The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1904-01-22
A LONG LIST OF VICTIMS
Besides Twenty Killed, a Score Re-
ceived More or Less Serious In
j%uries, a Number of Them Fa-
tai-Cause Doubtful.

u SaNWo coaches were demolished, both
locomotives destroyed, four carloads or
fIIock demolished, and dozens of ami
|mals killed.
Both rains were running at full
speed and came together with a ter
icific impact.
The passenger train was composed
of a combination baggage n mail
Gar, a regular baggage car, smoker,
tourist sleeper and standard sleeper.
The smoker, which was occupied by
only two or three men, was overturned
and telescoped the car behind it, which
was crowded with passengers, many
standing in the aiSleS.
Most of those in the forward end
We're instantly killed. Thirty in the
rear succeeded in escaping. Those
killed were crushed to death in their
seats.
When rescue finally was possible the
only three living persons, a man, a
woman and a small girl, were taken
out. The rescuerS were forced to chop
their way through the side OF the car
to reach them.
Relief Train Sent.
A relief train with a dozen physi-
clans aboard reached the scene of the
wreck as soon as possible and the doc
tors began their work of relieving the
injured. All the dead and injured were
taken to Topeka, where the latter were
placed in hospitals. Some of the bodies
taken from the Wreckage were so bad
ly crushed as to be unrecognizable.
None Of the trainmen seemed to
know who to blame for the wreck.
The Work of Rescue.
The three persons rescued from the
front end of the third car We're moan
ing and begging to be taken out. One
mar was hurt internally. He was re-
moved through the rear door within
five minutes after the collision, but died
almost as soon as the escuers could
lay him down. A woman died two
hours later While trying to tell the
physicians her name. A dozen men
had worked on the place where she
seemed to be before she was extricat-
ed.
Bonnie Martin, a girl of IL years,
was pinned down between two cars, a
heavy stove resting on her foot. Her
cries attracted the reScuers, and men,
many Of them bleeding from wounds
about the face n arms, worked hero
ically to get her out. 1t took two
hours of steady work to relieve her.
When she was taken out she addressed
the doctor who was bending over her
as papa The physician did not have
the heart to tell her she was an or
been killed. The child was suffering
with a broken ankle, Where the stove
fell on her, and severe scalp Commissions.
After daylight the work of removing
tthe bodies began. The engine of the
wrecking train coupled on the two
cars, a sleeper and chair car, which
were uninjured and started back to
Topeka with the victims.
Car Chopped to Pieces.
Fires We're built along the track at
short intervals, and by the light Of
these the ~rescuers, in their eagerness
to remove the victims, chopped open
ings in the wrecked coach until eX-
hausted and then handed their axes to
Others. The entire sides of the car
had been chopped ava when the work
was completed.
SO terrific was the force of the COL
lision that the smoker left the trucks
In it's backward rush, leaving the
trucks still upon the track. Not a
wheel in the entire train seemed to be
off the track.
In the sleeper was DR.. Bell, Of
New York, a young physician who
walked with a crutch, as the re-
suit Of some spinal trouble. He was
thrown down and slightly injured, but
was the first man to emerge from the
sleeper, and Immediately began aiding
the injured. He had a portion Of the
chair car and berths in the sleeper
cleared, and to them the victims were
FSCl u "a SlSicll oo "1lllOu
instruments or medicine, and the only
thing he could do was to bind up the
wounds with bandages, which he did by
tearing up the sleeper sheets and pill
i1owcases, and giving the patients whis-
ky to deaden the pain.
A Primitive Operation.
The doctor found a fireman with an
artery broker in his leg. He took it
up with a penknife and tied 1t with
thread, probably preventing the fire.
man from bleeding to death. He per-
formed innumerable acts of like nature
before the arrival of the Topeka ply
Sicians.
None of the trainmen seemed to know
who was to blame for the wreck. The
FL Paso train left Topeka about thir-
ty minutes late, and the injured con-
,ductor SAID he had the right of way
and that the cattle train had no ex-
cuse for being on the main line, and
should have waited for the passenger
at Maple Hill, six miles west of Willard.
The Ell Paso train did not stop at
Willard and was making up lost time.
AT the point where the wreck occurred
there is a curve. and the engineers on
the two trains barely had time to set
the air brakes and jump before the
crash came. The freight was an unus-
ually heavy train.
Those on the passenger train had lit
liz Wall llIlS. . llS iDu0 Hiss IL Tile air
brakes was followed almost instantly
by the blow and the crushing sound Of
teleScoping cars.
Soon, amid the groans and shrieks Of
the injured, survivors began to crawl
out over the wrecked seats. Many Of
those who escaped injury were stunned
and unable for the time to realize their
situation. They stood aroun helpless
1y, while others began using the tools
at hand, and then reSorting to wooden
levers and pieces of scrap iron to break
into the death trap.
The Identified Dead.
Many of the dead had o beer iden-
titled at II o'clock today. The list fol-
lows:
G. A. WRIGHT, Kanss1 City.
JAMES GRIFFIN, Clement, Nc.
w. S. MARTIN, DeKalb, Ill.
WILLIAM WELLS. Jacksonville, III.
GAIL FULLER, Blockton, Ia.
MRS. HENRY XAVIER and CHILD,
Germany.
FAY FULLER. girl Z years old.