The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1897-06-30
SEVEN LIVES LOST.
Appalling Railway Dis aster Near
Missouri City, Mo.
Train Piunges Through "A TrestIe--
BESIDES the Dead, Nineteen Pas
sengers Receive Severe Iniu-
ries-DetaiIs of the Mishup.

Kansas City, Mo-. June 2s.-West-
bound passenger train No. 6 on the
Wabash railway, which left Kansas City
at $50 o'clock Saturday night, crashed
through bridge over Wayles creek, IA
miles west of Missouri City, ut seven
o'clock.
A correct list of the dead is as fol-
lows: w. S. Mills, postal clerk, ST.
Louis; o. NJ. Smith, postal clerk ST.
Louis; Gustave A. Smith, postal clerk,
st. Louis; Charles Winters, postal clerk,
St. Louis; +. w Brink, postal clerk, ST.
Louis; Edward Grindroo, baggagemas-
ter, st. Louis; Charles L. Greasley,
brakeman, ST. Louis.
The conductor of the train, G. c.
Copeland, of st. Louis. who was report
ed among the dead, is still alive. He
was removed Saturday morning to the
railroad hospital at Moberly. With -
fractured skull and several broken ribs
he fingers between life and death, but
the surgeons express hope that he will
recover. Conductor Copeland was sup
posed to be dead when taken from the
wreck and his body, with handker-
chief down over the face, was ranged in
a row with the seven corpses. A few
minutes later some one observed sign
of life and he was quickly transferred
10 stretcher and given every possible
attention.
All indications are that death came
to at least four of the five unfortunate
mail clerks almost instantaneously.
Their car pitched end first through the
break in the trestle, and they must
have been drowned in the raging stream
while in an unconscious condition. The
remains of the four were carried from
the wreck and were recovered some dis
lance down the stream. There were
signs OF life in the body of the fifth mail
clerk when rescuers dragged him from
the wreck, but he died a few minutes
later on the bank of the creek.
OF the 10 others injured not one is in a
critical condition. Among all there Is
not one broken limb, though many of
them were thrown three-quarters of the
length of the coaches in which they
were riding. Mrs. w. II. Wilkinson, of
Kansas City, is the most seriously hurt.
Two small bones of her left hand are
broken and she suffered n severe lacera-
ton of the thigh as well as bruises about
the face and neck. The wounds of most
of the others are trivial.
AS the train struck the trestle it
swung out of line, being weakened by
the tremendous volume of water that
was flowing beneath il. The engine
passed over safely, but the structure
went down beneath the mail car and the
tender was broken loose from the en-
CINE and fell off the track on its side.
The mail car went down into the water,
the express car followed, each falling
Oil its side; the chair car tipped
down into the chasm, and as the rear
end raised up the front end of the sleep
er went up and it stood on end, the
lower end grinding and crushing the
mail and baggage cars beneath it.
The front end of the sleeper was out
over the chasm, but it was held in place
by the coupling of the two Excelsior
Springs cars behind it. The accident
happened during one of the heaviest
transforms ever seen in that country.
1t was accompanied by tremendous
iOll VI anu the IIOSI NlNlu ll0nt-
ming. The clements and the horrible
nature of the accident combined to
makeit one of the most terrifying sights
imaginable. Before anyone could real
ize what had happened the cries of the
injured filed the air.
AS soon as Engineer Carlisle realized
what had happened he started as fast as
his crippled engine could travel for Mis-
souri, City and reported the wreck. A
wreck crew left Moberly shortly after.
Twenty minutes after the wreck was
reported special train carrying the
officials of the line and a score of doc
tors left Moberly and made one of the
quickest trips ever made over the line
to the scene of the wreck.
The work of rescuing the passengers
who were injured began with great
promptness, but was accomplished with
the greatest difficulty. Not trainman
was to be found. The crew were all in
the wreck, and only the conductor of
the Pullman and his porter were there
to help the passengers. They took
charge promptly and rendered valua BILE
assistance. The occupants of the smoker
who were in the rear end managed to
scramble out of the car and escape.