The Chanute times., 1899-03-24
FAST TRAIN IN A DITCH.
Disastrous Wreck on Rock Island
at VoIIand, Kan.
ONE DEAD, TWENTY-SlX HURTs

TOPEKA, Kan, March ia defect
i've switch caused disastrous wrecl
at Volland, a small station forty miles
west of Topeka on the Rock Islan(
early yesterday morning. The trair
wrecked was the Texas fast express
which left Kansas City at o'clocl
Thursday night.
One man was killed and twenty-siS
were injured. The dead man was
William Freeman of Kansas City, the
baggageman, who was burned to death
in the baggage car. Several OF the
injured are in serious condition.
They are:
w. G. Means, mail clerk, Kansas
City; shoulder and back injured.
Robert A. Swartz, mail clerk, Kan
sas City; head and left leg and both
arms cut.
George Gilgress, mail clerk, Kansas
City; hurt in neck.
James McSpadden, news agent, Kan
sas City; head and face badly cut, nose
smashed in and hurt about body.
NJ j. Cleming Columbia, Mo-; side
hurt and leg bruised.
X. r. Keen, Columbia, Mo-; cut on
head
Charles H. Penn, Ashland, Mo-; cut
on hand
Miss Madge Farrer, Sterling, Kan;
back wrenched.
w. H. Philips, Watonga, Okla;
strained hip, cut in arm.
John Searle, Timberlalle, Okla; leg
and arm hurt.
T. A. Sturgeon, Weatherford, Okla;
back strained.
Mrs. O. C. Allen, Caldwell, Kan, lip
cut and ankle sprained.
George W. Lewis, FL Reno, Okla;
ankle sprained.
H. L. Hail. Topeka, Kan; legs
bruised.
Fred W. Casner, Hutchinson, Kan;
right side hurt
H. Coin, Mapleton, Kan; leg
bruised.
Mrs. j. II. Beiland, Cooper, Okla,
breast hurt and leg bruised
c. F. Clark, Topeka, Kan; hip
sprained.
B. E. Bryant, Cloud Chip, Okla; cut
on chin.
A. Warneike, Fort Still, Okla; wrist
sprained.
John Philip Protection, Kan; hip
and back sprained
N. Deanel, news agent, ST. Joseph,
knee, arm and neck slightly
Calvin Green, Ve!pen, Ind; breast
and ribs.
T. Ii. Marshingall Caldwell, Kan;
scalp, shoulder and leg.
Ed Switzer, Garvey, Okla; head and
stomach.
Mrs. Sarah Smi th, Bethany, Mo-;
prostrated from shock.
The train left Topeka at 11:05 with
forty-nine passengers on board. 1t
passed through Alma on time, and had
reached speed of thirty miles an
hour by the time it came to Volland.
AS tho wheels of the engine tank
struck the west stitch at the station
they suddenly flew the track the tank
breaking loose from the engine and
dragging the combination baggage
and mail car and the smoker down a
slight embankment. The coach and
chair car tipped half way over, the
Pullman sleeper alone keeping the
rails.
Almost instantly fire broke out in
the baggage car, which had toppled
over on its side. Men in the smoker
broke through the windows and pass
engers in the car rushed for the doors
and jumped down the embankment.
BY the time the cars were emptied,
however, the baggage car was in
flames and before anyone noticed that
the messenger had not escaped it was
too late to give him aid. Evidently he
had been pinned down by the falling
trunks and was burned to death be-
meath the heavy baggage. A few
charred bones were the only remains
found in the wrecllage of the baggage
car.
The fire spread quickly from the
baggage car to the cars behind it, and
in short time all were in flames.
The Pullman was saved by being
pushed back few feet from the burn
ing chair car Before the relief train
sent out from this city arrived at the
scene of the accident the four cars
were mass of blacl1ened wreckage.