The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-09-10

| ture engagement at Burlingame, was
| crowded to the guards with excursionists
| returning home. The westbound train
| carried eight passenger coaches. and all
| were crowded.
The conductor and brakemen were get
I ting their lanterns ready for Emporia.
| only three miles away. There was no
| warning signal The Westbound train
| was going around slight curve and met
the fast mail proba bly, within 2o0 feet.
There was a shock as If the train had
Dumped up against stone wall. Then
there was an explosion, crashing sound
an uncertain movement of the coaches,
and all the lights went out. Those who
were in the first coach in the westbound
train were left in total darkness and
they very soon realized the danger of
their position, for the coach was filed
with steam and smoke, and also that
peculiar-smelling steam arising from
the pouring of water on hot cinders.
The westbound train was drawn by
two locomotives and when they struck
the fast mail all three Of the engines ex:
ploded and tore a hole in the track so
deep that the smoking car of the west
bound train went on top OF the wreck of
the three engine and two mail cars, and
balanced there without turning over.
Those in this car who escaped through
the windows came very near turning the
car over, in which event the fatality
would have been much greater, as this
car soon caught fire from the exploded
x..,1- A., -
ashes in no time.
The cars Of the fast mail did not leave
the track. There We're not more than
half dozen passengers on the latter
train, and all these were in one coach.
While none were fatally injured, all in
this car received a terrible shaking up,
and some Of them were painfully bruis-
ed. Every seat in the car was torn from
lis fastening with such force that many
of them pulled planks from the floor.
One man, John Sweeney, was thrown
over three seats, clear through a window.
and by some miracle escaped uninjured.
When the survivors recovered from the
shock they looked for the injured and the
dead. Far down in the heap of debris
sounded the wailing voices of men plead
ing for aid. While the rescuers were
working with might and main TO get the
unfortunates, fire broke out in the wreck
age of the forward coaches and a cry
for water went UP. The water tanks
were torn from their fastenings in the
coaches that could be entered and blood
besmeared men carried them over the
broken timbers in vain attempt to
quell the fast-spreading flames.
The dead and mangled bodies Of four
victims were dragged to the grass beside
the track. The woman passengers hud-
died together in terror and watched the
flames grow higher and higher The fire
roared and cracked like furnace and
men with blanched faces fought with the
bravery of heroes 10 subdue it.
After herculean efforts the flames were
finally subdued and the work of rescue
made more easy.
Engineer Brennan was found under his
engine dead Engineer Nate Hollister
was thrown thirty feet from his engine
and was picked up dead. Engineer Fris-
bic was picked up some distance from the
track, fatally injured Ben Walters. his
fireman, was terribly mangled Shurley
and GanZalle, firemen on No. l. were fa-
tally injured and died after being re-
moved from the wreck
The four postal clerks on No. were
all found dead They were R. o. MCGEE, |
W. F. Jones, NJ. ]. McGlade and Claude |
Holiday, all of Kansas City. Holidays
leg Is broken and he is injured internally. |
NJ j. McGlade was crushed and bruised |
bout the head and body, and he died |
shortly before midnight Jones' legs are |
mashed and his head is badly cut Nc |
Gees legs are crushed. The postal clerk |
on the fast mail, R. a. Doran. died short |
iy after he was found; j. F. Sauer, ex-
press messenger, was killed and c. w.
NanCleve, brakeman, is fatally injured. |
After time a relief train arrived |
from Topeka. and the injured were soon
started for that city.
Many deeds Of heroism were perform
ed in the brief space that seemed like
ages TO the men who were struggling 10
save their fellows. Men whose propertv}
was lost in the wreckage. whose valua-
hles We're hidden In valises that Law
strewn over the ground or waited to be
fuel for the flames, fought for mastery
over the fire, carried water when it could
De obtained for the unfortunates. with
parched lips and bloody gashes in their
heads.
Trains over the Santa Fe will be run
BY the way of Ottawa for few davs
The cost of the wreck to the railway is
at 100000
THE RED LIGHT AT LANG.
Behind the westbound train that was
wrecked was a freight train. Its en-
slneer stopped at Lang for orders. He
says today that the red light. the dan
ger signal hung out by the operator
here TO warn the westbound passenger
o stop was burning so dimly and the
glass was smoked so badly that he
'ouid not see it till ne had left MS cab
ma gone close up 70 it. The dimness OF
MS light was probably the cause OF the
accident The engineer OF the west
round train could not see the warning
IS he rushed past and he pulled tne
hrottle wide open and sped on for En-
'oria, seven miles away.
The night operator at Lang. wbose
- N ~ sec ~ tiIe sISnal lights. |
vas new man at that place He had
MY been on duty there ten days.
MIR. BRYAN Is MODEST. 1
William j. Bryan was interviewed bv ,
reporter as 10 his experience in the
olliSion: ,
/ have Travelled thousands upon thou
ands OF miles on railroads and l was
lever IN wreck before. l did not feel
ne shock very severely where ! was.
'ut from the way things looked l cam ,
tot for the life OF me see why we were ]
- all kiil.ai