The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1897-09-11
FAST TRAINS COLLIDE.
GOING FORTY MILES An HOUR IN
OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS.
Ten Were killed w. ;. bryan =
Passenger but Is Unhurt-Aias
the Sufferers.

EmpoEia, Kan, Sept 0S-One Of he
worst wrecks in the history Of the santa
Fe railroad occurred three miles east 81
here at about 1850 o'clock last night.
A. near as can be ascertained 10 on ii
were killed and many were injured.
William Jennings Bryan was on the
train, bat was unhurt.
The fast mail train going east and the
Mexico and California express. west
bound, c0llided. head on The MEXICO
and California express was pulled by
two locomotives, and when they struck
the engine drawing the fast mail the
boilers Of all three engines exploded ana
tore hole in the ground % deep that
the smoking ear Of the westbonnd train
went in on top Of the three engines and
two wrecked mad cars and balanced
there without turning over. The wreck
caught fire from the engines. The ears
IN the hole and the smoking car burned
to ashes in no time. In climbing from
the smoking car several men fell through
the riffs into the wreck below and Il i
impossible to tell whether they escaped
or were burned to death.
The westbound train carried eiekt
coaches, and its passengers Included
many excursionists who had been TO
hear w. j. Bryan speak at the county
fair at Burlingame- AIr. Bryan himself
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-
peTienced by the passengers Ia His
coach Mr.. Bryan was one Of the nobIezt
men in the crowd of reseuers. He helped
TO carry out the dead and wounded and
gave the greatest attention TO their
care. One poor fellow who was badly
MANNED called to Mr.. Bryan and said:
Il went to hear you today. / am dy-
ing now, and want to shake your hand,
and say, God bless you. II you possibly
can, Mr.. Bryan, get me a drink Of wa
ter
MIR. 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.
rae Dead and Injurea.
The list Of dead as known at midnight
follows:
James Brennan, engineer, Topeka.
Nate HOllister, fireman, Topeka
William frisby, engineer
- Gonzales, fireman.
j. +. Saurs, express messenger, Kan.
sas City.
r. A. Doran, postal clerk, Emporia.
n J. MeGlade, postal clerk, Emporia,
died at IL O'Clock.
- Shurley, fireman.
Daniel McKinnOn, boy, Kansas City.
Unknown man. tramp.
Ben Walters, fireman, St Joseph, No,
is missing.
Among the seriously injured are:
Claude Hilliday, Lawrence, express mes
senger, both legs broken; ID. C. Erter,
Kansas City, express messenger, legs
broken will die; John Dagan, Topeka,
face smashed; J. T. Butler, county at.
toney of Chase county, may die: Will
lam T. Jones, Kansas City, leg and arms
broken; b. X. Metik. AtchisOn. badly
bruised; Phil Schier. Kansas City, hip
crushed; C. A. Van Fleit, brakeman,
Kansas City, badly bruised; William
Patrick, Kansas City, leg and arm
broken; c. D. Adams. City of Mexico.
painfully bruised; Mike Sweeny, Gaines
vile, Texas, back hurt.
Going Forty Miles an Hour.
The engineer Of the westbound train
had received orders TO meet the fast mail
at EmPoria, and was making up lost
time. The two are the fastest trains
on the Santa Fe system, and the west
bound train must have been running at
a speed of at least 20 miles an hour. The
Westbound express was going around
slight curve and met the fast mail prob
ably within 200 feet.
1t is stated that the wreck was caused
by miscarriage Of orders from the