The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-09-19
DEAD NUMBER EIGHT
MANY ON ROCK ISLAND TRAIN
 MISSING.

Driftwood Piles Against Bridge Swery-
 ing it Out of Line--Train Late and
 Running at High Speed Plunged Into
 Stream--Engineer Jumped and Was
 Not Iniured-One Man Rescued After
 Floating Nine Miles Down Stream.
 Guthrie, Oklahoma, Sept. 1S.-Hght persons are dead, twenty more or less injured and as many more missing as tie result of the wrecking of a Rock Island passenger train three miles from Dover, Oklahoma, at S:S0 o'clock this morning.
 The engine tender, baggage and mail cars, smoking car and day coach of passenger train No. 21, north bound, left the high bridge that spans the Cimarron river and plunged into the stream, which Is flanked by treacher- ous Quicksands. The locomotive disap- peared almost immediately The mail and baggage clerks escaped from their cars and swan to the shore.
 The accident was due to driftwood, which piled against the bridge and swerved it out of line.
 The train was an hour late and was running at high speed. The engineer did not see the condition of the bridge until he was a few yards of 1t. He shouted to his fireman and jumped. He landed on the verge of the river and es- capped unhurt. The fireman sustained severe injuries.
 When the engine struck the bridge the structure collapsed, precipitating the engine, smoking car and day coach into the water. Two Pullmans remain ed on the track.
 The current whirled the day coach downstream and lodged it against a sandbank. The occupants were helped out through the doors and windows The smoking car floated to a sandbaT and four men were seen to chamber through the windows and pull them- selves on top of the car, calling loudly for help. Those on shore were unable to reach them on account of the high water, and while they were begging for assistance a mass of driftwood swept them away.
 Three other men crawled through the
  rear door of the smoking car. They were rescued.
 The most authentic accounts place the number of passengers in the smok- ing car at between twenty-five and thirty. With few exceptions, they have not been accounted for.
 The injured were hurried to King fisher where the residents have turned their homes into temporary hospitals.
 It may be impossible to ascertain the exact number of dead for several days Many of those reported missing may turn up safe at some point down the Cimarron.
 Kingfisher, Oklahoma, Sept. 1S.-Colo- nel M O. Wright, of Denver, has been brought here after having floated on some wreckage about nine miles from the wreck. He was rescued by farm CTS. MT. Wright is somewhat bruised but will recover, Four men belonging to the Forepaugh- circus were in the smoking car. All of these escaped except Hank Littlef1eld whom his com panions report as drowned w. H Balmer, of Lawrence, Kan, was res cued thirteen miles down the river from the wreck. A negro train porter, who is floating on wreckage, was seen about fourteen miles down the river. He shouted to persons on shore that he would "stop at the first station"
 Kingfsher, Oklahoma. Sept. 1S.- While it is believed that several lives were lost to-day when two cars of Rock Island train No. F. north-bound. went into the Cimarron river at Dover. okla homa, because of the collapse of a bridge, no bodies have been recovered.