The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-09-09
w.. BRYAN A HERO.
He Mas Passenger on a Train
Which Was Wrecked
AND MUSTERED TO THE INJURED.
Two Trains Of the Santa Fe Coli
lided Head On.
MORE THAN A DOZEN KILLED.
The Great Democrat Received only "a
slight Jolt--Workcd to Get
others out of Fire.
MORE THAN A DOZEN KILLED.

maize MONSTER, fireman, Topeka
William Frsbey, engineer.
-. -. Gonzelas. fireman.
j. II. Sours. express messenger. Kansas
City.
r. A. Doran, postal cletk, Emroria.
-. shurley. fireman.
Daniel McKennon, boy. Kansas City.
Unknown man--tramp.
Ben Walters, fireman, St. Joseph. Mo-. |
is missing.
The mail clerks who are hurt are: w. |
+. Jones. II. @. McGes and Claude Holt
day. The latter may lie as both legs are |
broken and he is otherwise badly hurt
Kansas City Mo. September s-A special |
to the Times from Emporia Kan. says:
| One OF the worst wrecks in the history
OF the Santa Fe railroad occurred three
| miles east OF here about 1880 o'clock to-
night. Twelve or fifteen persons were
| killed and as many more were badly hurt.
The fast mail train going East and the
| Mexican and California express West
| bound oollided, head on. The Mexican and
+! California express was pulled by two loco
motives, and when they struck the engine
| drawing the fast mail, the boilers of all
three engines exploded and tore hole
in the ground so deep that the smoking
| car of the West bound train went In 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 enveloped In volume of
sitting smoke and steam, belching up
from the wreck below and the rear door
was jammed tight in the wreck OF the car
| behind.
The wreck caught FIRE from the engines.
| The cars in the hole and the smoking car
| burned TO ashes in no time. In climbing
out of the smoking car several men fell
through the riffs in the wreck below and
it is impossible to tell whether they ca
capped or burned to death.
The West bound train carried seven or
eight coaches and its passengers included
many excursionists who had been to hear
Hon. w. j. Bryan speak at the county
fair at Burlngame. Mr.. Bryan himself
was on the train but was riding in the
rear Pullman. some 400 feet from the cars
which were wrecked. lie states nothing but
a heavy jolt was experienced by the pas
sengers in his coach.
|
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 MANNED called to
Mr. Bryan and said: Il went to hear you
today, am dying now, and want TO shake
your hand and say God bless you. 70 You
possibly can. Mr. Bryan, get me drink
of water
Mr. Bryan went into the fast mail car,
one end Of which was burning, and came
out with the water, which he gave TO the
. suffering passenger. He brought ont cush
! ions for others OF the injured. and was
everywhere present to minister to the
wants of the suffering.
n 1t Is stated that the wreck was caused
. by a miscarriage OF orders from the train
master AT Emporia the East bound fast
mail train received orders to pass the Cal
ifornia express at Lang, seven miles East
Another order was sent to Lang for the
I; California express to take the siding there.
But this order wat not delivered and the
+ West bound train passed on. the train
men expecting to pass the fast mail at
n Emporia. These two are the fast trains
on the Santa Fe system and the West
d bound train must have been running al
! a speed of at least forty miles an hour
=. The West bound express was going around
a slight curve. or the seven or eight cars
making up the Mexican and California ex.
:. press, only the mail and baggage and cx-
= press and smoking cars were destroyed. TIT
~ coach following the smoker was badly
= splinterod.
10 There were not more than dozen pas
ia sengers in the fast mall all in one coach
e and while none OF them were siriously In
jured, the shaking up they received wa
= terrible. Every seat in the coach was tori
> from the floor and many floor planxs cam
y I'm with the seats. One man, Johl
Sweeney, was thrown over three seats ant
through a window. but escaped with oni!
scratches and bruises. The other cars
the fast mail, baggage and express car
were totally wrecked.
1t is feared that nearly all the sevel
: mail clerks persisted in the disaster. SO Ia
only seven bodies have been taken iron
= tho wreck.
The dead are,
jim E,ennan. engineer. Topeka.
Tate HOLSTER fireman, Topeka.
j. F. Sorrs, Kansas City. express mes
3 senger. body almost consumed by fire.
william Frisby. engineer
r. A. Doran. Emporia. postal clerk.
Bragman FIRST name unknown, Topeka
81 - Gonzales, fireman. wes.bouad train
81 Unknown tramp.
Among the seriously injured are:
Fl Clause Holiday. Lawrence. express mes
q senger. both legs brokeh-