Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-01-06

ICopyright 1904 Topeka State Journall
Topeka, Kss.. Jan. 6.-The Rock Is
lands California Mexico Express which
left Chicago Monday night collided with
m eas:-bound stock train early today
two miles west of Willard. Kan. Twen-
" persons were instantly killed and
several fatally injured. and a large
number slightly hurt.
Two coaches were demolished. both
locomotives destroyed, four car loads
OF stock demolished and dozen ant
mails killed. Both trains We're running
at full speed and came together with
. terrific impact.
The passenger train was composed
OF a combination baggage and mail.
regular baggage, smoker, tourist Sleep
er and standard sleeper. The smoker
which was occupied by only two or
three men, was overturned and tele-
scoped the car behind 1t. which wis
crowded with passengers. many stand
ing in the aisles. Most of those in the
forward end were killed Instantly, but
thirty in the rear succeeded in escap-
Ing. Those killed were crushed to
death in their seats. When rescue was
finally possible only three living per-
sons. man, woman. and small glr:
-Eere taken our alive The rescuers We're
forced % chop their way thru the sid.s
OF the car TO reach them.
Relief Train Sent.
A relief train with a dozen physicians
enoard reached the scene of the wreak
soon, asit was possible to get !.
there anu the a Etors began the work
OF relieving the injured. All the dead
and injured were taken to Topeka,
where the latter We're placed in hos
pitals Some OF the bodies taken from
the wreckage were so badly crushed
~ TO be unrecognizable.
Work Of Rescue.
The three persons rescued from the
front end of the third car were moan
ing and begging to be taken out. One
man. hurt internally. was removed
thru the rear door within FIVE minutes
after the collision. but died almost as
soon as the rescuers could lay him
down. The woman died two hours
later while trying TO tell the physicianc
her name A dozen men had worked on
the place where she seemed to be befor..
she was extricated. Bonnie Martin. A
girl eleven years old. was pinned donil
between two cars, a heavy stove res.-
ing on her foot. Her cries attracta /
rescners, and men, many of then, bleed
ing from wounds about ,the face and
arms worked heroicaliy to get her out.
II took two hours of steady work 20
relieve her. When she WAS taken out
she addressed the doctor who was
bending over her as Papa" The phys
ician did rot have the heart to tell her
she was an orphan. her father and
mother having been killed. The child
ID suffering with broken ankle, where
the stove fell on her, and severe sea
commissions.
Removing the Dead
After daylight work OF removing bod
les began. The engine of the wrecking
train was coupled on two cars.a sleep -
and chair car, which were uniniured.
and started back to Topeka with the
victims Fires We're built along the
track at short intervals and by the light
OF these. the rescuers, in their eager
ness to remove the victims, chopped
openings in the wrecked coach until
exhausted and then handed their axes
to others.
The entire sides of the car had been
chopped away when the work was COM
pleted. So terrific was the force CT
the collision that the smoker ief, It's
trucks in its backward rush. leaving
the trucks still upon the track. Ne.
wheel in the entire train seemed tol
be off the track.
Heroic Physicians
In the sleeper was a young physi- |
clan. DR.. Bell. of New York. who walk
ed with crutch as the result of some
spinal trouble. He was thrown down
and slightly Injured, but was the first
man 10 emerge from the sleeper ana I
Immediately began aiding the injured /
He had portion of the ohair ear ana I
bertfis in the sleeper cleared. ana 10
these the victims We're carried Ths
physician was without instruments or I
and the only thing he couia +
do was to bind up the Mounds With
handages, which he did by tearing mp I
sleeper sheets and pillow cases. and
giving the patients whisky to deaden
The pain. The doctor found fireman