The Topeka state journal., 1897-08-09
SANTA Re COLLISION.
Rear End Bumped Up Between
Passenger Trains at Bur-
Iingame This Morning.

A rear end collision between two sec
tions of Santa Fe eastbound train No.
occurred at 6:4O o'clock this morning
at Burlingame station. This is the
train that usually goes east through
Topeka at O'Clock a. M The second
section chashed into the rear of the
first section with considerable force as
it was leaving the station after a stop,
but no one was seriously injured.
MIR. r.G-H. EdgeWorth of Ottawa, a pos
tai clerk on the first section of the
train, sustained the most severe injur-
les. While making ready to jump from
the rolling door and the door frame and
badly cut. His injuries were dressed
at the Santa Fe hospital in this city.
A number of the passengers were
the collision, but none injured SO Sc
verely as to necessitate their leaving
the train. Mr.. E. D. Kenna, general
solicitor of the Santa Fe, occupied a
special car on the rear of the second
section, and was in bed when the col
lision occurred.
None of the cars in the two trains
or either of the engines were damaged
to any extent A number of drawheads
were broken, but these were temporar-
lily repaired and the trains proceeded to
Topeka The collision delayed the trains
but 40 minutes at Burlingame.
Train No. is due to arrive in this
city at 4:45 a. M. 1t was over two
hours late this morning and was run
ming in two sections on account of un-
usually heavy traffic. Both trains
were running at a high rate of speed iii
the attempt to make up time.
Train No. 2 is a through train and
does not usually stop at Burlingame.
This morning, however, the first sec
ton carried passengers returning from
California who reside at Burlingame,
and when nearing Burlingame station
the conductor signalled the engineer to-
stop. Hardly had the train started
after allowing the passengers to alight
aPf a ho6 a md
the curve and crashed into the rear
car.
The first section was in charge of
Conductor Mckay and Engineer Nc
Keon, and the second section in charge
of Conductor Peterson and Engineer
Jones'
trains, and while Engineer Jones was
endeavoring to stop his train, Engi-
neer McKeon was doing all in his pow
er to get out of the way. By the first
section moving away the force of the
collision was considerably broken.
None of the trainmen were injured to
any extent. The fireman on the en-
gine of the second section jumped be-
fore the trains came together and es-
capped with few bruises
G. H. Edgeworth, the postal clerk,
who was severely injured, was an eye
witness of the collision, he was
looking out of the mail car door at the
timey He said:
1.-The track curves in a very mean
way at Burlingame station, and the en-
gineer of the second section was unable
to see the first section until he was al
most upon it. 1t is also a bad piece of
track tosstart an engine with heavy
train on, and for this reason the en-
gineer of our train was unable to get
out of the way. The trains were be-
hind time and were making fast time
and while they were at safe distance
while both were moving, the time lost
in coming to full stop and letting
the passengers off was sufficient to
bring them together. 1t is something
unusual for No. to stop at Burling-
anne, and the engineer on the second
section was of course not expecting it.
The affair will be investigated by Di-
vision Superintendent Mcclellan.