The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-23
KILLED THE CREW
Three Men in Union Pacific
Engine Lose Their Lives.
Head End Collision on a Curve
at ROssYille.
THE FIREMAN JUMPED.
His Lifeless Body Found Under
Wrecked Cars.
Engineer Gibson and Conductor
THE FIREMAN JUMPED.
Engineer Gibson and Conductor
Reese the Other Victims.

A disastrous wreck occurred on the
Union Pacific railroad shortly after 1
O'Clock this morning resulting in the
death of three railroad men and con-
siderable loss to the railroad company.
The wreck occurred one and one-half
miles east of Rossville and about 1S
miles west of Topeka on the Union
Pacific road.
The killed, who were all on the en-
gine of the eastbound freight, were:
WILLIAM H. GIBSON, engineer.
Kansas City, Mo.
ALBERT OLEsON. fireman, of
Junction City. Kan.
CLARENCE REESE, conductor, of
Twenty-fourth and Lime streets, Kan
sas City, Mo.
Aside from the killed no one was
seriously injured excepting the fireman
of the westbound freight, who was
badly bruised about the hips in jump
ing from his engine before it came to
a stop. The three men who were kill
ed were in the cab of the engine, which
was drawing a long train of cars load
ed with wheat. The conductor had
mounted the engine after handing the
orders to the engineer and had not
gone back to the way car. Train No.
]
full stop when the headlight of the
eaStbound train running at rate of
about 80 miles an hour showed up
around a sharp curve. The crew OF
161, except the fireman who had
| jumped, made a run for safety and
succeeded in getting outside the dan
| ger zone. The crew of the eastbound
| had no time to jump after the head
| light of the other train came into view,
although the fireman, Albert Oleson,
went through the window on his side
head first. He was buried under the
| Wreckage of the cars about four car
| lengths back from the engine.
The bodies of the engineer and the
conductor were found in the debris of
| the cab. Both trains were heavily
loaded and the engines of both of the
trains were complete wrecks as well
as thirteen cars, most of them loaded
with wheat.
The local. Union Pacific officials re-
fuse to give out any information as to
train crew of the westbound train are
not to be located, it is presumed that
they suspect that the blame will be
laid at their door.
The bodies of the victims We're
brought to Topeka and placed in the
undertaking rooms of Shellabarger &
| Son. P. NJ. Oleson, the father of Al
bert Oleson, is at the morgue by the
side of the body of his son, overcome
with grief, chafing the stilled hands of
his son. He said: my son left home
last night and came around and told US
all a more than usually hearty good
| by and seemed to feel that it might be
his last, and I cannot help but remem-
| ber how kind and good he has been
to all of u.s. His wife to whom he was
married the 18th of last month is
prostrated at her home in Junction
City and could not come with me-
Coroner Keith says that he will hold
no inquest on the bodies of the three
men killed at Rossville. He says that
the conductor and engineer of the
eastbound train had orders to stop al
| RossviIle and forgot them and lost
their lives so that no inquest is neces-
SarY