiope