Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-01-03


ers, who were on their way from Co
lumbus Junction, Ohio. To- Mexico.
The officials Of the company place
the blame on John Lynes, the nine
teen year-old tsiegapher at Noliand,
who failed to stop train No 80 at his
station, after receiving orders TO hold
it there until No. 80 mad passed Lynes
is being held by the authorities az
Alma for Investigation.
BY the light OF the tanning wreck
age, passengers who We're unin1ured
worked heroically TO save those who
were pinned fast beneath the mass OF
/ splintered tlmbers and twisted iron
work, The lack of tools TO work with
! in chopping away the sides of the cars
was a great hindrance 10 the early
rescue work.
In an hour and a half trom me
time of the wreck the first relief train,
from Mcfarland Kas., bringing sur
geons and helpers, reached the scene.
In the meantime the rescue work was
being pushed by volunteers while sur
geons for miles around promptly re-
sponded to the calls for their services
Another relief train from Topeka, and
two wrecking trains soon arrived ana
all of the dead and injured who had
been taken from the wreck were
brought to this city, where the Injured
We're placed in hospitals Two injured
Mexicfns died on the way 60 Topeka and
Link, the negro porter died at Stor-
mont hospital shortly after being Ia
ken there When Link was rescued 1t
was necessary to tear his leg from his
body to extract him from the wreck
age.
crashed together the operators for
hundreds or miles along the line Of the
Rock Island system knew that the
collision was certain, as Lynes had
wired from Voland that he had let |
No. 20 pass, but there was no earthly (
means of preventing the disaster.
At s O'Clock tonight the company |
placed a track around the wreck and |
the line was open again.
Most OF the killed are known 10
have been Mexican laborefs, who were I
in the smoking car Of 40, 70. The /
baggage car skided over the smoker I
and crashed down through the roof,
literally crushing out the lives Of those .
who were in it, the majority OF whom .
were asleep. Fire Immediately fol-
lowed the wreck and five cars Of No.
29 were destroyed by the flames. II Is
likely that several of the bodies of the /.
victims were incinerated in these ears 4
and it will probably be some time be- 1,
fore "a complete list of the dead can
be obtained. No. 80 left El Paso Mon h
day night and was due in Chicago to-
night. No. 20 left Chicago at S.30 H
Tuesday night and passed through Toe
peka at 10 o'clock last night
From the reports received Of the
disaster it is evident that No 29 bore
the brunt of the disaster as the ears
on the other train were not damaged
to such an extent as to prevent their /,
being made up In a train and sent
west in place Of the destroyed No. 30,
There is no doubt but that the trag-
ady is one that must be attributed To ,
gross neglect of duty on the part Of !
one of the employees Of the railroad +,
The entire blame for the /,
disaster is placed on the unfortunate
shoulders of John Lynes. the telegraph /,
operator at yoliand. orders had been
ssued for the two trains "a pass At
Volland. These orders were sent to the
operator ut Volland. No. 20 reached Z
he meeting point first and should /
have been held there until No. 80 ar !
lived. These were the last orders the !
operator received and he apparently /
'orgot to deliver them. He fled before /
he wreck occurred but was after +
ward captured few miles from the I
scene Of the disaster Before leaving =
his station Lynes left a rather dra- I
natc message which he wired to the :
rain dispatcher telling Of the inn !
pending calamity. About five minutes =
before the collision occurred he called
Up the dispatcher and said. !
mo. 20 is gone. and ] have gone +
.lso."
Even with this dispatch at hand the T
,fficials were powerless to prevent the !,
loomed trains coming together. This /,
vas the last heard from the operator r
t Volland until he was cantured and n
placed in Jail late this afternoon. +
No. 29 is known as the California r.
asst mail and runs from Chicago to y
81 Paso over the Rock Island system. n
hence over the Southern Pacific lines q
o the Pacific coast. No. 80 Is known T
Is the Chicago fast mail and travels II
over the same route Both a
rains were made up of ten ears of all r
lasses. Pullmans. tourists, chair cars, u
mokers and baggage cars. Both -
rains were crowded with passengers i
Among the passengers injured was r. n
iukerman, of El Paso. who was badly Q
,ruised about the head and body. D
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