Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-06
TWENTY WERE KILLED
Wreck on Rock Island in
Kansas.
HEAD-ON COLLISION
EXPRESS AND HEAVY FREIGHT
CRASH TOGETHER.
Passenger Coach Telescoped and ALI
Within Killed or Injured
Story of Survivors.

KANSAS CITY. Mo-. January 6.-Ths
Rock Islands California and Mexico ex-
press. which left Chicago on Monday night
at IL 80 o'clock for the west. collided head
on with cattle train today at Willard.
Kan, fourteen miles west of Topeka.
Twenty persons were killed and every per
son on the train was injured. relief
train that left Topeka for the scene re-
turned to that city at 7:30 o'clock this
morning with the dead a d injured. The
train, which left Kansas City at 10 o'clock
last night was twenty minutes late. and
at the time Of the accident was running at
the rate of thirty miles an hour. The train
carried many persons for Oklahoma who
had taken advantage of the homesteaders'
excursion rates that closed yesterday. II
also contained through sleepers and chair
cars for San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The identified dead:
c. A. Wright. Kansas City. Mo.
James Griffin, Claremont, Mo.
w. s. Martin De Kalb. Ill.
William Wells. Jacksonville. Ill.
Fay Fuller, girl seven years old.
Mrs. Henry Kaiser and child. Germany.
E. e. Meyers, Buffalo. N. Y.
e. Rankin.
The names Of twenty injured were
learned, among them being q. L. Beatty OF
Pennsylvania. With the exception of Mrs
NJ A. Hull. whose address could not be
learned, the injured are not in a serious
condition. Their hurts consist chiefly OF
cuts, bruises. sprains and broken limbs.
danger their lives. 80
The injured, excepting DR.. Bell and Mr..
Beatty, are western and southwestern peo-
Worst Wreck in Years.
The wreck was one Of the most serious
that has happened on the Rock Island sys-
tenn in years. Between Kansas City and
Topeka the Rock Island uses the tracks OF
the Union Pacific and as there are no gem
eral offices of either road in this city, de-
tails of the disaster We're obtained wita- -dif=
ficulty Several reporters who boarded the
relief train as 1t left Topeka early this
morning were put off the train shortly after ,
it started from that city. and the first de-
tails of the collision came from persons on
the wrecked train after they had been re-
turned to Topeka.
Occurring as it did al small station with
few facilities for aid and in the darkness.
there was much delay in extricating the
dead and injured and in caring for the lat
ter. The train was composed of combi-
nation baggage and mail car. regular
baggage car, a smoker tourist sleeper
and a standard sleeper.
Freight Off Its Schedule.
The wreck, according to the passenger
conductor was caused by the freight crew
running off schedule. The passenger train
had the right of way, he declares. and the
freight train should have waited for 1t to
pass at Maple Hill, six miles west of the
scene of the collision. The wreck oo-
Cured at a curve.
The hero OF the wreck a DR.. Bell
of New York city, young physician him.
self crippled, walking on crutches. DR..
Bell although slightly hurt as result OF
the collision, was the first man to leave
the Pullman sleeper, which was not dam
aged. Struggling heroically forward on his
crutcheS, he Immediately assumed charge
of the rescue work. First he ordered the chair
car and sleeper cleared. Then after direct
ing the removal Of the injured to these cars
he allayed the pain of the injured much
as was possible without medicine or instru-
ments, bandaged broken legs and arms with
strips torn at his direction by others from
sheets and pillow slips. administered what
whisky was at hand to deaden the injuries
until the relief train should arrive, and
saved the life OF the fireman by teing an
artery with the aid of a pen knife and q
piece Of string
After working until nearly exhausted. DR..
Bell only gave way when the physicians
arrived from Topeka with medicine and In
struments. Then he steadfastly refused to
disclose his name, and 1t was only partial
ly learned from his fellow passengers.
DR.. Bell was on his way to Ell Paso. Texas.
for his health. Soon after returning to
Topeka from the scene of the wreck he
boarded another train for the south, refus-
ing either to disclose his full name and ad-
dress. or to submit to an interview.
The unidentified dead include four girls,
three boys, one man and four women.
STORY OF A SURVIVOR.