The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-01-07
SEVENTEEN DEAD.
Continued from First Page.)

/
the bottom one of which so many peo-
| pie met their death:
! Those two cars are telescoped worse
| than any two cars have ever seen in
all my railroad experience. cannot
| understand how anyone could come out
| of either of the cars alive after the ter
| r1ble accident which occurred last night.
nave been told, however, that many
| of the people in the top car escaped
death 1t is simply miraculous. Those
VINO nave investigated those particular
cars have no doubt noticed that the
roof of the lower car ran through the
| floor of the east end of the upper car
while the floor of the upper car did the
same with the lower car only it entered
! from the west end. The sides. of the
| upper car seem to envelop the lower
car IN the same manner that an old
hen does her little chickens when it is
! threatening rain. In view of those
facts l cannot see for the life of me
how any one could have been saved
| from either carr
Since the excitement caused by the
wreck has quoted down satisfactory
statements in regard to the cause of
ire wreck have been obtained. 1t was
given out by Rock Island authorities
| that the cause of the wreck was a
mistake that was made by Engineer
| Benjamin of No g. According to this
statement Mr.. Benjamin had orders to
wait at Willard for the cattle train.
When he arrived at that point a freight
tram was standing on a siding there
and thinking that this train was the
one referred to in his orders and that,
contrary to the orders, had reached
Willard ahead of time, he ran on
through without stopping and the re-
suit was the collision with the cattle
train a few moments later. Railroad
men say that Mr.. Benjamin's mistake
was unexcusable and that he should
have taken the number of the engine
on the train at Willard. If he had
done this he would have noticed his
mistake and the accident would never
have happened. As it was, however,
many of them think that at the investi-
cation which will follow the wreck,
the blame will be placed on Mr.. Ben
jamin-
sIGEL HEARD THE COLLISION.
1t is stated by G. w. Sigel, who was
acting as agent for the Rock Island
at Willard at the time of the wreck,
that the noise caused by the collision
of the two trains was so loud that he
heard it at his station which is fully
three miles from the scene of the ca
tastrophe. Mr. Sigel said yesterday:
81 was expecting the wreck and it is
probably for that reason that | was
able to hear 1t. 1 had been notified OF
the orders that had been given the en-
gineer on No. 8 and was surprised
when he ran past the depot without
stopping. / thought, however, that ne
would probably stop before he had gone
the other track. This was not the case.
When 1 went out onto the depot plat
form I was just in time to see the train
disappearing over the hill and then l
knew that something was going to
happen. 1t was too late for anything
to be done, however, for few moments
later I heard the crash and then the
noise of the escaping steam came to
my ears .
The scene at the wreck was one of
horror. The excitement reached the
turning point when all of the dead had
been taken from the wrecked cars
The bodies were laid on the cushions
! that had been torn from out the wreck
| age of the dav coach. and as whole
they presented the appearance. of a
hospital ward. Large crowds of people
who had come from the surrounding
country Immediately on hearing the
news were grouped around the wreck
and here and there could be seen per-
sons who were anxlOuSly scanning the
faces of the dead in the hope that they
might recognize some friend or relative
who had been lost. Steam was still
coming from one of the big Brooks en-
| gines as if it was striving to force its
way ahead in spite of the obstruction
! in its way, and all of these things, to-
gether with the dead cattle that were
! strewn along either side of the track
| for a hundred feet, made a scene that
will be remembered for a long time by
| those who saw it.
At 10 o'clock when sthe second relief
train arrived at the wreck, bringing a
| lineman from the local offices of the
road, a temporary telegraph office was
| established on the spot. The nneman
cut into the disDatcher's line and for
an hour afterwards C. W. Jones, divi-
/ sion SUPERINTENDENT for the company,
with headquarters in Topeka, was busy
with the key. From his little station
out on the prairie he gave orders to all
of the other trains to either detour by
way of some other road or wait until
| the main line at Willard had been
cleared station 'sWK'' was then
turned over to a regular operator, who
staid until late in the afternoon, when
| the wires were taken down and the in
struments were brought into Topeka on
eastbound train No. II.
| INQUEST POSTPONED.
| Coroner Silverthorn of Wabaunsee
county called the jury together at 10 q.
m. today at the Barclay undertaking
establishment but on account of the
nonarrival of several of the witnesses
the inquest was continued until 3
will be composed exclusively of Rock
Island railroad officials and employees,
it is understood, although the list of
those subpoenaed has not been made
public.
In case the evidence is not all taken
today. it is not unlikely that the jury
will be taken back to Wabaunsee coun-
tv and the inquest concluded there.
| Coroner SiIverthorn says that while
the state law authorizes him to conduct
an inquest outside of his own county, if
necessary, he does not like to do so.