The Topeka state journal., 1902-05-07

car loaded with -four We're the only cars !
on the regular train much damage. /
The caboOse was smashed into kind |
ling wood. Hardly a piece was left |
which cOuld not be lifted by one nan.
The car loaded with flour was some
what smashed up, and the -four was
later transferred uninjured TO another
car
The engine Of the extra was not much
damaged Its pilot was destroyed. and
the front trucks and smokestack smash
ed. The damage TO the engine is esti-
mated at $500.
As soon as the news of the wreck
reached the city. the patrol wagon and
two ambulances We're sent out, togeth-
er with DR.. II. 3 Hogeboom. The in
jured were transferred to hospitals as
rapidly as possible
Two wreckers were sent to Topeka.
one from Junction City in charge of Con-
ductor OdOr. and one from Kansas City
in charge of Conductor Keyes Superin-
tendent A. T. Palmer of this division
came from Kansas City on the wrecker.
The morning passenger train was de-
layed by the wreck about two hours.
and did not get out of Topeka till $3.50.
SUPT. PALAiER'S S STATEMENT
Superintendent A T. Palmer made the
following statement concerning the
wreck:
1T would not be proper for me to ex-
press an opinion as to the cause or re
sponslbihty OF this wreck until after the
official investigation, which viii occur
as quickly as We can get our men to-
gether. 1t was no doubt due to some
extent by the dense fog. Whether the
train crew of the extra were at fault IS
yet to be determined. 1t is very easy for
the engineer to drop asleep. A nap OF
even a minutes duration may cause the
worst kind OF a wreck.
1T is an undeniab bic fact that the
/ wreck occurred well inside of the
yards, and a train is supposed to pro-
| tect itself when inside of the yards 1t
| is supposed to be running under perfect
: control so that there may be no posi-
bility of accident.
"I can not say what will be done
! about Engineer Zimmerman. 1 do not
/ know whether any action VIII be taken
! by the civil authorities. [ have not seen
/ Mr. Zimmerman since the wreck"
| STORY OF MAN IN THE WRECK.
John Hammarlund, who lives half
mile south Of St. Marys is the one man
/ of the eight stoekmen in the caboOse
/ who escape practically uninjured. He
I suffered nothing worse than a few
| bruises. Nj. Hammarlund spent most
1 of the morning at the wreck, and was
/ interviewed by a reporter for the State
Journal He tells this story of the ac-
! cident
The men in the caboose were from
/ different towns along the line, and each
/ one had charge of a few cars of stock
L did not know personally any of the
men in the wreck. was taking two
carloads Of sheep from St Marys to
Kansas City for A. J. Knollen & Co.,
commission men Of Kansas City.
I don't know exactly the time of the
wreck, but it was after o'clock this
morning. 1 was sitting about midway
! Of the car, and had been asleep. When
our train stopped, 1 supposed that we
! had stopped for coal and water, as the
/ conductor had told me we would stop
/ at Topeka for that. One of the men in
the car, I do not know who it was, got
/ up and said he heard q train coming. I
J n relf f171f a.I,Ix
/ a passenger, and that we We're on the
] sldet1ack for It TO pass US AS the
! man opened the door at the rear end
/ of the car to look out, [ raised up on my
/ elbow, and looked out also. ] saw the
| headlight of the other engine coming
right at US fast. The man at the door
/ made a rush for the other end of the car.
! Ihen the engine struck US. 1t made a
1 terrible noise. I never heard such an
awful crash in my life. I was hurled
| over and over and the next thing knew
1 was on top of the engine. with the
! steam and smoke roaring around me.
| Then sort Of rolled off and fell into
/ the ditch at the right hand side of the
4 train. L did not lose consciousness,
/ and realized that I was not hurt. I saw
a man lying beside the track and
! got hold Of his arms and pulled him
/ away from the wreck He got I'D and
I asked him if he was hurt He said
/ he guessed not much, and then he found
a bad cut on his face. do not know
/ VINO the man was.
Then the engineer or fireman of our
! engine called my attention to the en-
4 gine headlight, which was smashed and
! blazing in the midst of the Wreckage. I
pulled the headlight out Of the wreck,
and he got a bucket of water some
! where and told me to throw the water
! on the wood which had caught fire. I
did this, and put out the blaze We let
4 the headlight stay near the track and
] the oil kept burning for some time. It
/ gave us all the light we had.
I hunted around and found a lantern
which was somewhat smashed, but 7
managed to turn up the wick and light
! it from the blaze of the headlight. After
1 a while I gave this lantern to another
/ man, and found a larger one. which I
] lit. We helped to get the men out of
/ the wreck.
THE engineer of the EXTRAS engine
! came up to me and said: Did you hear
me whistle before we struck?' I told
! him no, that / didn't hear any whistle
1 He said he whistled. and maybe he did,
/ but did not hear him. There was con-
! siderable fog at the time the wreck oc-
CURED.
1.-The man who was taken out from
/ under the engine this morning John
! Parks sat just two seats in front of
I me. I did not know him personally, but
was talking to him last night before we
/ went to sleep.
4 expect to go back to St Marys this
Continued on Sixth Pagel