Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1901-11-28
RAILWAY HORROR.
Seven Men Killed and Seventeen
Injured.
Two Passenger Trains on the Santa
Fe Road Collide Near an Arizona
Town and the Result Is
Terrible - Three Loco
motives Demolished.

LOS Angeles, tal., NOV. 21.-A Iatal
wreck occurred on the Santa Fe rail-
road one mile west of Franconia,
Ariz., switch station 90 miles east
of Needles, Cal, early Wednesday.
Seven trainmen were killed, three
passengers and IA trainmen injured.
Limited trains, east and westbound,
crashed together while running at
full speed. The eastbound train
was drawn by two engines, while the
westbound train had but one locomo-
tive. The three engines were blown
to pieces by an explosion which fol-
lowed the collision.
Both trains were made up of vesti-
bule cars OF the heaviest kind, and
while they stood the terrific shock
well and protected the passengers to
great extent, several cars took fire
and burned up. The dining cars, one
on each train, one Pullman and two
composite cars were destroyed. The
dead:
P. NJ. Elligott, engineer.
P. p. Goldsmith, fireman.
j. +. Bernhardt, barber.
Walter Davorage, waiter.
w. J.. Case, fireman.
bdIil IplONIlY WdlJCIs
The bodies of the latter three are
missing.
The collision is said to have been
due to disregard of orders by the
crew of the westbound train, though
full particulars on this point are as
yet lacking. From all accounts, how
ever, it is gathered that the east
bound train had orders to take the
siding at Franconia, and await the
passing of the westbound flyer, which
was running two hours late and try
ing to make up time. The east
bouad train failed to reach the siding,
and, as the westbound train did not
wait for it, the two trains came to-
gether without warning and with an
awful crash. The boiler of the west
bound engine exploded Immediately
after the crash, scalding to death
those of the engine crews who had
not been killed outright.
A scene of awful confusion followed
the crash. The massive engines piled
up in an indescribable mass of broken
and twisted steel, while the scalding
steam hung in a dense, suffocating
cloud over the debris, from which the
SIlCS VI CllS anu uy-
ing enginemen could be heard The
heavy Pullmans and composite cars
jammed the dining and baggage cars
upon the heated pile of debris, carry
ing death to the dining car crews and
setting the cars afire.
From the meagre details of the
scenes gathered from the passengers,
it is learned that the sleeping cars,
with one or two exceptions, suffered
slightly, and as a result the passen-
gers were afforded comparative i'm
munity from injury. So far as is
learned, only three passengers suf-
fered injuries of a severe character,
the terrible results of the wreck be-
ing confined almost entirely to the
train crews and the employees of the
dining car service.
At Santa Fe headquarters at Los
Angeles, it was stated that the blame
had not been definitely fixed, but
from all appearances it rests with the
crew of the westbound train. Had
they stopped at FrancOnia and ale
lowed the eastbound train to reach
there, as the orders are said to have
read, there would have been no
wreck. For some reason, yet to be
learned, however, they came on at
full speed.