The Goodland republic., 1907-01-04
THIRTY PERISH III WRECK
ROCK ISLAND MAIL TRAINS MET
HEAD-ON.
Five Cars Burn and TIEenty-eIght
BEexleans and Two Americans
Perish on southzEest Line.

tured in q wreck on the Rock Island
between Alta Vista and VoIland, kan,
in which trains No. 80. eastbOund. and
the second section OF No. 2s, west
bound. crashed together at about
4:5O O'Clock Wednesday morning.
There were thirty-five Mexcans in
the smoker en- route from Columbus 3
Junction, Ohio, to Mexico. Nine dead
and seven injured OF these were taken
from the smoker before the FIRE made
rescue work impossible, the remain
ing nineteen OF the thirty-dve were
burned in the ruins OF the smoker,
making in all twenty-eight dead Moxl-
cans. The other two dead were white
men, neither Of whose names are
available. One OF the two white men
killed was a bum riding the blind
baggae Of No sc. He was the only
person killed on 40. 80. The other
white man was IN the smoker Of no.
29. None Of Cds p.Lss.T gers on train
No. 80 were injured and none Of the
cars were damaged or left the track
The engineer, McMahan, and the fire.
man, Brown, on 10. 80 jumped and
were but slightly Injured. They were
the only ones injured on that train.
The engine crew OF No. % also es-
capped by jumping. The engineers
name is not available.
Immediately after tEe collision fire
broke out in the smoker, starting from
gas lamps and in ten minutes after
the accident Oc cured the wrsekage
was enFeiOped in flames and rescue
work was stopped. The wind cartel
he fire down the 5rGfH and was not ex-
tilguished until the baggage ca1.
smoker, two chair cars and a Pullman
were consumed.
The Conductors Story.
The story related by William Gales,
conductor Of No. 29, the westb 3und
train which was Just pulling out OF
Volland when No. 80 crashed into it,
is as vivid an account OF a wreck as
was ever told.
Mr.. Gales lay on a cot in the din
ing car on the way to Topeka, while
he spoke. He had broken shoulder
blade, bruised face and a cut left
hand On the floor By him were two
Mexicans, awaiting the ambulance.
The train was just pulling clear OF
the VOlland yards and was travelling
about thirty miles an hour" said
GALES Il dropped into the front seat
OF the smoker and dOzed.
There were thirty-two Mexicans
sitting two in a seat back OF me, also
Al Link, an interpreter, a foreman and
i've paid fares I remember this well,
because I glanced over the car to be
sure that no one had gotten on at Vol
land"
Here Gales interrupted himself to
turn over and cry with pain in his
shoulder.
He resumed his story.
Il was awakened BY the air being
set was thrown forward in the
seat and instinctively and instantly
threw up the window. I put my head
out and saw the headlight on No. 80
about fifty feet In front Of our en-
gine-
"I JUMPED head first out OF the
window and struck on my shoulder.
when turned around and looked
back at the train, I saw flames leap
ing fifty feet high from the smoker
God only knows what happened to
those thirty-two Mexicans, who were
sitting back Of me, two In a seat"
According to a statement made by
Mr.. Hetherington, the cause OF the
wreck is due to the failure OF John
Lynes, the operator at VoIIaud, 70 de-
liver the orders to train No. %, in
structing It to take the siding and
wait for No 80 at VoIland No. %
stopped at Volland and receiving no
orders pulled out At a curve in a
cut three miles west Of VoIIand En-
gineer Slater caught sight OF the
other train. His train was climbing
a grade and he was able TO bring it
to standsti1 before the crash came.
The engineer OF No. 80 evidently did
not see the other train so soon and
as he was going down grade was un-
able to slacken the speed very much.
he and his fireman jumped and it is
no known whether the air was ap-
piled or not but 1T is estimated that
the train was going at the rate OF
forty miles an hour when the crash
came.
Train No. % sens to have been the
one that suffered most. The first Of
hcial reports came to George B. Heth-
eringtOn, chief clerk here Of ". S.
Tinsman, general superintendent.
They were sent in by G. W. Rourke,
superintendent OF the Kansas division
/ at HeringtOn. Rourke went to the
scene Of the wreck and sent in his re-
port from there Tinsman is in Chi
! cagO.
c. A Thompson, a passenger on No.
l 80, said:
Conductor Gales was the hero in
I chief Of the disaster. It was he, ]
have been told, who directed the men
I q the rescue work understand that
I Chey got every soul out OF the two
| chair cars, before the fire grew too
1 fierce II we had had I'VE minutes
more. we could have saved everybody
! in the smoker who was not pinned
down.
Gales. covered with blood and
/ with one arm disabled, ran hither and
thither, raving half the time and the
other half telling the crowd what tc
/ do. It was he who ordered a mar
hack to dag any train which might bs
behind Us It was he who suggested
saving the rear Pullmans from burn
j ing
Fl took charge OF saving the Pull.
mans I got about thirty men togeth-
eE mostly passengers from No 90 and
I fEe HncQupled the four PulImans, one
at a time and pushed them free. Ths
l train vas standing on a slight Eradl
ana 1t was lot hard for rs TO start the
cars We had a man on each car Z
. put on the brakes
\ The injured were taken to Topeks
on a relief train and conveyed to The
StormOnt hospital
Apples Tor sale.
Having sold my restaurant busi
I ness to James Svobcda have q 1oa