Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1903-12-24
''The Meteor" on St. Louis and
San Francisco Road, Runs Into
Open Switch at Godfrey.
ten PERSONS ARE dead and.
SEVERAL INJURED As RESULT
An Cars But Sleeper Overturned and
None of Passengers in the Car Hurt
List of the Observation-Disclosures of
Freight Train Charged with Re-
spOnsibility of Wreck.

Kansas City, Mo-, Dec. 22.-The Me-
feor. the fast train on the St. Louis &
San Francisco railway, which left Fort
Worth Sunday afternoon for Kansas
City, was wrecked at Godfrey, Is miles
south of Fort Scott, Kan, early Monday
morning The train ran into a switch.
and all except the sleeper was derailed
and turned over. Nine persons were
killed and over 20 injured. The dead and
injured were taken to Fort Scott, and
arrived In that city at II o'clock.
Express Messenger Bell died later,
making the total number of dead ten.
The wrecked train was one Of the
6nest and fastest in the service. 1t was
made up of two baggage and one mail
tar, a smoker, two chair cars and a
sleeper. When the train reached God
frey it was behind and running at full
speed to make up time. The crew Of a
freight train that had preceded the Me-
teor left the switch open, and the pas
senger train jumped the track and rolled
down slight embankment. All save
the sleeper turned over, and so fast was
the train running that the engine and
the foremost baggage car landed near
ly 60 feet off the roadbed before they
stopped. The sleeper remained upright,
and none of the passengers in this car
were injured.
The baggage cars were completely
wrecked and the smoker was badly
damaged. Five Of the 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 Fire
man Bishard, of Fort Scott, were all
instantly killed, and Express Messenger
John Bell, of Kansas City, was Sc
riOuSly injured Others of the crew
and almost every passenger on the en-
tire train. except those in the sleeper,
who escaped with a severe shake-up,
were injured, some of them seriously.
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 passengers
who were unhurt, to aid the injured. A
Wrecking crew carrying physicians 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. - -. =, 49,.
List of the Dead,
The dead: George Hoyt, conductor,
Sapulpa, Ind. T.; B. A. Devices, engi-
neer, Fort Scott; Theodore Bishard.
fireman, Fort Scott; James H. ivy
man (colored), Fleming, Kan; Asa
Moreland, Lenexa, Kan; Lon Corbin,
Bessie, Okla; Joe Corbin, Bessie,
Okla; John Brubaker, news agent,
Kansas City.
One unidentified man, whose body
was thrown 60 feet into cornfield
Fatally injured: Sheridan Kanable,
Hoopertown, Okla; B. F. Garroway,
Jonesboro, Ark.
Sixteen others were reported seri-
ously. injured, while. Is others were
A0A SAA6AIAys N1OoC VI Lu0
were badly burned as well as being
manned. -,
Cause of the Wreck. .:r7
The responsibility for the wreck is
laid at the door of brakeman of the
freight crew who failed to flag the
passenger train. He has disappeared
The engine on the freight had be-
come dead" and the crew was
ordered to remain 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. =. 49, y
In the crash the baggage car tele-
scoped the engine and landed in q
cornfeld, while the smoker and the
two chair cars were piled in a mass
on top the engine. Most of the, In
jured were in the chair cars, which
took fire soon after the wreck oc-
Cured. -. -. 4
-. .