The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-11-28

that the bulk of them were unable to
escape.
The immigrant train was made up of
nine cars, behind two engines. Six of
these cars We're jammed together Very
soon the Wreckage began burning fierce
ly, and those in the cars were slowly
roasted to death. There was absolutely
no means at hand to fight the fire and
the agonized shrieks of the poor unfor-
tunates was appalling.
1t was veritable hell of fire. said
Victor G. Greenbaum, of New York
city, who escaped with slight injuries.
People who came hurrying to the
scene from farm houses in that locality
stood about the wreck helpless and held
frightful screams and turned their eyes
away because it was more than they
could bear
SCENE WAS TERRIBLE
The scene Immediately surrounding
the wreck was terrible In the semi
darkness, illuminated only by the glare
from the fire of the wreckage, men
stumbled about over corpses which fell
from the ruins and which after the
flames had died out were hauled from
the debris There they lay along the
track, some covered with blankets
which had been brought by farmers
who had fiocked to the scene from the
surrounding country People came
from the nearby villages and these with
the help of those who escaped on train
No. 4 did what they could. The immi-
grants who were lucky enough to get
out alive from the last one or two i'm
migrant cars were unable to speak
English and could give no idea appar-
emily of the number of the people that
We're in each car. The conductor of the
train could not be found, and for this
considered purely as approximate.
Railroad men and others agreed that
the number must approach 100
When the relief trains arrived as
nj "a i17i7 1cs n \ ,rrfe,f
We're taken to Montpelier O., Peru,
IND, and to hospitals at Adrian
At the Union station in this city dur
ing the night were many sad episodes.
Relatives and friends of passengers who
were known to have been on the
wrecked trains besieged the railroad
officials with entreaties and inquiries.
one little girl waited until 2:30 a. m.
for her sister. Vida Degas. of Tupper-
vile, ontario, and was then informed
that the sister was among the dead.
Dead! Deadi Deadl" she shrieked,
fastening her arms about the neck of
the operator who had announced the
names, while tears welled the eyes of
the spectators The grief of the child
exhausted her SO that she had to be
carried
Job Witchell, of the firm of Witchell
Sons & Co, of Detroit was expected
nome on No. A. His son was at the
depot to meet him. At midnight a dis
patch came numbering Job Witchell
among the dead. The son was in the
waiting room when the news was
broken The terrible reality was too
much. and he swooned, falling against a
radiator He was assisted to seat and
remained in that attitude stunned by
the calamity. His father had been alb
sent in Dallas, Tex, for some time and
had just telegraphed his intention to
return on the lll-fated train.
A large crowd stood about anxiously
awaiting the tidihg until long after
sunrise Outside ambulances from all
the city hospitals waited for any of the
injured who might be brought to the
city.
A K c. CATTLEMAN.
A special relief train arrived from
Adrian at a. m, bringing five dead
bodies, four men and one woman, and
stretcher full of burned and blackened
pieces of dead humanity. One of the
men was drover from Kansas City
who had $1,100 in money and a gold