Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-07-01

left here at $50 Saturday evening
plunged through the treslIe at Missouri
City, Mo, five minutes after seven, car
rying the entire train with the excep-
ton Of the rear car, a Pullman. A !
gorge which a few hours previously
had been practically empty became a /
raging torrent by a tremendous down
pour of rain, and the structure was
weakened. Seven persons are known
TO be deaf and the list may reach %.
There were % passengers in the chair
car and only few of these are account
ed for In lie intense confusion that
enSued it became impossible to estimated
the dead or wounded.
The train known as No 6, left this
city at $40 p. m. and was composed Of
a man car, baggage, express, smoker,
chair, sleeper and two coaches for Elk
celsior Springs. 1t had made u-e run
without incident until the bridge abort
two miles this side of Missouri City
was reached. There was a wooden
trestle on curve, which was built sew
eral years ago to avoid using a tunnel
formerly used. AS >ne train struck the
trestle the structure swung out of line
being weakened by the tremendous vol
ume of water that was flowing beneath
it. The engine passed over safely, but
the structure went down beneath the
mail car and the tender broke loose
from the engine and fell off the track
on it's side. The mail car went down
into the water. The express car fol-
lowed, each falling on their sides, the
chair car tipped down into the chasm
and as the rear end raised up the front
Of c1o
on it's end, the lower end grinding and
crushing the mail and baggage cars be-
meath it. Inc front end of the sleeper
was out over the chasm but was held in
place by the coupling of the two cars
behind it.
The accident happened during one of
the heaviest rain storms ever seen in
this country. 1t was accompanied by a
tremendous roll of thunder and most
vivid lightning The elements and the
horrible nature of the accident COM
bined to make it one of the most terrify-
ing sights imaginable. Before anyone
could realize what had happened the
cries of the injured filled me air.
Shrieks and shouts for help came from
all sides. The number of dead is es
timated al from to 25. The known
dead number nine. The names are:
Charles c. Copeland, st. Louis, con-
ductor of the train.
Edward Creidrod, St. Louis, express
and baggage master.
o. M. Smith, st. Louis, postal clerk.
Frank ". Brink, st. Louis, postal
clerk.
Saul W 4nters, ST. Louis, postal clerk.
w. S. Mills, st. Louis, postal clerk.
Gus Smith, ST. Louis, postal clerk.
c. P. Greasley, St Louis, brakeman.
Train boy, name unknown.
The following is as complete list
of the injured as can be obtained:
Mrs. c. S. PraUher, Columbia, Mo,
head, shoulders and neck very badly in
iured; Artelia Prather, Columbia, Mo-,
eight years old, head and face cut; w.
II. Wilkinson, Kansas City, shoulder
injured, head and face covered with
cuts; Mrs. w. H. Wilkinson, Kansas
City, right arm broken, head and face
cut: Miss Alice Darcy, Kansas City,
head badly cut both arms sprained,
side injured; Miss Nellie Merrick, Car
rolton back badly hurt; Mrs. Sallie
Matthews, Kansas City, side hurt; Ed
ward Dillon, Holiday, Kan, head
bruised ana cut, knee sprained; DR.. Sol.
Gray, Prairie Hill, Mo. right knee and
both elbows injured; l. W. Hinnon
Mexico, both legs badly bruised.
John Ennis, a travelling salesman
was in the rear car of the train which
was the only one who escaped INJURY
1t was also the only car in which none
of the passengers were injured. Ennis
had an interview with a farmer who
had come from Missouri City in the
evening and waited at the scene of the
- tI,o +rsoi q
have waved a flag on the track, but oW-
ing to the terrific rain the engineer was
unable to see the signal Ennis said
that the engine passed over the trestle
which broke Immediately afterwards
and the tender. together with the front
car were thrown backward into t-eI
gorge. The farmer said that at the
time of the wreck the gorge was a rag
ing torrent Of ten feet or more IN deptn'
The bridge was clearly unsafe when
imDeled him to stand in the storm IN
his attempt to flag the train.
On account of the death or injury or
most Of the trainmcn the passengers !
were left to take independent action IN !
rescuing the victims. One OF the
most important thirgs and one when
secured the safety of the remaining |
passengers on the train was the flag
ging of a freight train which followed |
the passenger train about ten minutes. !
This train was tagged by passengers !
500 feet from the wreck, |
1t is estimated that there were at |
least 40 passengers in the smoking car
and that not more than 10 were res /
cued on this side of the gorge. Most /
of the smoker passengers if they were |
saved were found on the other side. ,
The newsboy and conductor were both .
in the front smoking car at the time of .
the wreck. Edwin Zea and G. w.
Harbold of Kansas City were the men !
who tagged the approaching freight |
train Both agreed measurably with
EnSis in their accounts of the wreck /
and the estimates Of the number killed.
Both said that they did not see train
man after the wreck and were of the
opinion that all except the engineer,
fireman and Pullman conductor were
killed.
AS soon as the engineer realized
what had happened he started as fast
as his crippled engine could travel for
Missouri City and reported the wreck.
A wrecking crew left Moberly shortly
after Twenty minutes after the
wreck was reported a special train
carrying the officials of the line and
a score of doctors left Moberly and