The Topeka state journal., 1899-03-17
WRECK AND
WRECK AFlRE.
Serious Disaster on the Rock
Island Railroad
To West Bound Train Leaving
Topeka at II :O5.
THROWN FROM TRACK.
At Small Station of VOlland
Near Alma.
One Man Killed and Twenty-Six
Persons Injured.
WRECK TAKES FIRE
And Baggage Car Is Destroy ed
by Flames.
Accident Caused by Defective
Switch.
One Man Killed and Twenty-SiX
Persons Injured.
WRECK TAKES FIRE
And Baggage Car Is Destroy ed
by Flames.
Accident Caused by Defective
Switch.


IL o'clock last night, was wrecked at L
o'clock this morning at Volland, small
station two miles west of Alma. One
man was burned to death and 26 people
injured.
The train caught fire almost instantly
and all the cars, with the exception of
the Pullman sleeper in the rear were
consumed.
The list Of casualties is as follows:
DEAD.
WILLIAM FREEMAN, Kansas City,
train baggageman. burned in baggage
car.
SERIOUSLY INJURED.
James McSpadden, Kansas City, news
agent, head and face badly cut, nose
mashed in and hurt in body.
Ed Switzer Garvey, o. T., cut about
head and hurt in stomach.
INJURED.
w. G. Means, Kansas City, mail clerk,
shoulder and back injured.
r. w. Swartz, Kansas City, mall
clerk, head left leg and both arms cut.
G. w Gilges, Kansas City, mail clerk,
slightly cut in neck.
NJ. j. Clemings, Columbia, Mo-, side
hurt and leg bruised.
Carl r. Keen, Columbia, Mo-. cut on
head.
Chas. H. Penn, Ashland, Mo-, cut on
hand.
Miss Madge Farrer, Sterling, Kan,
back wrenched
w. H Phillips. Watonga, o. T.,sprain-
ed hip, cut in head.
John searIe. Timber Lake. o. T., leg
and arm hurt.
I. A. Spurgeon, Weatherford, o. T,
back sprained.
Mrs. o. C. Allen, Caldwell, Kan, lip
hurt ankle sprained.
Geo. w. Lewis, Ell Reno, o. T, ankle
sprained
H. L. Hall. North Topeka, Kan, both
legs bruised.
w rI,4
side and thumb hurt.
H. Coyn, Mapleton, Kan, leg sprain-
ed
Mrs. J. H. Bell. Cooper, o. T., breast
hurt and leg sprained.
c. F. Clark, North Topeka Kan, hip
sprained.
B. E. Bryant, Cloud Chief. o. T.. cut
A Warneicke, FtSin, Q. T., left wrist
sprained.
John Phillip. Protection, Kan, hip
hurt and back sprained.
N. Deanel, St. Joe, Mo, news agent,
knee, arm and neck hurt, slight.
r. H. MashingaIl, Caldwell, Kan,
scalp, thigh, shoulder and leg injured.
Mrs Sarah Smith, Bethany, Mo,
nervous prostration.
Calvin Green, Velpen, Ind, hurt in
breast and ribs broken.
The train left Alma on time and had
reached a speed of 80 miles hour by
the time it reached Volland station. AS
the wheels of the engine tank struck
the west switch at the station they sud
denly flew the track, the tank breaking
loose from the engine and dragging the
combination baggage and mail car and
the smoker down the slight embank-
ment. The coach and chair car tipped
half way over and remained in that pO-
sitiOn. The Pullman sleeper in the rear
alone kept the rails.
The engine tank and the baggage and
smoking cars tOppled over on their
sides on the embankment. Almost in
CT broke n h9 9SrA
car. supposedly from the broken lamps.
There were SO passengers on the train
at the time of the accident, the major
ity in the derailed cars. When the cars
left the track they were thrown from
their seats in all directions. The lights
went out and CONSERVATION seized them
in the darkness.
In the smoking car men broke
through the windows and clambored
over the side of the car in making their
escape The passengers, in the coach
and chair car, men and women, rushed
for the doors and jumped from the plat
forms down the slight embankment.
In a few minutes the cars were en-
tirely emptied. By that time the bag
gage car was in flames and before any
one realized that the baggageman had
not escaped it was too late to save him.
1t is supposed he was pinned down by
the falling trunks, and unable to assist
himself was burned to death under the
load of baggage A few charred bones
We're the only remains found among the
wreckage of the burned car.
The mail clerks in the other end of the
car made their escape by crawling over
the side. None were seriously injured.
James McSpadden and Ed. Switzer, the
most seriously injured of the passen-
gers, were both riding in the smoking
car.
The fire spread quickly from the bag
gage car to the cars behind it, and in a
short time all were in flames. The Pull
man was saved by being pushed back a
few feet from the burning chair car.
Before the relief train sent out from this
| city arrived at the scene of the accident
| the four cars were a mass of blackened
wreckage.
VolIand is not a night station, and it
was a half an hour after the accident
occurred before the word was received
at the Rock Island offices in this city.
Mr. w. H. Stillwell, assistant general
superintendent, Mr.. w. E. Dauchy, Su-
| perintendent of construction, and Drs.
| Mum and Mcclure were at once called
| and left here shortly after o'clock on