The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-29
INTOOPENSWITCH
Rock Island Passenger Train
Wrecked at Lawrence.
Four Coaches Are Thrown from
the Track.
S NO LOSS OF LIFE.
Passengers Severely Shaken Up
But None Badly Hurt.
Equipment Is Badly Smashed
and Loss Large.

Rock Island westbound passenger
train No. 13, due in Topeka at 1910 this
morning, ran into an open switch at
Lawrence and was wrecked
Two bad wrecks in one day is quite
record for town the size of Law
renee. Early Monday morning wreck
occurred on the Santa Fe at that point
and the wrecking crew from this place
had hardly completed the work of clear
ing up the main line on that road when
Rock Island passenger train was
wrecked just across the river. The lat
ter wreck occurred at, about IL O'Clock
Monday night Westbound Rock Island
passenger train No. 13 ran into an open
switch in the yards at Lawrence with
serious results. Although no one was
killed outright many were injured
slightly and all the passengers were Sc
verely shaken up. The damage to the
equipment was also large.
-Four coaches and two sIeepers on
No. 13 left the track and were piled up
at some distance from the main line
Inc engine and baggage car remained
on the track.
Among the many passengers who oc-
cupied the coaches of the i'll fated train
at the time of last nights wreck was
q. w. Shook, a citizen of Jennings,
Kan. Although he was not hurt Mr..
Shook was an occupant of one of the
worst wrecked cars. The following is
his account of the disaster:
= The train in question was No. 13,
the Rock Island passenger due to leave
Kansas City at $40 p. M We started
from that point about on time and
judging from the time in which we
reached Lawrence L should say that
we were running at a pretty lively
rate. All of the Goa ches, one of which
occupied were we'll filed [ could not
say as to the sleepers. Along about II
o'clock when we were nearing Law
renee L got to talking with several
men with whom I had become acquaint-
ed on the train.
Nov that it's all over 1 can remem-
Der almost everything that we talked
about. Among the many subjects that
came up for discussion was the recent
wreck on the I3. 60. railroad at COL
linsville. Pa. l don't aeppose that one
| of us thought that in a very few mo-
ments we were to experience the
wreck sensation ourselves. AS we
pulled into the company's yards at
Lawrence our talk ceased and I had
/ just settled down for a little sleep
when we struck the switch and the
! wreck was on.
Heretofore have never taken much
stock in all that talk about a person
remembering all their past life when
/
| will know that it is true for I have
| been through the same thing myself.
! The car in which I was riding at the
time started off to the side and after
| plunging and pitching for a time set
! tied down at a distance of about 80
| feet from the main line. During her
| flight the car ran only on the wheels
that We're on my side and consequent
| ly those people who were riding on
the other side were thrown on top of
nie."
1.-THE other five cars that left the rails
acted in about the same manner that
our car did. Both the main line track
and the side tracks nearby were torn
splintered to small bits and when they
finally did stop the wheels were buried
in the ground to the depth of several
feet The wreckage was something
frightful and the loss of equipment will
probably cost the company a great deal
OF money
For some time the cause of the
wreck was a question among the pas
sengers of the train. 1t was stated that
an open switch was what caused the
wreck but it is my opinion that the
engineer was running his train at a rate
that exceeded the limit required in rail-
running at a rate of about twenty miles
an hour but the conductor said that
he was running thirty miles an hour
and I think that the conductor was
right.
Immediately after the wreck the
conductor began to take the names of
the passengers and ascertain the extent
of their injuries. 1t was found that no
one was seriously hurt, although many
had received scratches and bruises and
one man whose name I did not hear,
had a sprained leg. Many women
| tainted from fright and it was only
after they had been assured that they
were all right that they regained their
! former composure. The conductor who
/ structed the passengers to take the next
( train for Topeka and to wait there until
| the company's authorities could see
| them After a wait of five hours this
/ train finally came and a short time later
we alighted at the local depot not
much the worse for the wear and tear
| of our experience. Some of the passen-
gers said that they had been in worse
wrecks, but I am sure that 1 never
want to come any nearer to death than
1 did last night