Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-09-10
HEAD ON COLLISION.
Fast Trains on Sante fe Col
Tide Near Emporia, Kan.
u or IS Ki|Ied--Three Engine Boilers
Explode With Terrific Force.
Wmsj. Bryan on Train But Uninjured Mis-
Assistance TO Sufferers.

Kansas City, Mo-. Sept S.--A special
| to the Times from Empora, Kansas,
| says: One of the worst wrecks in the
| history Of the Santa Fe Railroad oc-
| CURED three miles east Of here, al 7.}J
| o'clock tonight. Twelve or Is persons
We're killed and as many more badly
| hurt The fast mail train going east
| and the Mexico and California express,
| west bound, collided head on. The
| Mexico and California express was by
two locomotives and when they struck
the engine drawing the fast mail the
| boilers of all three engines exploded
| and tore a hole in the ground so deep
that the smoking car of the westbound
| train went in on top of the three en-
| zines and two mail cars and balanced
| there without turning over.
| The passengers in the smoking car
| escaped through the windows. The
| front end of this car was enveloped in a
| volume of sitting smoke and steam,
rushing up from the wreck below ami
the rear door was jamme1
| tight in the wreck Of the car
| behind. The wreck caught fire
| from the engines and the cars in
| the hole and the smoking car were
| quickly burned to ashes. In climbing
| out Of the smoking car several men fell
| through the riffs in the wreck below
and il is impossible to tell whether they
| escaped or were burned to death
| 1t is feared that nearly all of the
seven mail clerks persisted in the dis
aster but 50 far only six bodies have
been taken from the wreck. These
| dead are:
| Jim Brennan, engineer. Topeka.
Nate fIDllister, fireman. Topeka.
J. +. Souders. Kansas City, express
| messenger. body almost consumed BY
fire.
VIM. Frisbee, engineer.
". r. Doran, Empora, postal clerk.
Gonzales, fireman, westbound train.
Unknown tramp.
j. g. Bragman. Topeka.
Ben Walters. st. Joseph. Mo-, fire
man on the westbound train is missing
Among the seriously injured are:
Claude Holiday, Lawrence, express
| messenger, both legs broken.
ID. c. Erler, Kansas City. express
| messenger. legs broken. will die
John Dagan. Topeka. face smashed.
J. T. Butler, county attorney. Chase
county. hip broken, may die.
VIM. f. Jones, Kansas City, leg
broken and arms broken.
Is. =. Metik, Atchison. badly bruised
Philip schuer. Kansas City. hip
crushed
c. A. Van vleitk, brakeman. Kansas
City, badly bruised.
VIM. Patrick. Kansas City. leg and
arm broken.
c. u. Adams. City of Mexico. pain
fully bruised.
Mike Sweeney, Gainesville, Texas.
back hurt
The West-bound train carried seven
or eight coaches and its passengers in
Guided many eXcursionists who had
been to hear Hon, w. J. Byan speak
at the county fair in Burlingame. Mr.
Bryan himself was on the train but
was riding in the rear Pullman. He
states that nothing but a heavy jolt
was experienced by the passengers in
his coach
Mr. Bryan was one of the most ener- |
getic man in the crowd of rescuers He |
helped to carry out the dead and |
wounded and gave the greatest atten-
ton to their care One poor fellow who |
W aS fttbiS itStiHttU, cdlltu ~ NIX. yam |
and said: Il want to hear you. today:
| am dying and want to shake your
hand and say God bless you. If you
possibly can, MIR. Bryan. get me a
drink of water
Mr.. Bryan went into the fast mail
car. one end of which was burning. and
came out with the drink of water which
he 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 suffering
OF the seven or eight cars making
up the Mexico and California express.
only the mail, baggage and expire IS and
smoking ears We're destroyed The
coach following the smoker was badly
splintered.
There was not more than a dozen
passengers on the fast mail all in one
coach. and while none of them were
seriously injured their shaking up was
terrible. Every seat in the coach was
torn from the floor and many floor
planks came up with the seats.
one man John Sweeney, was thrown
over three seats and through window.
but escaped with only scratches and
bruises. The other cars of the fast
mail train a baggage and express, were
totally wrecked
1t is stated that the wreck was
caused by miscarriage of orders from
the trainmaster. At Emporia the east
bound fast mail train received orders
to pass the California express at
Lange, seven miles east. Another or
der was sent to Lange for the Cali
fornia express to take the siding there
but this order was not delivered and
the west-bound train passed on. the
trainmen expecting to pass the fast
mail at Emporia.