Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-10-12
Catastrophe Overtakes People Bent on
Pleasure in Filled Coaches Near
Kansas City, Mo.

ty persons were killed outright.
List of Casualties.
The dead:
DARST, MRS. W. j., AND SON GIL,
BERT, aged II, Dexter Kan, instantly
killed.
HALLEN, W., AND TWO SONS, BIRD
AND FRANCIS, Pittsburg, Kan.
GREER. DOROTHY, Pennsboro, Mo.
BBEEkKbbs,c t Il * Rer BeTqar Nd Mo-
LOUD, GERTRUDE, Bernard, Mo-
REAM, DIZZY, Barnard, Mo.
h IA 3 :, ADDlE, Pittsburg. Kan.
HERRING. CLARENCE, , Kan.
SILLY sULLIXyAY, NELLIE AND DOLLY,
KEEFE9, HATTY. oxford, Kan.
LINDSAY, NJ, Oxford, Kan.
GREGG, DOSIA, Bronaugh, Mo.
-M'ILHENEY, DIR. H. L., springman,
The injured:
D. D. Hale, Dexter, Kan, thigh broken
Mrs. Hale, wife of above, leg and body
injured serious.
Amelia England, Dexter, limbs badly
crushed.
L. G. Dressed, Eatonyille Kan; serious
e; l.. Barnes, conductor passenger train,
slightly.
L. D. Rossem, engineer train, badly scald-
- Hoton, engineer freight train serious.
badly crushed.
Bit Tottman, Cedarville, Kan, cut about
body, injured internally.
Amelia Trastwine, St Louis
f.. S. Nicholson, Dexter, Kan, hurt about
head.
Ruth Stewart Fourman, independence,
Kan, serious.
w: E. Fourman, independence, serious.
William j. Darst, Dexter, Kan, slightly.
Fred Barnes, Oxford, Kan, scalded, arm
Miss n. J. Wood, Dexter, Kan, serious.
Elizabeth Cowdcly, Adrian, Kan. serious.
T. L. Cowdley, Adrian Kan, serious.
Engineer Is Blamed.
According to the Kansas City Office of
the Missouri Pacific, the engineer of the
freight was to blame for the wreck, hay
ing forgotten his orders. He had been
ordered to wait on a siding at Knob
noster, just east of Warrensburg, but
neglected to do so. The trains met at
sharp curve.
Travel to the worlds fair has been SO
heavy that all roads recently have been
sending out many of their trains in two
or more sections. The train wrecked to-
day, which was the second section of
No. 80, was made up at Wichita Sun
day night The last coach taken up was
at Pleasant HILL Mo-, at about o'clock
this morning.
Occurs at Early Dawn.
rate Of speed when the wreck occurred
Dawn had hardly begun to break and
neither crew was aware Of the approach
Of the other train until they were almost
upon each other. The impact of the col
lision was terri.c The sleeping passen-
gers We're hurled in every direction. Mos!
of the killed We're in the forward coach
which was we'll crowded with passengers
The spot where the wreck occurred was
IN narrow cut and this fact, with the
darkness, added to the difficulty of the
situation. The greatest confusion ensued
after the first lull following the crash and
the groans Of the injured were added to
the escaping steam of the wrecked loco.
motives.
Relief Trains for Aid
1t was some time before word was sent
back to Warrensburg and news of the
wreck was spread. Relief trains carrying
physicians were sent out as quickly as
possible from surrounding towns and ev-
erythlng possible was done to aid the in.
jured.
1t was some time before the dead and
injured could be extricated from the
debris. The dead were carried up the
track and laid in rows in an open space
until the relief train arrived, while the
injured were cared for as we'll as could
be. 1t was long time before the names
OF the victims could be secured.
Death List Crows
While earlier reports said twenty or
twenty-one had been killed, at II o'clock
1t was stated that at that time the dead
numbered twenty,three, seventeen OF
whom had been killed instantly, and the
injured numbered close to thirty, many
Of whom were dying.
The freight train was an extra. Its
crew had, according to the story of the
conductor of this train, been instructed
TO take siding and let the passenger train
pass. The first section of the passenger
tram had gone by when the freight train
pulled out, the passenger train bore nc
signal of section to come, he asserts,
and he had no reason to believe that an.
other train was due.
Meet at Terrific Speed.
The scene of the wreck was on the
down grade, on either side of which there
was a steep rise. Both trains had put on
extra steam to carry them up the Oppo-
site hill and when they met at the curve
at the lowest point they were running at
a terrific rate.
The passenger train was made up OF
three coaches and Pullman, with nc
baggage ear, the front coach being next
to the tender. The freight train was
heavy one. When the trains met the
heavy freight train pushed the passenger
engine back into the first coach The
tender OF the passenger engine literally
cut the coach in two in the center and
never stopped until it had plowed itself
half way through the car and its pas
sengers, killing those in the forward end
instantly, and managing all within reach
in most horrible manner.
Many Dead Unrecognizable.
Half dozen who were not killed out
right were SO terribly injured that they
died before they could be removed from
the debris. Many of the dead were al
most unacceptable. Arms and legs
were amputated in several eases and to-
gether with baggage and, pieces of wreck
age were tumbled together into a con-
fused mass of bleeding human forms.
The next two coaches were also badly
damaged, seats being torn UP and win
dcws smashed, but in these cars the pas
sengers Jared better, all except few
escaping with slight injuries.