The Mena star., 1899-06-15
A Kansas City, Pittsburg & Gulf Train Wrecked at Grand
 view, Mo.
TWO CARS 60 DOWN AN BEREAVEMENT
4 Relief Train Started from Kansas City to the Scene of the Accident-The In- iured Made Comfortable-The Chair Car Caught Fire, but the Negro Por- ter Heroically Put It Out.


 which left this city at 7:3O o clock Thurs day night, filled with people who had been in Kansas City to see the wood mems parade and hear William J. Brv- ans speech, was wrecked at Grandview. Mo-, 20 miles south of here, two hours later. More than 50 passengers were injured, but only two will probably die. The cause of the wreck, accord ing to the railroad officials was the spreading of the rails at curve. the roadbed having been made soft by the recent heavy rains. It is learned. however, that the train was running with an extra heavy engine and the rails of the Kansas City, Osceola X Southern. over which the train was going, were too light to stand the strain. The train was composed of combination mail and baggage car, smoking car, chair car and two sleep ing ears. All remained on the track except the smoking car and chair car, which turned over on their sides, slid ing down a six-foot embankment.
 The train, which was carrying an unusually heavy load on account of the woodmen's parade and Mr. Bryan's speech, left the depot at Second and Wyandotte streets about 20 minutes late. The run to Grandview was not made on very fast time, and when the cars left the track the running time was not more than 20 miles an hour The first intimation that the passengers 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 and shouts of men. This was immediately followed by the overturning of the chair car. which was filled almost en- tirely with women and children. Their screams of terror and the shouting for missing relatives, added to the shouts of the men, nearly caused panic among those few who were fortunate 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, ex- tinguished the fire.
 Outside the rain was falling in tor rents and the night was occasionally made brilliant by sheets of lightning. As soon as the overturned cars had set tied the uninjured men went to work to get the women and children and wounded out of the wreck. Windows were broken and those unable to care for themselves were passed through. Others walked along the window frames on the side next to the ground and crawled through the door. In the meantime big fire was started in the field near the track, about which the soaked passengers gathered. This was hardly necessary, however, as the bag gage car and sleepers were thrown open and there nearly all the passen- gers took refuge from the rain.
 As soon as the news of the wreck reached Kansas City the officials of the Pittsburgh S Gulf hurriedly got to- gether a relief train of a Pullman sleeper and chair car, and at 11;55 this train left for Grandview. Dr. Samuel Ayers, chief surgeon of the road, Dr. harrelson, assistant surgeon and pr. Dennis, house surgeon of St. Joseph $ hospital, were on board. Progress to the wreck was slow. The relief train arrived at the scene of the disaster about 1:30 o'clock this morning.
 The doctors found that those who were hurt had been taken by their fel- low passengers into the two sleepers of the wrecked train that still stood on the tracks. The berths had been let down and the men and women with bruises and bloody gashes lay moaning and crying on the beds. The surgeons at once bandaged the wounds of those who were hurt the worst and made everything as easy as possible for those who were bruised. The three doctors had their hands full, for 30 persons were calling to them for help Some of the claim agents of the road who went to the wreck on the relief train called away and brought big pot of coffee down to the wreck for the refreshment of those who were hurt. After about two hours the wrecking train with load of 150 persons started on its return to Kansas City. running very slowly. 1t reached Kansas City about five o'clock and an ambulance and dozen carriages were waiting to carry the injured passengers to the hospital ' r .4- .~..fa 4wez jured went to the St. Joseph's hospital