Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-01-06
tCopyrighted 1904, by the Topeka State
 T~x,rrya a I X T

.JournaI) Topeka, Kan, Jan 6.-Thirty persons were killed and twenty injured, nine of them seriously, in collision early to- day five miles from here between the Rock Islands Chicago, M Paso and California train No and a stock train. The engineers and firemen of both trains jumped and escaped.
 Relief trains from Topeka are expect ed to return at [ o'clock with details of the accident. All but two cars of the passenger train are said to have been thrown from the rails.
 The wrecker train left Chicago at 11:3o o'clock Monday night and pulled out of Kansas City twenty minutes 3 late at l o'clock last night. Fortunate, ly traffic is unusually light at this sea son.
 The wreck occurred at 1855 o'clock this morning, two miles west of Will lard, Kan. At least thirty persons were instantly killed, while several oth- 1ers were fatally and large number slightly injured. Two cars filled with passengers were demolished, both loco. motives were destroyed, and four car loads of stock torn to, pieces and dozens of dead animals streWn over the right of way.
 Both trains were running at a speed of from fifteen to twenty-five miles an hour and when the engines met they were welded together by the terrific impact. The engineer and fireman on the freight train escaped without ln- jury by Jumping. The fireman on the : passenger train was seriously injured, but the engineer escaped.
 It was the third car of the passenger train, the first coach having been pre- ceded by smoker and a baggage car, that the greatest loss of life occurred. The smoker. which was occupied by only two or three men, was overturned and pushed through the car behind it, which was crowded with passengers. some standing in the aisle. The first warning given the passengers in this car was when the sudden setting of the air brakes shut off the lights, leaving all In darkness A moment later a mass of Splintered wood and iron was crowded down upon them. No one < was thrown out Of his seat by the blow. Most of those in the forward end 0s the car were killed instantly. Thirty in the rear end of the coach, however, { succeeded in escaping from that end of the car, which was stiH unob obstruct- ed. No one in the front half of the car escaped They were crushed down be- < tween the seats by the smoker When rescue was finally possible only three living persons were taken out by the rescuers, who were compelled to chop holes in the side and through the floor and top of the coach to reach them.
 The three rescued from this portion were man, a small girl and a middle aged woman. who were moaning and begging to be taken out. One man, hurt internally, was removed through the rear door within five minutes after the collision, but died almost as soon as the rescuerg could lay him down. 4 woman died two hours later while try g ing to tell a physician her name. A dozen men had worked on the place where sne seemed to be before she was extricated.
 Bonnie Martin, a girl II years of age. was pinned down between the two cars, the heavy stove resting on one foot. Her cries attracted the rescuers and men, many of them bleeding from wounds about the face and arms, worked heroically to get her. It took two hours of steady work to relieve ' {z ,f her. When she was taken out she ae dressed doctor who was bending over her as papa The physician did not have the heart to tell her she was an orphan. her father and mother having been killed. MT Martin was killed i'll stantly and Mrs Martin died ten min utes after being taken out of the wreck The child was suffering with a broker ankle, the heavy stove having fallen o1 her, and severe scalp contusions She was put to sleep by q hypodermic i'll lection to relieve the pain.
 A dozen or more Topeka physicians arrived on the relief train from Topeka as soon as a brakeman could run u Willard and notify headquarters. Int physicians were soon at work relieving the njured and made no attempt fol the time being to remove the dead.
 After daylight the work of removing the bodies began. The engine of tut wrecking train coupled on the two cars. sleeper and chair car. whicl were uninj1red, and started back tt Topeka with the victims At Topeks all the injured were hurried to hos pifals.
 some of the bodies found i'll thc wreckage were so badly crushed as t be unrecognizable. Fires were bull at track at short intervals and by tn light of these he rescuers, in thei eagerness to remove the victims chopped openings in the wrecked coacl until exhausted, then handed thel axes to others.
 The entire sides of the car had beel chopped away when the work was com pleted. So terrific was the force of th' collision that the smoker left the track4 in it's backward rush, leaving th' trucks still upon the tracks. Not wheel in the entire passenger frall seemed to be off the track.
 The freight train fared differently The four cars immediately behind tn engine were crushed into kindl1n2 Dead and dying cattle filtered the righ Of way.
 On the passenger train, in the sleep CT. was young physician, who walked with a crutch as the result of som spinal trouble. He was thrown dow ana slightly injured but was the frs nj&p to emerge from the sleeper an.