The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-05-07
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w H. LassweI and Jess r. Lasswell, |
his son, had a narrow escape from the I
wreck The two Lasswells are among |
the prominent and wealthy stockralsers I
in the northeast part of the state They |
live near HOlton. They were at st. |
MaryS last night and had intended to I
come to Topeka with several ear loads /
of stock on the illfated train this morn |
ing They had their car loads of stock /
ready, and decided that instead Of COM /
ing down in the caboose they would |
come to Topeka on the evening pas
senger and get nights sleep IN ho- |
tel. So they were in Topeka this morn |
ing, and We're among the first to go out
to the scene of the wreck.
J. c. FULTON's STATEMENT
J. c. Fulton, the agent of the Union
Pacific at Topeka, is reticent about max
ing statement concerning the cause
of the wrick.
1T is certainly mistake that the ex-
ira was running forty miles an hour
when it struck the rear end OF No. a.
1t would have derailed more cars than
it did if it had been going at that speed
I am informed by the train crew that
the train was going about twelve miles
an hour. AS it was the caboose was
smashed to pieces, one car loaded with
flour was derailed and one end of it
smashed, and the third car tilted up a
little, but not derailed. The tender OF
the extra engine was not hurt, and the
engine was not seriously damaged
I do not care to make statement
concerning the responsibility for the
wreck The fog probably had something
to do with it,
SCENE AT THE WRECK
With its blunted nose and huge
wheels half buried in the soft mud and
cinders at the south side of the main
track the big m0gul locomotive of the
| death dealing extra lies tilted diagon-
ally across the track. Before the wreck
ing cars commenced work it was halT
| buried in the Splintered wood OF the
demolished caboOse. Part of the roof of
| the caboose still hung to the top of the
engine. There are deep dents and sharp
scars in the sides and running gear OF
| the locomotive, and the bell is battered
| and scratched.
Around the wreck there Is an i'm
mense crowd of people, whose curiosity
| leads them to get into places of danger
in spite of the hard work Of a dozen
| policemen who have been on duty since
early this morning.
In the crowd are scores of picturesque
old negro mammies and negro women
with babies in their arms. There are
also many able-bodied young men and
/ boys of the negro race. The wreck was
right in the midst of the big negro set
tlement at the west end of North To-
oe1a.
With the permission of the railroad
| officials, the cOlored folks were allowed
| to carry away the Splintered wood OF
/ the caboose. Enough fuel was sup
piled by the wreck to keep the west
end of North Topeka in fire wood for
I some Time
There weres also many professional
| and amateur photographers in the
] crowd who braved the warning OF
| trainmen and commands Of the police,
| to get snap shots of the wreck from adj
! vantageous locations.
The smashed up freight car has been
| dragged by one of the huge Wrecklng
/ cranes clear off the right of way and
the running gear has been taken away
as fast as pulled apart fom the spin
| tered wood.
Two wreclxing cars worked hard all
| the morning clearing the track, and 1t
is thought that by O'clock this evening
all traces of the accident will be re-
moved and the main line cleared.
continuous procession of sight
seers plodded out from town to the
scene of the smash-up and at times
the crowd must have numbered several
thousand people.
TRAINMEN'S STATEMENTS.
Engineer Zimmerman. who was in
charge of the engine which smashed the
caboose and killed and injured the eight
passengers, appeared before the attor-
neys for the railway company, N H
LOOMS and r. W. Blair, this morning
shortly. before noon and made full
statement of the accident as he expert
enced it.
Mr. Zimmerman said that he was not
asleep when the accident occurred; that
he was not running his train over six
miles an hour. because he knew where
| he was, and was slowing up to stop for
the Rock Island crossing. His defense
is simply that the fog was so dense
that he could not see the lights on the
rear end of the train No. IA until too
late to stop He says he reversed his
engine Immediately, but could not stop in
tine.
]. J. Marshall. the fireman on the en-
CINE corroborates the testimony of En-
gineer Zimmerman.
: Fireman Marshall stated to one of the
passengers who escaped from the wreck,
> =
saw the caboose they were so close to II
; that they did not have time to jump
by the time 1 realized what was go
ing to happen, and get out the crash
came and the splinters were flying past
: the window Then l decided that the
safest place was in the cab. and I
stayed there"
ExONERATEs THE MEN.
, N. H. Loomis made a statement today
concerning the result of the investlga-
ton so far as it has progressed He
: said:
We have been examining the mem
bers of the train crew as rapidly as
possible this morning, and have finished
with most of them. We still have few
5 to examine. The accident was due Wnol-
!. ! " to the fog. The extra train was run
= ming fully within its orders, and while
; No. IA was late, it had been making reg
:, ular time It was one of those unfor-
= tunate accidents which no amount o.
s vigilance is able to prevent. l do moi
: do not understand that No. IA was be
:; ing held unnecessarily at the junction
d We haze given instructions to all OF oul
=, trainmen to give out no interviews aDOu
= the wreck for the reason that we mus
; protect ourselves from lawsuits. The
+ men will make their statements at tbs
!; corOner's inquest which will be held
The trainrnen who were in the wreck
are obeying the instructions Of thei
employers and refuse to make state
( ments for publication.
CARING FOR THE INJURED.
l. There are now four of the injure'
Z: men At Storrnont hospital They ar
Il Field Armour, Hirst and Buzzare
= Kuek1e and Hammerlund are both adj
r, to be out, and will return at once [
their homes The four now in the nos
1,ital 1riu he IA ken to kansas CIV thl