Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1897-09-11
TEN KILLED.
Head End Collision OF Santa F'e
Trains Near Emporia-
MANY PERSONS FATALLY INJURED.
accident Was Due to the Miscarriage Of
0rders-Fire Adds 70 the Horror-w.
J. bryan One Of the Passen-
gers-Loss Over 100000.

EMPoRrA, Kan, Sept G-Ten are
dead and IL are injured, some Of them
fatally, rs the result Of head-end col.
lision Of two Of the fastest trains In
the Santa Fe service at 1880 last night.
The fast mail train, eastbound, and
the California and Mexico express,
westbound, crashed together on 4
curve three miles east Of Emporia.
The engines exploded, tearing an inn
tnense hole in the earth into which
the baggage and mail cars plunged
and were consumed by FIRE. The list
of the dead are:
James Brennan, engineer. Topeka. Kan;
Nate HOLSTER, fireman. Topeka, Kan; Julius
H. 4. Sauer. messenger. Wells-Fargo express
Kansas City. Mo-; William Frisbey, engineer
OF fast mail train; r. O MCGEE. postal clerk,
Kansas City; r A. Doran. postal clerk. En-
poria: - Bragman. 6s3 Locust street. Topeka;
Kan; - Gonzales. fireman OF westbound
train Daniel McKennon, II years old. go Han
cock street Topeka Kan: two unknown tramps
The wreck was caused by the mis-
carriage Of orders from the trainmas-
ter. The conductor Of the eastbound
train was ordered ut Emporia to meet
and pass the California flyer ut Lang,
seven miles east. An order sent TO
Lang to the conductor Of the westbound
train for him to wait there was not
delivered and he supposed he was to
pass at Emporia. Each train was hur-
rying-one to Emporia, the other to
Lang-and met ut full speed on the
main line. The westbound train was
making not less than 40 miles an hour
when the wreck occurred.
The California train was almost an
hour late and. owing to Mr.. Bryan's
lecture engagement at Burlingame,
was crowded to the guards with ex-
cursionists returning home. Fortu-
nately this pressure was relieved some
what by many Of the passengers get
ting off at Usage City. The express
train was drawn by two locomotives
and when they struck the fast mail all
three Of the engines exploded and tore
hole in the track SO deep that the smok-
ing car Of the westbound train went
on top Of the wreck Of the three en-.
gines and two mail cars, and balanced
there without turning over. Those in
this cur who escaped through the win.
dows came very near turning the car
over, in which event the fatality would
have been much greater, Us this car
soon caught fire from the exploded en-.
gines underneath II and burned to
ashes in no time. In jumping out Of
the windows one or two are known to
have fallen into the burning debris
underneath and their fate Is unknown.
There were not more than dozen
passengers in the fast mail, all in one
coach, and while none of them were
seriously injured. the shaking up was
terrible. Every seat was torn from its
floor fastenings with such force that
many of them pulled planks from the
floor with them.
On the west bound train was W. j.
Bryan and I. NJ. Potter. Both men
did splendid work in the work of res
cue. Mr.. Bryan assisted in carrying
out Of the wreckage two postal clerks.
He was by the side Of Engineer Fris-
bee and helped attend him until the
doctors and relief train arrived from
Emporia.
1t was some minutes before the PEG.
pie realized the full extent of the
accident. When it was realized the
excitement was intense, but the cooler
ones went to work like trojans and did
heroic work in rescuing the less for
tunate train crew and passengers.
There happened to be house near by,
occupied by farmer named jackson,
and a water brigade was Immediately
formed to prevent q confagration.
Stretchers were improvised and rs the
dead and wounded were taken from
the debris they were passed down from
the top Of the ruins by string OF men
who worked nobly.
The dead and mangled bodies Of four
victims were dragged to the grass be-
side the tracks. The women passen.
gers huddled In terror and watched
the flames grow higher and higher.
As the FIRE reared and cracked like
furnace, men with blanched face
fought with the bravery of he
roes to subdue it, but they were
working under the most adj
verse circumstances, and 1t seemed
that they would be unable to
stay the course Of the fire fiend.
The flames ut one time rose to such
height that they could be seen in EN-
poria, three miles away. After her
culean work, they were subdued, and
it is hoped that no bodies were incin-
Grated.
Trains over the Santa Fe will be run
by way Of Ottawa for few days. The
cost of the wreck TO the railway Is esti.
mated Mt 500. 900.