Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1903-12-23
NINE KILLED IN A WRECK.
Awful Disaster on Frisco Line
Near Fort Scot, Kan.
SWITCH WAS LEFT OPEN
Sleeper Is Only Car On the Texas-Kansas
City Flyer Which Does Not
Leave the Track.

Kansas City, Mo, Dec 21.-The Me-
teor, the fast train on the st. Louis q
San Francisco railway which left Fort
Worth yesterday afternoon for Kansas
City, was wrecked at Godfrey, fifteen
miles south of Fort Scott, Kan, this
morning The train ran into a switch,
and all except the sleeper was derailed
and turned over Nine persons We're
killed and over twenty injured. The dead
and injured were taken to Fort Scott and
arrived in that city at IL o'clock.
Killed and Injured.
The dead:
HOYT, GEORGE, conductor, Sapulpa,
BEWEBs, B; A, engineer, Fort Scott
WYMAN, JAMES II. T., colored, Fiem-
MoRELAND, ASA, Lenexa, Kan.
CoRBIN, LON, Bessie, Ok.
CORBIN, JOE, Bessie, Ok
BRUBAKER. JOHN, news agent, Kan
ONE UNIDENTIFIED MAN, whose body
was thrown sixty feet into cornfeld.
Fatally injured:
Sheridan Kanable, Hoopertown, Ok
Is. E. Garroway, Jonesboro, Ark
Seriously injured:
Mrs. E. g. Call Hobart Ok
Henry Mckinley, Slider, Ok
Thomas Kent, Mountain View, Ok.
]. w. GULL, Ottumwa, Ia.
Henry M. Mcdonnell, Lodi O.
l.. Howard Lee, Oklahoma City, Ok.
Joseph Il. Donoghue, Franklin, Ill.
Walter Godsby, Kansas City.
City.
J. D. Bryant, Davenport, Ia
w W. r: Farmer, blackwell, Ok.
Jacob Roesseler, Parker, Ok.
Z. j. Donovan, Snyder, Ok.
). W. Adamson, mail clerk, Kansas City.
81. b. Darlington, mail clerk. Kansas City.
Fifteen others were hurt slightly.
Most of the injured were badly burned
as well as being manned.
Responsibility for Wreck.
The responsibility for the wreck is laid
at the door Of brakeman Of the freight
crew who failed to flag the passenger
tain. He has disappeared.
The engine Oh the freight had become
dead and the crew was ordered to re-
main on the main track and turn the
switch for the passenger then about due,
the brakeman being ordered to flag the
Meteor. This he neglected to do.
In the crash the baggage car telescoped
the engine and landed in a corn6eld, while
the smoker and the two chair cars were
piled IN mass on top the engine. Most
OF the injured were in the chair cars,
which took fire soon after the wreck
occurred.
Train Was Making Up Time.
When the train reached Godfrey it was
behind and running at full speed to make
up time. The crew of freight train
that had preceded the Meteor left the
switch open, and the passenger train
jumped the track and rolled down a slight
emD ankment. All save the sleeper turned
over, and SO fast was the train running
that, tho engine and the forward baggage
car Landed nearly sixty feet off the road
bed before it stopped. The sleeper re-
manned upright and none of the passen-
gers IN this car was injured.
Killed In Smoker
The baggage cars were completely
wrecked and the smoker was badly dam
aged. Five Of those killed were in the
forward end of the smoker and four Of
them were killed instantly. A news
agent, who was badly mangled, died on
the relief train that carried the dead
and injured to Fort Scott.
Engineer B. A. Devices of Fort Scott,
Conductor Roy Of Topeka and Fireman
Bishard of Fort Scott were all instant
" killed.
Every Passenger Injured.
Express Messenger John Bell of Kan
sas City was seriously injured. Others
Of the crew and almost every passenger
on the entire train, except those in the
O1CSpSIs VIII t0CdUeu Will severe
shake-up, were injured, some OF them
seriously.
Express Messenger Bell died later,
making the total number Of dead ten.
It was still dark when the wreck oc-
CURED and the utmost confusion fol-
lowed. 1t was some time before those
Of the crew who had escaped injury
were able, with the help of the passen-
gers who were unhurt, to aid the in
jured. A wrecking crew carrying physi-
clans did not leave Fort Scott for the
scene until several hours after the wreck
occurred and it was II o'clock before
the dead and injured were brought to
Fort Scott.
Six Hurt in Collision.
Birmingham, Ala, Dec 21.-South-
bound limited express No. on the Ala
bama Great Southern division Of the
Queen q Crescent, running three hours
late on account Of heavy travel collided
head-on with a freight near CottondaIe,
Ala, forty miles southwest of Birming-
ham, today. It is said the freight was
doubling over hill and the fagman had
not been sent out far enough. However,
the engineers saw each other in time to
greatly reduce the speed of their trains.
The railroad officials here say only six
persons were hurt, Engineer Pat Larkin,
Express Messenger Edwards and four
passengers, but not seriously.
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