The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-08-23
WENT INTO DITCH
Westb0und Santa Fe Passenger
Train Wrecked.
Goes Into Ditch at Midnight
Near Topeka.
FIVE PEOPLE HURT.
Two Of Them Are Seriously In
jured.
Sufferers Are Brought to Topeka
Hospital.
All Traffic on the Line is
Blocked.

| Westbound Santa Fe passenger train
No. II, due to arrive at Topeka al
IL o'clock midnight, was derailed g
curve two miles east of Tecumseh
shortly before midnight last night.
The entire train went into the ditch
only the engine remaining on the
| track.
No people were killed and but five
| injured.
This is the third passenger train to
be derailed within week on the Santa
Fe. and all near Topeka.
The escape from death for the pas
sengers in each instance has been mi
raculous. This accident is perhaps the
most remarkable of the three.
The injured
1. J. Curry, Kansas City, mail clerk.
Paul Buckley, Kansas City, express
| messenger, seriously injured.
Lynn Maddux, negro tramp, both
legs and knees broken.
Mrs. 1. Scriopeki, 500 Quincy street,
Topeka, knee bruised.
Mrs. r. B. Perkins, Hutchinson,
Kansas, chest bruised.
The only person said to be seriously
hurt is the negro tramp who was rid
ing on the blind baggage.
The train was in charge of Con-
ductor Colbert and Engineer Hove
land, and at the time the train left
the track it was making about thirty
miles per hour.
The accident was very similar to
the dora1lment at Scranton. The front
trucks of the mail car left the
rails for some reason taking the re-
mainder of the train into the ditch.
just as soon as the engineer discover
ed the danger to his train he applied
the air to the air brakes, but it was not
soon enough to do much good.
The accident occurred on a curve in
the track, and it is impossible at
this time to account for the manner
in which the trucks of the mail car
left the rails.
Immediately after the accident oc-
Cured brakeman was sent to Tecum-
sch and word was sent to Topeka. The
wrecking train and a relief train were
Immediately sent to the scene of the
accident taking nurses and doctors.
The passengers were brought to To-
peka and a special train made up to
enable them to continue their journey.
The injured passengers are at the
Santa Fe hospital
Daylight revealed a spectacular
mixup at the scene of the wreck this
morning. The track at that point
curves around a big hill which was
dug down for the railroad. On the
south of the track the bank is 20 feet
high. On the north of the track is
level land for a distance of about a
city block to the Kaw river.
The first car to leave the track was
the mail car. 1t lies practically paral-
lei to the track but at least a dozen
feet from the rails.
The forward express and baggage
car in which Paul Buckley was found
beneath drift of express packages
and trunks, lies at right angles to the
track, with the smoking car jammed
up against the side of the express car.
The express car rolled completely
over once and remained standing al
most square1y straight up. Paul
Buckley, the express messenger, was
knocked from his feet and when the
car righted itself he found himself
pinioned underneath piles of spilled
express packages and trunks. He
was extricated by the train men, but
would not leave his car to go to the
hospital until he turned the car over