The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-06-26
SIXTEEN DEAD.
Fifty Persons Seriously Injured
in Railroad Wreck.
Wabash Limited Goes Through
Trestle Near Peru.
WAS PLUNGING ALONG
At a High Rate of Speed in
Intense Darkness.
Train Piled in a Heap Forty
Feet Down.
WAS PLUNGING ALONG
All the Killed We're Italians
Bound For Colorado.

Peru. Ind, June z5--SlNteeh PeIsoli7
were killed and about fifty were ser
iously injured in a wreck Of train NO
8. the westbound Wabash limited, nine
miles west of this city. at 1890 a. 1n.s sto-
day The dead are all Italian emil
grants en- route to Colorado Many OF
the injured undoubtedly will die.
The dead:
SIXTEEN ITALIAN EAdIGRANTS,
names unknown Interpreter missing.
The injured:
Mrs. william Gotten, wife of general
superintendent Iron Mountain railway
badly bruised.
Three children. names unknown. Sc
David Agnew. Greenoak. Ind, right
arm injured
Unknown Italian, New York, right leg
and right side mangled-
Nicola Polasas head and shoulder
John Ickes. New York. head and body
Anna Juber. St. Louis. head badly
Joseph Pozza, Trinidad. Colo. head
and left foot injured
Herbert Menger, Hillsdale, Mich face
Joseph Cruz. Italian. New York City.
head, body and left leg bruised
Mrs. Joseph Cruz. head and body
George Miner. Alton. Ill. left leg
broken
John F. Williamson, Bowling Green.
Ohio news agent, both arms, both legs
and right shoulderblade broken
E p. Claugh Toledo Ohio, head bad
" crushed, right shoulderblade broken
J. b Wood, Logansport. Ind, back
bruised.
g. A. Thompson. Little Rock. Ark.
head and body bruised.
William Brode. Angola, Ind, face cut.
rr~I- N1r r1rasa N r1-T ~rsr-f Tn
and body badly cut.
Rev Father Welcsh. Logansport, Ind,
right foot crushed.
John wilkins. Lafayette, Ind, right
arm and shoulder broken
Walter Laid. Wabash, Ind, right leg
injured
Charles Flanagan, hagman, head and
shoulder lacerated.
J. s. Butler. head bruised
J. B. Luczs. Logansport, Ind, travel
ing salesman, slightly bruised,
Twenty others whose names have not
yet been obtained. severely cut and
bruised.
HOW IT HAPPENED.
Two sections of train No. 3-one com
ing from Detroit and the other from
ToledO-were consolidated in this city
into a train Of eleven cars making up
the flyer for its journey to st. Louis. It
consisted Of combination baggage and
express. combination baggage and
smoker. day coach. emigrant coach,
three chair cars. three sleepers and the
private car of General superintendent
William Gotten. Iron Mountain railway.
Having left this city one hour late the
train was speeding westward at a high
rate, when, at point nine miles west,
the engine plunged through a trestle
which had been undermined by the re-
cent heavy rains.
The embankment on both sides of the
little stream dropped at a sharp de-
gree distance of forty feet Owing to
the momentum of the train the engine
appeared to leap nearly across the
IA n hn nFf rf17
the opposite side and fell back to the
bottom Engineer Butler and Fireman
Adams were thrown from the cab, but
NOT seriously hurt The express car and
the first chair car We're telescOped. The
emigrant car followed by two chair
cars went down on the left side of the
track and the first sleeper pitched for
ward uDOn the mass of debris. It's
windows and trucks were broken, but
none Of the occupants was injured. The
remaining cars also left their trucks
but were not badly damaged.
1t was in the ernigrant and day coach
es that most Of the deaths and injuries
occurred
Heavy foliage lined the banks on both
sides of the culvert, the approach to
which was over a reverse curve"
INTENSELY DARK
There was absolutely no means by
Wnlcn the engine crew could see the
impending danger. In fact the engine
ran out upon the trestle before the
structure gave way. The night was in
tensely dark For a few minutes after
the fatal plunge and dreadful roar OF
crashing timbers a death-like stiffness
prevailed which was only broken nv tba
cries of the injured
Irainmen caught up their lanterns
and rushed to the neighborine farm
houses for assistance. The farmers with
rnelr wives and children bearing torch
IS fastened to the scene and an efforfs
We're bent to giving first aid to the in
Jured Telephone messages We're dis
patched to this city, and every physician
was nurr1ediy taken to a special train
which carried them to the scene. The
injured were placed aboard the cars and
brought to the general hospital ia this
city Where everything possible was done
TO amehorate their condition. Many op-
erauonS were necessary. The most nota-
Die was the one performed on John VIII
hanson, the news agent a lad Of Il
years. Both the boys arms both his
legs and the right shoulderblade were
broken. Under the surgeons knife tha
lad bore up wonderfully and possibly
may recover.
For time after the rescuers reached
the scene OF the wreck little could ha
done In the way of removing the dead
hundreds of tons of twisted iron ond
broken timbers rested upon the car
Where the unfortunate emigranfs
We're crushed. but by means of wreck
opened BY daylight and nearly all the
DEAD had been removed to this city.
An OFFICIAL ACCOUNT.
st. Louis. June 26.-The official reno~+
OF Division Superintendent E. A. Csould
20 President Ramsey of the Wabasb
systems states that Is Italian ernie-ra,ts
we're killed, three are supposed to be