The daily sentinel., 1903-01-29
SUNSET LIMITED WRECKED


ure of Night Operator George Clough
at Walls station to deliver orders to
| westbound train No. 9. known as the
Sunset Limited, caused headend col
iison at 3 O'Clock this morning, be-
tween trains Nos. and fourteen
miles east of Tucson and six miles
| from Walls station with fatal results.
| Al last accounts twenty bodies have
been taken 1,om the mass of burned
and charred wreckage and it is be-
lieved that several more are buried in
the twisted mass and tangled steel
and iron.
| Train No. s which was originally
No. 8 but which was several hours
late and was running as No. 8, stop
ped at Walls station at 2 40 this morn
ing. 1t was in charge of Conductor
G. W. Parker and engineer Jack
Bruce, one of the Oldest and best
known engineers in Arizona. The
conductor and engineer were furnish
ed with orders to pass an east bound
freight train at Wilmot station.
There was another order at Walls
station-one to meet train No. 8,
known as the Crescent City express
eastbound, at Esmond This order
which was the important one. the
operator failed to deliver and the
limited pulled out with the full
corning No 8.
When six miles west of Walls run
ming at speed of fifty miles an hour
and rounding sharp curve. No. 8
crashed into No. 8 running forty five
miles an hour. The crash and the
scenes Immediately following were
T; beyond description. So great was
| the impact from the two flying trains
that the two engines reared up like
| two animals in compat and crushed
! their boilers like shells. The cars
Immediately in the rear rushed upon
the mass of heated iron and piled up
in an indescribable and frightfully
tangled mass. Fire broke out at
once. The flames, fed by the oil from
the broken tanks of the engines
the whole mass was soon in flames.
Those who were able to escape from
the cars in the rear of the trains
quickly came to the rescue. But all
their efforts went for little and the
pile of debris was heated 10 such q de-
gree that the workers could not ap-
proach near enough to do any good.
Smoke from the burning oil and
| cars, as we'll as the escaping steam
blinded all those who got near the
fire. Even in the face of all these
obstacles the passengers and trainmen,
who We're able to be of any service
whatever. rendered noble aid to the
wounded. Many of these were quick
ly removed and taken to places of
safety at the sides of tn, tracks. 1t
is declared by passengers who were
brought to Tucson on the relief train
that oil from broken tanks ran in
streams down each side of the track
When the infamable liquid took fire
it rendered efforts at rescue very diff
cult and dangerous 1t is declared
thap piic lIthsS Va WioShuHc was Iedttu
to white heat by the intensity of
the fire.
A Pullman sleeper on the rear of
train No. was detached by the tre-
mendous force of the collision and
ran down the grade into Tucson crush
ing into switch engine. Both enigne
and sleeper were damaged to consid-
cradle extent. The arrival of the
runaway was the first news of the
wreck to reach Tucson, although it
had been authoritatively stated that
Operator Clough at Walls learned of
his fatal error when No. departed
told the dispatcher's office at Tucson
that wreck would occur. Soon af-
ter the Pullman car ran into Tucson
brakeman arrived from Walls bring
ing news of the wreck. His reports
We're that the dead would number
from twenty-five to forty.
There will be good time and
good lunch for everyone at the Elks
hall tonight. 25 cents admission.