The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1900-07-27
TWo killed L. WREcK.
A Head End Collision Of Two Passenger
Trains Between Bethune and Bur
HngtOn-Hisread Orders.


IfngtOn-zGfsread Orders.
Through a misunderstanding Of or
ders BY both the engineer and con
duetor Of the east bound train, head
end collision occurred at 2.2O o'clock
Sunday morning between passenger
trains No. 5, west bound, and No. 6.
east bound, six miles west Of BuFling-
ton, Col, in which two cOlOred tramps
we're killed and considerable damage
done to engines and baggage coaches.
These two passenger trains generally
meet st-BurlingtOn, the east bound
side tracking until the west bound
passes, but No. 6, being late, the OBJ
orator at LimOn had orders fixing the
meeting point at Bethune. The meet
ing order was given a0d the train made
fast time for the siding at Burlington.
the point, which, curious as it seems,
was taken to be the meeting place by
both Engineer P. K. Ryan and Con
ductOr J. ". Lacey. The train orders
read Bethune, but both mistook the
word Bethune for Burlington.
When No. 3 arrived in GoodIand
in charge Of Conductor J. ". Mastin,
Engineer Jim Boyle with engine S97
started with the train west. Both
trains were now speeding rapidly tow
ard each other on the same track, with
overlapping objective points which
they were destined never to reach, and
the lives Of two negroes were to be
snuffed out without warning The
headlights Of the engines, the 897 at
Burlington and the S95 at Bethune,
were probably visible to the engineers.
each suppOsing perhaps that the other
was waiting on the siding, but their
suppositions we're soon dispersed by
the glare Of opposing headlights and
the laundering of iron wheels in q
cut on a curve. The headlight Of
Engineer Boyle's engine was an oil
light while that of Engineer Ryan
was an electric one. This enabled
Mr.. Boyle to first discover the Oneom-
ing train, but the intensity Of the head
light on Mr.. Ryan's engine partly
obscured the CLEAN of the opposing
light, and not until about twenty car
lengths from the west bound train was
he satisfied of the terrible situation.
Engineer Boyle had just time en-
Ough to bring his train to full stop,
and was endeavoring to back up when
the perilOus condition forced him to
jump for his life, as did his fireman, G. |
II. Albrecht. In the mOmentary in
term, Engineer Ryan reversed the en-
CINE, applied the air and emergency
brake, and he and his fireman, J. W.
Kelly, jumped, while the unnamed
train ran with terrific force into the
standing train. The iron monsters
came into opposing contact and for a
moment neither stirred until the mo-
mentum OF the heavy loaded train be-
hind the S95 gave Unreasonable sup
port. Then came the crash Of iron,
the swapping Of wooden timbers, the
Kissing Of escaping steam, which, like
the cheers coming out of chaos, seemed
to applaud the wrestling Of the two
forces as they Iunged first one way and
then the other, each struggling for the
mastery.
The condition of the engines can
easily be imagined. The cabs and
pilots were smashed; the front end Of
the boilers broken through, and ali
light fixtures demolished. The first
baggage coach and the tender Of En-
gineer Boyle's engine telescOped, the
top part of the tender passing compile
tely within the coach while the trucks
and platform were forced beneath.
The first baggage car on the other
train received considerable damage
and it was between the engine and this
coach that the tramps we're caught and
mashed into jelly.