The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1897-09-11
'THE SANTA FE WRECK.
ooone More Easily Imagined
than Described.
~ KILLED AND FIFTEEN INJURED
vi,dms, For the Most Part, Were
rain Hands or Postal Clerks-A
Miracle that All On Board
Were Not Killed,

'sss heod-end collision on the Atchi-
~ ronel,a & Santa Fe proves the
WV w., disaster that has occurred on
M't u system in many years. Ten peo-
'l'' ,rsre killed outright or soon died
.beir injuries, and Is others were
,re or less seriously injured. One or
IVY n tbe wounded may yet succumb.
MAT the wreck did not result more
,.rouslv seems miraculous.
william ]. Bryan, who was passen-
.on one of the trains, escaped unin-
IA and worked heroically in rescu-
tha unfortunates and allievating
heir sufTerings
Tbo wrecked trains were the fastest
!, This vicinity, the fast mail east
soond and the California and Mexico
s.arass west-bound. Each was run
sira AT the rate of 40 miles an hour or
over
rbe wreck occurred at 1880 p. M,
b,ae miles east of Emporia, on small
,nlvert that crossed dry stream. The
,nlvort was not more than ten feet
rde and the foremost engine OF the
rs,t-bound train had spanned it when
,bs collision occurred. The embanlI-
mani anproaches to this culvert were
,bont ten feet high. This added to the
danger
The wreck was caused by the mis-
carving of orders from the train mas
t,r The conductor of the east-bound
train was ordered at Emporia to meet
md pass the California flyer at Lang,
,ev4n miles west. An order sent to
Lang to the conductor of the west
hound train for him to wait there was
moi delivered. and he supposed he was
10 pass at Emporia. Each train was
hurryng-one to Emporia; the other
10 Lanp-and met at full speed on the
main line.
The California train was almost an
hour late and, owing to Mr.. Bryan's
lecture engagement at Burlingame,
was crowded with excursionists return
Ing home
The west-bound train carried eight
passenger coaches, and all were
crowded,
The conductor and brakeman were
Vettng their lanterns ready for Em-
pora, only three miles away. There
was no warning signal. The
wcst-bound train was going around
slight curve, and met the
fast mail probably within 200
feet There was a shock as if the train
had bumped up against stone wall
Then there was an explosion. crash
Ing sound, an uncertain movement OF
The coaches and all the lights went
out Those who were in the first
coach in the west-bound train were
left in total darkness, and they very
soon realized the peril of their posi-
lion, for the coach was filed with
steam and smoke and also that pc
culiar smelling steam arising from the
pouring OF hot water on cinders.
The west-bound 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
70 deep that the smoking car OF the
west-bound train went on top OF the
wreck of the three engines and two
mail cars, and balanced there without
urning over. Those in this cal
who escaped through the windows
came very near turning the car over
10 which event the fatality would have
been much greater, as this car sooI
caught fire from the exploded englne'
Underneath it and was burned to ashe'
In no time
The cars of the fast mail did no
leave the track. There were not NOR
lhan dozen passengers on the latte
train and all these were in one coach
While none were fatally injured, all il
this car received terrible shaking up
and some of them were painful,
bruised.
One man, John Sweeney, was throw
over three seats clear out of a window
and by some miracle was uninjured.
As the passengers and trainmen re
covered from the shock they looked TO
The injured and dead. Far down in tn
heaps OF debris sounded the wailinI
voices of men, pleading for aid. Whll
lhe rescuers were working with migh
and main to get at the unfortunate
llre broke out in the wreckage OF tn
Forward coaches, and Il cry for waite
went up. The water tanks were tor
from their fastenings in the coache
mat could be entered, and blood b.
smeared men carried them over tn
ufoken timbers in a vain attempt
Haell the fast spreading flames.
The women passengers huddled u
gether in terror, and watched tn
names grow higher and higher. III
hre roared and crackled like a furnac
and men with blanched faces fougl
WIN the bravery of heroes to su
due it.
After herculean efforts the liam
were finally subdued, and the work
rescue made more easy.
Engineer Brennan was FUND und
n ms engine, dead. Engineer Nate H'
llster was thrown 80 feet from his
g'ne and was picked up dead. Enl
leer trisbie was picked up some d
,anee from the track, fatally inJure
Den Walters, his fireman. was terrio
uangled Shurley and Gonzalla, III
men on No l, were fatally injured q
ued after being removed from t
wreck.
Ihe four postal clerks on No. we
~ NJ found. They we're r o. Metz
" /. Jones. NJ. ]. McGlade and Clau
holiday, all Of Kansas City.
holidays legs are broken and he
blurred Internally.
AZ j. MoGlade was crushed .
1.s..ea s about TIE head and body .