The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1897-09-11
A BAD WRECK.
Trains on the Santa Flo Road
Collide Near Emporia, Kan.
TwiIve or Fifteen Persons Are Killed
and as Many More BADLY Hurt
Eight Bodies Recovered-Es-
cape OF w. j. Bryan.

Kansas City, Mo. Sept. "a special
to the Times from Emporia, Kan, says:
One OF the worst wrecks in the history
OF the Santa Re railroad occurred three
miles east OF here at about 1880 o'clock
Wednesday night. Twelve or Is per-
sons were killed and as many more were
badly hurt. The fast mail train going
east and the Mexico and California eN-
press west bound collided 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 and tore hole i'm the ground
50 deep that the smoking cars OF the
westbound train went In on top OF the
three engines and two mail cars and
balanced there, without turning over
The passengers in the smoking car es-
capped through the windows. The front
end Of this car was enyeloped in a vol
umc OF sitting smoke and steam, belch-
ing up from the wreck below. and the
rear door was jammed tight In tire
wreck OF the car behind. The wreck
caught fire from the engines. The cars
in the hole and the smoking car burned
10 ashes in no time. In climbing out OF
the smoking car several men fell
through the riffs into the wreck below
and 1t is impossible TO tell whether they
escaped or were burned to death.
II is feared that nearly all Of the
seven mail clerks persisted i'm the dis
aster, but so far only eight bodies have
been taken from the wreck Those
dead are:
Jim Brennan. engineer. Topeka: Nate
HOLSTER fireman. Topeka: j II. Sours.
Kansas city, express messenger. body al
most consumed by fire; William Frisbey.
engineer; r. a. Doran, Emporia. postal
clerk; - Gonzalez. fireman west. bound
train: unknown man. tramp: brakeman.
name unknown, Topeka. Ben Walters, St
Joseph. Mo-, a fireman on the west-bcund
train. Is missing.
Among the seriously injured are: Claud
Holiday. Lawrence, express messenger.
both legs broken: d. c. Erter. Kansas city.
express messenger. legs broken. VIII die:
John Dagan, Topeka. face smashed: j. II.
Butler. county attorney Chase county. hip
broken. may die: William +. Jones. Kan
sas City. leg and arms broken: b. u.
Metik, Atchison. badly bruised: Phil
Schier. Kansas City. hip crushed; c. A.
Van Welt, brakeman. Kansas City. badly
brulsed William Patrick. Kansas City. leg
aud arm broken: G.. ID. Adams, City OF
Mexico. painfully bruised. Mike Sweeney.
Gainesville. Tex, back hurt.
The west-bound train carried seven
or enght coaches, and its passengers
included many excursionists who had
been 10 hear Hon. w. j. Bryan speak al
the county fair at Burlington. Mr.
Bryan himself was on the train, but
was riding in the rear Pullman some
400 feet from the ears which were
wrecked. lie states that nothing but
a heavy jolt was experienced by the
passengers i'm his coach. Mr.. Bryan
was one of the noblest men i'm the crowd
OF rescuers. lie helped TO carry out the
dead and wounded and gave the great
est attention TO their cares. One poor
fellow who was badly manned called
TO Mr.. Bryan and said: 81 went TO hear
you to-day; | am now dying and want
TO shake your hand and say God bless
YOU II you possibly can, Mr.. Bryan
get me drink Of water" Mr.. Bryan
went into the first mail car, one end OF
which was burning, and came out with
the drink OF water, which he gave 10
the suffering passenger. He brought
out cushions for others Of the injured
and was everywhere present TO minister
to the wants Of the suffering.