The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-27
LIMITED IS WRECKED.
Does This Prove the Old Adage
of Three Disasters

Chicago Limited No. 4. derailed at sib-
ley. Mo. Wednesday morning. Seven
ears off the track.
Chicago Limited No 4, derailed at
Newton. kas.. Wednesday night Three
cars of the track
California Limited No. 3. wrecked at
II Florence. kas., Thursday afternoon
Jumped the track and collided with
freight train
The three wrecks above mentioned
have occurred on the santa te during
the past two days. and no doubt VIII
be considered as demonstration of the
tiTne-h0EGred railway superstition that
wrecks always occur in triplets. OF
stItlous. but it is certainly amazing the
way railway wrecks come in PACKAGE
Of three. It IS also noticeable that sui
cides occur in the same way.
The wreck of the California Limited
Thursday afternoon was quite serious
b. Tar the worst Of the series. The dis
patches state that the California Linn
tied, Conductor o 'Day i'll charge, crashed
head-on into local freight No. - re-
ducing both engines to scrap iron, ana
Iujuring two OF the mail clerks. The
limited, which Is due at Florence At
1.Z5 p. m, but does not stop was about
twenty minutes late and was entering
the yards at a rate Of twenty-five miles
an hour. The local freight was stand
ing on sidetrack- waiting for d clear
board. When the switch was reached.
the tender continued on the main line
Both engine crews jumped and saved
themselves The mail car directly be-
hind the engine was tQppled over on the
ground. Two Of the mail clerks. r. D.
MCGEE and w O. Rogers. both az Kan
sas city, were standing in the door Of tae
car ready TO throw off the mail and
when the car tODpled over were thrown
/ out and dragged along the ground Nc
+ Gee had his right leg broken in two
places and shin injured. while Roger s
escaped with only sDrained ankle.
+ The combination car left the track but
did not turn over. while the remainder
Of the train stayed on the track Nc
Gee was IN the Lang wreck in 1887. and
had both legs broken
It is very peculiar coincidence that
( al three of the wrecks should have be-
fallen what is virtually the same train.
+ N5Stbound TIE train Is called the Cali
fornia Limited. and is designated as No.
. last DOuud II IS the Chicago Limited
and is No 4. It is made I'D of very
elaborate and expensive equipment.
f Prior to the three wrecks which ali
came within As hours. there has NOT
i been a passenger wreck on the Santa
Fe for months It is another peculiar
f coincidence that the wrecks all came in
+ bunch when they did come.
( All three Of the wrecks occurred with
out apparent cause At Sibley' and New
ton, tine train was simply running along
on smooth track at a moderate rate
+ Of speed. when some OF the equipment
/ suddenly jumped the track The &C
count Of the Florence wreck indicates
that for some mysterious reason the en-
CINE OF No. 3 turned into the switch
while the rest of the train stayed on
the main line There is something IN
cauuy about wrecks like these They
are pulling as was the freak Of
ightning, which a few Years ago set
fire to pile of trash inside of the North
I Topeka fire department tower To this
day no place has been found where the
lightning got into the tower
Another queer thing about this wreck
at Florence is that the only man who
was hurt was r o. MCGEE who was
/ also hurt in the Lang wreck in 1887 He
was hurt in exactly the same way. At
Florence he broke his leg. AT Lang he
broke both of them
CE Warman. writing on this very
subject IN Golfers Weekly, says.
Not many tralumeu IN America viii
admit that they are superstitious, but
when there is crash and two great
+ throbbiug. magnificent machines are
+ battered. fine coaches and palace cars
+ are spIfnfered and human beings are
crushed and cremated. you VIII see
/ them huddled and hear them saying.
! Nov therelI be two more
why should there be two more p
you ask Well. says the brakeman. I
DIDN'T say there should be- 1 said there
/ would be-
.'Novv the remarkable thing about
this superstition is that it is so-some-
times
Immediately after the Wanstead