, 1897-09-09
WRECK ON SANTA PE.
TWO EXPRESS TRAINS WITH
THREE ENGINES COLLIDE
WITH FATAL RESULTS.
They Were Going at Almost Lightning
Speed-Ten Killed and More Than
as Many More Injured-Bryan on
the Train-He Was Active in Car
ing for the Dying.

oAS Vi tne "OlSt WItChS III lHe his
tory G. the Santa Fe railroad occurred
three miles east of here az about 1880
o'clock tonight. Twelve to Is persons
were killed and as many more were bad
ly injured.
Il is feared that nearly all the seven
mail clerks persisted in the disaster, but
so far only six bodies have been taken
from the wreck. The fast mail train,
east, and the Mexico and Cali
fornia express, west-bound, collided.
head on. The Mexico 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 so deep that the smoking car OF
the west-bound train went in on top o.
the three engines and two wrecked mail
cars and balanced there, without turn
ing over. The passengers in the smok-
ing car escaped through the windows.
The front end Of this car was enveloped
In a volume OF sitting smoke and steam
beiching out from the wreck below, and
the rear door was damned tight in the
wreck OF the car behind. The wreck
caught fire from the engines. The cars
in the hole and the smokins car burned
to ashes in no time, In climbing From
the smoking car. several men fol,
the riffs in the wreck below
and It is impossible to tell whether thew
or were burned to dsath.
The w~est-boupd rain carried eie1,,
coaches. and its passenpers Included
MANY exc,rsionis,s who had bsen tn
hear Hon. W. ]. BRYAN sneak at he
county fair at Burlineame Mr., Brvan
himself was ON the trai bpt was riding
in the rear Pullman. some 400 feet from
the cars which we're wrecked. He states
that nothing but a heavy Jolt was ex-
oerienced by the in b,s
coach.
Mr.. BRYAN was one q, the mobiles. men
in the crowd of rescuers. He helned tn
carry out the dead and wounded, and
the greatest attention, IN their care
One poor fellow who was badly ms, lined
called to Mr.. Bryan and said: 81 went
to hear YOU TODAY: 7 am diving now, and
want to shake your hand and saw Col
bless Won II va, nossiblv ran Mr.
Bryan. ge: me a drink Of water"
Mr.. BRYAN went into the fast mai,
car. one end of which was burning and
came cut with the drink Of water whic,
he gave to the suffering passenger. He
brought out cushions for others n. the
injured and was everywhere present To
minister in the wants of tbe suffering
The engineers Of the west-boupd train
had received orders to meet the Fast ma,
at Empor,a. and were making I'M ,ost
time. These two are tho s,s+est train,
on the Sam, Ee svs,am and +be vost-
bound train must have been running at
a speed nj at least an miles an bo,,r
The ~bopnd exnress w,s oo;nx,
around a slight curve and mot tho fact
mail probably within eoo feet
O: the seven or eight cars making I'M
the Mexico and Csliforni, ennress on,v
the mail baggage and exnrsss and smok-
ing cars were DESTROYED. The coach FOL-
lowing the smoler u,a bad,v sr,,n.arod
There was MT mora than n do,on nos
anger on the fast mai, ali in ona
co,ch. and while nome q, Them wers cor.