The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-03-03
BAD REAR-[ND COLLISION
Wreck, with Fatal Results, on til.
Missouri Pacific Near In
dependence, Mo.
An UNKNOWN PASSENGER cREMETED.
stantIy Killed and q Large Number OF
Other Passengers More or Less In
jured-story OF the Wreck by An Eye
ness.

Kansas City, Feb. GA rear-end
collision occurred, Tuesday night, OF
the main line of the Missouri Pacific
railroad a few miles out of Kansas
City. The st. Louis day express, due
in Kansas City at 5:45 p. m, stuck in
a snow drift two miles south of indie
p%endence, Mo. The prevailing blizzard
was driving the snow in binding
sheets, and the st. Louis local passen-
ger train due here at 6:25 p. m,
crashed into the rear end of the stalled
train. Both trains usually run at high
speed.
1t is reported that many persons are
hurt, but definite news is not yet avail
able. A relief train from Kansas City
has gone out with surgeons.
story of an Eyewitness.
William Rost, a farmer nea whose
place the wreck occurred, and who
was one of the very first to rendered
any assistance to the imperiled pas
sengers, is quite sure that at least
three women were burned in the
wreck. When he reached the raj
flames were cracking through The
splintered woodwork of the car at one
end, while at the other end a cloud of
blistering steam was belching from
the locomotive, which had ripped the
coach open from end to end. Oh ev-
cry side were men and women crying
for assistance.
Mr.. Rost's first act was to pull from
the wreck a woman whose legs were
sticking out through a broken window.
She was not badly hurt.
By the time this had been nc
complished other passengers from the
forward coaches had come back aud
helped out all of those in the burning
car who could be reached.
Mr.. Rost states that he saw the body
of one woman jammed in the roof OF
the burning coach, and that it was not
reached by the rescuers.
The body of another was
consumed in full view of the passen-
gers who gathered about the wreck.
Mr.. Rost and others reached into the
burning debris and tried to drag her
out, put she vas pinioned under heavy
wreckage. Mr.. Rost says the young
woman was apparently dead, as lie
reached her hand. and there was no
response to his efforts at rescue. He
describes the woman as about 25 years
old. She wore a dark dress, and a
leather chatelaine hung from her
waist. Mr.. Rost believes that he saw
the body of still a third woman
wedged between the timbers of the
burning coach, but before he could get
closer the fire and smoke and steam
obscured his view.
The locomotive of the first train was
dispatched to Independence for sur
geons. and after returning with these
came on to Kansas City with the pas
sengers from the two trains. The
parlor car Of the express train was
the only coach wrecked.
The Killed.
Mrs. J. G. S%chmidlapp, Cincinnati;
instantly killed; body recovered.
Unknown woman; body consumed
in wreck.
The Injured.
j. &. S%chmidlapp, Cincinnati; will
o
Miss Schmidlapp, Cincinnati; Scald-
ed. with loss of sight of both eyes.
Mrs. J. Bake, Cincinnati, mother of
Mrs. S~chmidlapp; badly scalded, eye
sight lost, but may recover.
w. r. Vaughn, Cincinnati, newspa-
--lll .-I r.-I% p-.,-
crushed, amputation necessary.
L. F. Sheldon, Sedalia, assistant SUI
perintendent telegraph of Missouri
Pacific: painfully scalded.
Brakeman Frank McAfee, st. Louis;
badly bruised.
Mrs. Elizabeth Peters, Kansas City;
scalded.
Mrs. Elizabeth Lee, Cincinnati;
scalded.
All of the injured have been brought
to the University hospital in Kansas
City.