Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-06-27
PLUNGED INTO A TORRENT.
Terrible Wreck of a Wabash Train
Near Missouri City.

Twenty People Supposed to Have
Been Killed, Including All the
Train Mon Except tbs Engineer,
Fireman, and Pullman Conductor.
A Farmer Tried to Flag the Train
But the Weather Was So Thick
the Engineer Gould Not See the
Signal-The Engine Passed Over
Safely, But All the Rest OF the
Train Went Down Except the
Pullman Car at the Rear.
Kansas City, Mo. June 26.-The st.
Louis express on the Wabash railway,
which left here this evening, plunged
through a trestle at Missouri City. Mo-,
at five minutes after seven o'clock, car
rying down the entire train with the
exception of the rear car, the Pullman,
Tie gorge which few hours previous
ly was practically empty had become
raging torrent because of a tremendous
downpour of rain, and the structure
weakened. Seven persons are known to
he dead and the list may reach twenty
FIVE.
There were twenty-five passengers
in the chair car, and only a few OF
these are accounted for.
John Ennis. travelling salesman for
Beckman & Mcknight. was in the rear
car Of the train. which was the only one
which escaped injury. 1t was likewise
the only car in which none of the pas
sengers were injured. Mr.. Ennis had
an interview with a farmer, who had
come from Missouri City in the even
ing. and. was at the place where the
wreck occurred to flag the train. He
claimed to have waved a flag on the
track, but owing to the terrific rain
the engineer was unable to see the sig
nal Mr.. Ennis said the wreck occur
red at 7:05 o'clock. The engine passed
over the trestle which broke immedi
ately afterwards, and the tender, to-
gether with the front, or through sm0k
ing car, was thrown backward into the
gorge. The farmer with whom Mr..
Ennis talked says that at o'clock
there was practically no water in the
gorge, but at the time Of the wreck it
was raging torrent of ten feet or more
in depth. The farmer said the bridge
was clearly unsafe, which had impelled
him to stand in the storm in an attempt
TO flag the train. There were no train
men left unkilled on the side Of the
gorge on which most Of the cars were
left 80 far as Mr.. Ennis knows, the en-
gineer and fireman being on the other
side. The passengers were left to take
independent action in rescuing the vic
tins.
One OF the most important things.
and one which secured the safety of
the remaining passengers on the train,
was the tagging Of freight train which
followed the passenger train about ten
minutes. This freight train was flag
ged by passengers 300 feet from the
wreck. Mr.. Ennis said a passenger in
the train estimated that there were at
least forty passengers in the smoking
car, and that not more than ten were
rescued on this side Of the gorge. Most
Of the smoker passengers If they were
saved, are to be found on the other side.
1t was generally believed by the pas
sengers with whom Mr. Ennis had talk
ed that very many Of the passengers
Of the smoker had been killed. but no
one could give an estimate Of the num-
Der. The newsboy and conductor were
both in the front smoking car at the
time of the wreck, and both are be-
lieved to have been instantly killed.
Mr.. Ennis thought a conservative es-
innate of the number killed would be
twenty, and that it was more likely
more than less than that number. The
mail clerk and express messenger, he
thought, were undoubtedly killed
Edwin zea, of Kansas City and C. w.
Harbold, travelling salesman Of
Emery, Bird, Thayer G Co., were the
men who tagged the approaching
freight train. Both agreed measure
ably with Mr.. Ennis in their accounts
Of the wreck and estimates of the num-
Der killed.
On arriving at the depot both took
luncheon at the depot lunch stand, and
neither seemed to take any credit for
having saved their fellow passengers
from the catastrophe of double wreck
ing, In which many must have been kill
ed but for the forethought of these
men. Both said they did not see a
trainman after the wreck and were of
the opinion that all except the engineer,
fireman and Pullman conductor were
killed The freight train. they said,
was about ten minutes behind the pas
senger train. Neither Mr.. Zea nor Mr..
Harbold would venture to guess on the
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