The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-09-10

Twelve or Fifteen People Killed on
the Sante Fe Road.

Kansas City, Mo Sept. "a soecial
to the Times from Emporia, Kas,, saws:
One of the worst wrecks in the history
of :he Santa Fe railroad occurred three
miles east of here at about 80 O'Clock last
night. Twelve or fifteen persons were
killed, and as many more badly hurt
The fast mail going east, and the Mex
leo and California express was being
pulled by two locomotives, and when they
struck the engine drawing the fast mail,
the three engines exploded and tore n
hole in the ground SO deep that the smok
ing car of the west bound train ran on
top of the three engines 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 enve loped in a
volume of sitting smoke and steam.
belching ur from the wreck below and
the rear door was jammed tight in the
wreck OF the car behind
The wreck caught fire from the en-
gines. The cars in the hole anu the
smoker burned 70 ashes in short time
In climbing out of the smoking car sew
eral men fell through the riffs into the
wreck below, and it is impossible to tell
whether they ESCAPED or were burned To
death.
The west bound train carried seven or
eight coaches, and its passengers include
many eXcursionists, who had been to
hear Hon. W. j. Bryan speak at the
county fair at Burlingame Mr.. 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 IL heavy jolt was expe-
rienced by the passengers in his coach.
MIR. Bryan was one Of the noblest men
in the crowd of rescuers. He helped to
carry out the dead and wounded, and
gave the greatest attention to their care.
One poor fellow, who was badly maimed.
called to Mr.. Bryan and said:
II went to hear you today. am now
dying and want to shake your hand and
say GOD bless YOU. If you possibly can,
Mr.. Bryan, get me Il drink OF WATER
Mr. Bryan went into the fast mail car,
one end of which wus burning, and came
out with the water, which he gave to the
suffering passenger. Tile brought out
cushions for others of the injured, and
was everywhere present to administer to
the wants of the suffering.
IL is feared that nearly all of the seven
mail clerks persisted in the disaster, but
so far only eight bodies have been take;
from the wreck
Those dead are Jim Brennan, agineer,
Topeka; Nat Holster, fireman, Topeka; j.
'-cNtSiS, iNdHSttS AlINJ eNDTcSS ines
senger, body almost consumed by fire:
II. a. Doran, Empora postal clerk; w.
Gonzales, fireman, west bound train: I'M
known mau, tramp, Topeka; W. Brag
man.
Among the seriously injured are Clnud
Holiday, Lawrence, Kansas, express mes
senger, both legs broken, will die; John
Dagan. Topeka, face smashed; j. j. But
Ter, county attorney, Chase county, hin
broken, may die; William f. Jones, Kan.
sas City, leg and a ms broken; b. T.
Metik, Atcbi-on, badly bruised; Poll
Sicher Kansas City, hip crushed;.C A.
Nanvel, brakeman, Kansas City. badly
bruised, William Patrick, Kansas City,
leg and arm broken; G.. y. Arams, City of
Mexico, painfully Bruised; Mike Swee-
nev, Gainesville, Texas, hack hurt
Ben Waters, ST. Joseph, Mo-, fireman
on the westbound train, is missing
The engineer of the westbound train
had received orders to meet the fast mail
at Emporia and was making up los.
time. These two .are the fastest trains
on the Santa Fe system, and the west
bound train must have been running Mt a
speed of ct least forty miles au hour. The
westbouhd express was going around
slight curve, and met the fast mail,
probably within two hundred feet
the Mexico and California express, only
the mail, baggage aud express and smok-
ing cars were destroyed. The coach fol.
lowing the smoker was badly splintered.
There were not more than a dozen pas
sengerS on the fast mail, all in one
coach. While nouc of them was seri
onsiy injured, their shaking up was ter
rlble. Every seat in tue coach was torn
from the floor, and many floor plsnks
came up with the seats. One man, John
Sweeney, was thrown over three seats
and through Il window.
1t is stated that the wreck was caused
by II miscarriage of orters.from the train
master. At Empora, the eastbound fast
mail train received orders TO pass the
California express at Land, seven miles
east. Another order was sent to the CAL
ifornia express tC take the Siding there,
but this order was not delivered, and the
west bound train passed by the siding,
the train men expecting to pass the fast
mail at Empora.
nm n 80