Mexico weekly ledger., 1897-07-01
THE WABASH e
Seven Persons Killed Saturday Night
at Missouri City Conductor
Copeland Dangerously
Injured.

Copeland dangerously
Injured.
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, June 27.-The
st. Louis fast mail on the Wabash,
which left here at $3.50 Saturday night,
went through a bridge over Woyle's
Greek, one mile west of Missouri City,
at z O'Clock that night.
The train was made up of a sleeper
through to Toledo, a mail car, combi-
nation baggage and express car,
smoker, chair car and Excelsior
Springs car. The engine and tender
passed safely over the bridge, but the
mail car went through and the cars
following plunged on top. The mail
car was reduced to splinters and all
it's occupants were killed. The bridge
had been undermined by the heavy
rains, and collapsed a the train start
ed across.
A farmers boy, who discovered the
condition of the bridge, tried to
flag the oncoming train, but could not
reach it in time. A freight train, which
was following, was stopped just in
time to prevent its plunging through
the bridge.
The bodies of the dead were sent to
Moberly and the wounded were
brought to Kansas City and taken to
the hospitals.
The gorge, which a few hours previ-
ously was practically empty, had be-
come a Raging torrent by a tremen-
dous downpour of rain, and the struct-
ure weakened. 1t was a wooden tres
tie on a curve, which was built several
years ago to avoid using a tunnel that
was formerly used. AS the train struck
the trestle it swung out of line, being
weakened by the tremendous volume
of water that was flowing beneath it.
The engine passed over safely, but
the structure went down beneath the
mail car and the tender was broken
loose from the engine and fell off the
| side of the track on its side. The mail
car went down into the water. The
express car followed, each falling on
their sides. The chair car tipped down
into the chasm, and as the rear end
raised up the front end of the sleeper
went into it and stood it 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 Excelsior
Springs car behind it.
The accident happened during one
of the heaviest rain storms ever seen
in that country. 1t was accompanied
by a tremendous roll of thunder and
the most vivid lightning. The ele-
ments and the horrible nature of the
accident combined to make it one OF
the most terrifying sights imagin-
able.
Before anyone could realize what
had happened, the cries of the injured
filled the air. Shrieks and shouts for
help came from all sides.
Some one shouted that the wreck
was on fire, and another shouted that
a freight train was following closely.
One of the young men in the rear
coach sprang off and ran back down
the track, and with an umbrella flag
ged the freight train, that was close
in the rear, and the crew of that train
hurried down to render what aid was
possible.
AS soon as Engineer Billy Carlisle
realized what had happened, he start
ed as fast as his crippled engine could
travel for Missouri City and reported
the wreck. A wreck crew left Mober-
~ shortly after. Twenty minutes after
the wreck was reported a special train
carrying the officials of the line and a
score of doctors left Moberly and
made one of the quickest trips ever
made on the line to the wreck. Word
was sent to Kansas City for a special
with doctors, and the Wabash surgeon,
DIR. Jabez N. Jackson, with a dozen of
his assistants, was Dor at the station.
1t was then learned that the ones with
slighter injuries could be brought back
to the city quicker and the special was
not run. The doctors waited at the
| station for the train that brought the
injured in.
The work of rescuing the passengers
who were injured began with great
promptness, but was accomplished
with the greatest difficulty.
Not a train man was to be found.
The crew were all in the wreck anc
only the conductor of the Pullman
and his porter were there to help the
passengers. They took charge prompt
ly and rendered valuable assistance.
The occupants of the smoker who
were in the rear end managed to
scramble out of the a and escaped,
although it is pretty certain a number
were unable to get out.
The worst damage was done to the
| chair car. Conductor Copeland had
just entered the front door of that
coach when it went down. The punch
of the sleeper behind and under it
sent the occupants of the a in a pile
down at the front. Chairs went tumb-
ling down along with the people and
beneath the mass Copeland was
thrown. A heavy chair struck him
and crushed his head badly, while q
score of other people were piled above
him. The brakeman and news agent
| were in the smoker and went down
| with it.
coPELAND's PROPHETIC WORDS.
Conductor Copeland's last words
before the fatal lunge were prophetic.
They were 81 hate to 60 over these
bridges in the dark" The words were
called out by the remark of a travel
ing man who entered the smoking
car at a small station this side of the
wreck.
"It will rain for two hours yet" he
said to Conductor Copeland.
~