The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1897-09-10
WRECK MOST AWFUL.
Two Fast Santa Fe Trains Come
Together in Kansas.
NUMBER OF DEAD UNKOwN.
70 IL Certain the Victims WIN EEessd
Ten aad the InJursd - Many
Mors-MiHsd orders Caused
the Terrible Accident

road occurred three miles east OF here
about 1880 last night Twelve or hf-
teen people were killed and as many
more we're hurt. The fast fail train
going east and the Mexican and Cali
fornia express. west bound. eollided
head-on. The Mexican and California
express was pulled by two locomotives
and when they struck the engine draw
Ing the fast mail the boilers OF all
three engines exploded and tore a hole
in the ground 80 deep that the smok-
ing car Of the westbound train went
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. Tho
front end Of this car was enveloped In
a volume Of stihing smoke and steam
belehlng up from the wreck below and
the rear door was jammed tight 80 the
wreck Of the car behind. The wreck
caught hre from the engines The
cars In the hole and the smoking cars
burned to ashes In no time. In climb
Ing out Of the smoking car several
men fell through the riffs In the wreck
below and Il Ia impossible TO tell
whether they escaped or were burned
to death. The westbound train car
ried seven or eight coaches and lts
passengers included many excursion
lists who had been 10 hear Honorable
W. J. Bryan speak Al the county fair
Al Burlingame Mr. Bryan himself was
on the train. but was riding IN the
rear Pullman. some 400 fos from the
cars which WIRE wrecked. lie states
that nothing but a heavy jolt was ex-
perisnoed BY the passengers In his
coach.
Il is said that the wreck was caused
BY miscarriage orders from the train
master AZ Rmporia the eastbound
fast mail train received orders to pass
the California eHpross at Lang. seven
miles east Another order was sent 10
Lang for the caiIfarnia express to take
the siding there But this order was
not delivered and the wcsthound train
passed, the tralnmen expecting 10 pass
the fast mail al Emporia. These two
are the fast trains on the Santa Re
system and the wosi sib0nnd train must
have been running AZ a speed Of At
least 20 miles an hour.
The wesbound exppss was going
around a slight onrve on the seven or
eigh; cars making up the Mexican and
California express ou'y the mail. bag
gaze and express verc destroyed. The
coach following the smoker was badly
spllntercd
There we're not more than a dozen
passengers on the fas, mail. all In one
coach. and whne none Of them were Sc
rioualy inHrci. the shaking up reoeiy-
ed was terrible
Every seat In the coach was torn
from the floor and many noor planks
came up with the seats
One man. Jcghn Sweeney. was thrown
over three seats and through a win
dow. but escaped with only scratches
and bruises. The other oars % the fast
mail. a hagrAse and express cars, were
totally vreckcd.
The numhsr Of dead will exceed 10
During the excitement early In the
evening Il was reported that nearly all
Of the six postal clerks Of the TIVE
trains we're killed or missing Two Of
the clerks were killed All OF the 9th
ers. save ona arr more or less seriously
injured.
The lisLot the dead:
James Brennan. engineer, Topeka.
Nate Honiaev. hrcman. Topeka.
william Frishy. engineer
, Gonzales. fireman.
J.F. sours. express messenger. Kan
uas CITY.
r. A. Doran. postal clerk. Emporla
- shurley. fireman.
Daniel McKemon. boy. Kansas City
Unknown tramp,
Ben Walters. hreman. st. Joseph
No. is missing.
Tho mail clerks whoiare hurt are:
VIZ. Jones. R. o. Mc0ee and CLAUDE
Holiday. The latter may die al
both legs are broken and, he Is other
lee badly hurt.
Among the seriously injured are
Claude Holiday. Lawrence. express
messenger, both legs broken.
d. c. Erter. Kansas City, expires
messenger. legs broknn. viii die.
JohnlD. Esan. Topeka, faen mashed
1T. Butler. attorney. Chase county
hip broken.
William +. Jones' Kansas city lc
and arms broken.
Phil schIcr, Kansas cry, HI
crushed.
william Patrick. Kansas City, le
and arm broken.
c. ID. Adams. Cey OF Mexlco, pain
fully bruised.