Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1904-01-07
TRAINS MEET IN A
AEAD-ON GOLtlS5N
Twenty Passengers Report
ed Killed on Rock Island.
EVERY PERSON ON TRAlN HURT

J.
EVERY PERSON ON TRAlN HURT
Rock Island, California and Mexic'
Express Out From Chicago coIKde'
With Cattle Train With Most Dis
astrous Resutts-Train Demolished
Kansas City, Jan. Crock Island
California and Mexico express, whicf
| left Chicago on Monday night at l1sSi
O'Clock for the west, colllded head
on shortly after l o'clock this morn
ing at Willard, Kans., IA miles west
of Topeka, with cattle train. The
whole train was demolished. Twen
ty persons were killed aud every per
son on the train was injured.
A relief train that Left Topeka fol
the scene returned to that city at 7.St
o'clock with the dead and injured.
The train, which left Kansas City
at 10 o'clock last night, WIS 90 min,
utes late at the time of the ecoident
and was running at the rate of 81
miles an hour.
The train carried many persons for
Oklahoma, who had taken advantage
OF the homesteaders' excursion rates
that closed yesterday, 1t also con
tanned through sleepers and chair cars
for San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Worst Wreck In Years.
The. wreck was one of the most Sc
rious that has happened on the Rock
Island system in years. Between
Kansas City and Topeka, the Rock
island uses the tracks of the Union
Pacific and as there are no general
offices of either road in this city, de
tails of the disaster we're obtained
with difficulty Several reporters,
who boarded the relief train as it left
Topeka early this morning, were put
off the train shortly after it started,
and the first details OF the collision
came from persons on the wrecked
train after they had been returned to
Topeka.
Occurring, as it did, at small sta
Dion with few facilities for aid, there
was much delay in extracting the
dead and injured The train was
composed of a combination baggage
and mail car. regular baggage car,
a smoker, tourist sleeper and a
standard sleeper
Partial List of the Dead.
Many OF the dead had not been iden-
titled at II o'clock today The list
as far as known at that hour follows:
G. A Wright, Kansas City, Mo.
Jane Griffin Claremont, Mo.
Gail Fuller, Blockton, Iowa.
w S. Martin, DeKalb, H.
Mrs. Henry Kaiser and child, of Ger
many.
The unidentified dead are:
Woman about 25 years old.
Girl, child about l year old.
Woman, % years old; baggage was
checked to Tyrone, Okla.
Woman, middle aged, ticket to Ty.
rome, Okla
F. L. Beatty, OF Pennsylvania.
E. F. Adams, brakeman, of Ever
est, Kans.
Mrs Rose Bulb, of Atchison, Kans
Mrs. Bertha Shubert, of ST. Claire
Ills
Ola Harvey, Of Lynne, 1. Ter.
Girl Is years old.
Child years old.
Boy II years old.
Child years old.
Boy 13 years old; brown and white
checked suit.
Girl 13 years old, brown dress.
Woman 40 years old, weighed about
155 pounds.
Woman As years old; plain band
ring on left hand; blue and white
checked waist
Man so years old.
Reporter Tells of Disaster.
H. G. Parson, a reporter who was
on the train said:
Both trains were running at rate
of from 20 to 80 miles an hour, and
when the eHgines met they were weld.
ed together by terrific impact The
engineer and firemen on the freight
escaped without injury by jumping,
The fireman on the passenger train
was fatally injured, but the engineer
escaped. 1t was in the third car OF
the passenger, the first coach being
preceded by a smoker and baggage
car, that the most loss of life oc.
Cured
The smoker, which was occupied by
only two or three men, was overturn,
ed and pushing through the car behind
it. which was crowded with passen-
gers, some standing in the aisle The
first warning given the passengers in
this car was when the sudden setting
of the air brakes. The lights went
out. leaving all in darkness a moment
later, a mass of splintered wood and
iron was crowding upon them. Nc
one was thrown out of his seat by the
blow. Most of those in the forward
end of the car were instantly killed.
Thirty in the rear end of the coach.
however, succeeded in escaping In
the front end of the car the victims
We're crushed down between the seats
by the smoker. When rescue was
finally possible only three living pei.
sons We're taken out. The three res.
cued were man, small girl and
middle aged woman, who were moan.
ing and begging to be taken out One
man. hurt internally, was removed
through the rear door within five min
utes after the collision, but died al
most as soon as the rescuers could
lay him down. A woman died two
hours later while trying to tell ply
sician her name.