Free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1888-1908, 1899-06-17
PITTSBORG Z GULF wreck.
Forty People Bruised and Shaken
Up Near GrandView, Mo.
TRAIN LEAVES THE TRACK.

KANSAS CITY, No, June ia-With
a driving rainstorm, accompanied by !
deep peals of thunder and binding
flashes of lightning to add to the ter
rors of a railroad wreck, passenger
train No. of the Kansas City, Pitts
burg & Gulf railroad rolled off the
track three miles south of Grand
view. No, on Thursday night. Al
though many people were injured.
and some of them seriously so, it is
not expected that death will result
from the accident, as Mrs. e B
Chandler, who lives on a farm near
Bolton, Mo-, and J. 1. & Crawford of
Drexel, Mo, who received the most
serious injuries. and who are now in
St. Joseph's hospital in this city, are
reported to be resting easily, with
good chances for recovery.
There are seven others in the hos
pital who were taken from the
wrecked train, but their cases are not
thought to be dangerous. In addition
to these more than thirty were
bruised and sustained shocks, but all
had been able to go to their homes
last night.
The cause of the wreck is not under
stood, even by the railroad men who
have examined the surroundings care
fully. The two theories advanced are
that the disaster was the result of a
spreading of the rails, the roadbed
having become soft during the hard
and continuous rain, or that one of
the trucks broke. It is considered
quite probable that the breaking of a
truck caused the fanges of the wheels
of one car to cut the spikes, thus al
lowing the rails to be forced apart
The train was composed of combi-
nation mail and baggage car, smok-
ing car, chair car and tl1o sleeping
cars All remained on the track ex-
cept the smoking car and chair car,
which turned over on their sides, slid
ing down a siX-foot embankment.
The first intimation that the passen-
gers had that anything was wrong
was a severe jolting in the smoking
car. The car seemed to tumble and
suddenly turned over to the west side
of the track with crashing of glass
AID shouts of men. This was closely
followed by the overturning of the
chair car, which was flied almost en-
tirely with women and children
Their screams of terror and the shout
ing for missing relatives, added to the
shouts of the men, nearly Caused
panic among those few who were for
tunate enough to be uninjured-
To add to the terror of the scene, a
fire, caused by exploding gas, started
in the front end OF the chair car. It
was here that the negro porter of the
chair car showed heroism. He made
his way to that end of the car and, at
the risk of being seriously burned,
extinguished the fire.
Following is list of the most seri-
ously injured:
Mrs. E. B. Chandler, Jaudon, Mo. ,.
fracture of left shoulder, confusion of
chest; may die.
J. L K Crawford, Drexel, Mo-,
farmer, bruised chest; may die.
Ben Duffie, age 6, Fort Smith, Ark,
badly bruised on side of face; serious.
w. c. Simons, Drexel, No, shoulder
crushed.
Fred J. Bukowitz, New Orleans, La,
| commission merchant, shoulder and
head bruised and left ankle sprained;
! severe.
William DEUEL., Nashville, Mo-,
farmer, left side hurt.
Mrs. Deuel., Nashville, Mo-, head
| and face hurt.
j. T. McElhaney, Neosho, Mo-. mer-
chant, back hurt.
DR.. w. 7. Adams, Richards, Mo. s,
right leg crushed
Melvin Stocker, Rockville, Kan.
farmer, scalp wound and face cut
S. A. Willhoite, Drexel, Mo-, city
marshal, scalp wound
Joseph NJ Jackson, lingo, Kan,
farmer, 1acerated wound on face.
P. R Brown, Cleveland, Mo-, stock
man, two fingers of the right hand
crushed, head and left arm hurt.
Mrs. w. II. Worden 1647 Jefferson
street, Kansas City, right shoulder,
face and back bruised.
Little daughter of Mrs Worden,
slightly bruised
George E Sage. Merwin, No, far
mer, right hand and left hip and back
bruised
Miss Bonnie Burrows, Amsterdam,
Mo-, elocution teacher. abrasion of
forehead, strained neck and shoulders.
Arthur Scruggs, Joplin, Mo, cut
over eye.
Ray Geffs, Joplin, Mo-, arm and side
bruised.
]. b. Stuart, jr., Drexel, Mo-, ear
1acerated
]. NJ Leggett, Drexe1, Mo-, badly
cut about the face.
| National Iseer Law Desired.