The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1904-01-14
KILLED AND INJURED
Many Suffer 10 Another Terrible
Railroad Wreck
CONDUCTOR AND ENGINEER ERR
A Frightful Mistake That Resulted
In the Loss Of Many Lives and Pro-
duced nuch Suffering.

persons were Killed and thirty-seyen
injured in head-ou collision between |
the Rock Island. California & Mexico |
express and a freight at Willard We'd |
nesday morning. Most OF the injured |
are in hospitals in Topeka The doc
tors announce that all will recover. |
with the exception Of Mrs. NJ. A. Hill. |
of Greensburg. Kan.
The dead are: Mrs ]. H. Hill. Green's |
burg, Kan; Mrs. w. S. Martin, St Jo- |
seph, Mo-; Mrs. Mary Harvaille, Chilli |
cothe, Mo-; Ben Harvaille. son of Mrs. |
Harvaille, aged 10; Tot Harvaille
daughter Of Mrs. Harvaille, aged 3;
Mrs. Susan Reed, a sister OF Mrs Har-
vaille; James Griffin, Claremont. Mo-.
E. E. Mayer, Buffalo, N Y; Raymond
A. Martin, Chillicothe, Mo-: w. S. Mar
tin, st. Joseph. Mo-; E. r. Rankins,
De Kalb, Mo-; William ]. Wells. Jack
sonville, ILL.,; Mrs. Mary Kaiser, Rus
sian; Gale Fuller, aged I, Brockton,
Iowa; Grace Reed, Chilleeothe, Mo-;
Lerora Reed, Chillicothe. Mo-: uniden-
titled boy, aged eight yearS
1t Is thought that carelessness OF the
trainmen caused the wreck. Instruct
ed to meet a special freight train at
Willard, the engineer and conductor OF
the ill-fated passenger, noting that a
freight train stood in the siding at
Willard, rushed through, thinking that
the cars that they had seen were the
ones which they had been instructed to
pass.
Upon seeing at Willard a freight
train upon the siding, Engineer Ben
jamin threw open the throttle, and un-
der the impetus CT full steam the pas
senger leaped into darkness and
crashed along at 4 rate which the pas
sengers declare to have been 90 miles
an hour.
A formal inquest was held at the
wreck today by Coroner Deoly. of Wa
bunsee county. The investigation Will
be continued tomorrow.
Fl. G. Parsons, a reporter Of the To-
peka State Journal, who was on the
wrecked Rock Island train. arrived IN
Topeka at eight o'clock this morning.
after driving overland from the scene
of the collision. Parsons escaped with
slight injuries, While two persons on
| the seat in front of him were killed.
Parsons tells the following story OF the
! wreck.
1T was in the third car of the pas
senger train, the first coach having
| been preceded by smoker and bag
| gage car. that the greatest loss OF lie
occurred. The smoker, which was oc-
| cupied by only two or three men, was
| overturned and pushed through the
| car behind it, which was crowded WIN
passengers, some standing in the aisle.
| The first warning given the passengers
| in this Car was when the sudcen set
! ting of the air brakes shut on the
| lights. leaving all in darkness. mo-
ment later A mass of splintered wood
and iron was crowded down upon
| them. None we're thrown out or their
seats by the glow. Most OF those IN
| the forward end of the car were kiiieai
instantly. Thirty in the rear end ol
| the coach, however, succeeded III es-
Gaming from that end Of the car wnlcn
was still unobstructed. No one in the
front half of the car escaped. 1ney
were crushed down between the seats
of the smoker. When rescue was nh-
| alIy rossible only three living persons
we're taken out by the rescuers, Wno
vere coupelled to chop holes In tne
| side and through the floor and top VI
the coach to reach them ~
"The three rescued from this por
t;on were a man, a small girl, mlddle
aged woman, who were begging u pe
taken ont. One man, hurt internally
was removed through the rear dool
within five minutes after the COLLISION
hrt died almost as soon as the res
cuers could lay him down. "olhal
died two hours later while trying u
tell a physician her name. A oozei
men had worked on the place "ners
she seemed to be before she was eA
tricated. ,d
"Bonpie Martin, girl II years oio
was pinned down between the t"'
cars. the heavy stove resting on ON
foot Her cries attracted the res
| cuers and men, many Of them bleeding
from wounds about the face and arms
worked heroically to get her out.
, took some time to release her. Nne'
she was taken out she addressed III
doctor who was bending over ner
papa" The physician did not nav
the heart to tell her that she was a.
orphan, her father and mother navih
: been killed. Mr.. Martin was Klie
instantly and Mrs. Martin died te
minutes after being taken out OF IN
wreck. The child was suffering wit
broken ankle, where the heav
stove fell on her, and severe scalp col
tusions. She was put to sleep by q!
podermic injection to relieve the pan
"Some of the bodies found IN Tn
wreckage were so badly crushed as I
he unrecognizable. Through a hol
chopped in one side OF the car tn
body of a gray-haired, heaVy-set ma
and a woman with long, yellow nal
, were visible Fires were built aion
the track at short intervals and D
; the light of these the rescuers, IN the
q eagerness to remove the Vlcum
e chopped openings in the wrecke
I coaches until exhausted and then the
: handed their axes to others. The el
4 tire sides of the car had been choppe
4 awav when the work was com plete
a Occasionally the rescuers would d
n sist upon an alarm being raised I
yatchers. who declared that the cho
ping away Of the coach was letting u
smoker down upon the victims.
terrific was the force OF the coiiise
I that the smoker left the truck In i
backward rush, leaving the trucks st
mon the track. Not a wheel In q
: entire passenger train seemed 10
8 | off the track.
The freight train Jared different
The four cars Immediately behind Il
engine were crushed into klndHn
e Dead and dying cattle Uttered u
II right Of way, while many which nj
v escaped from the cars uninqured II
about. adding to the confusion.