The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1907-01-09
OPERATOR IN CUSTODY
Officials Blame Him For Disas-
trOus Rock Island Wreck.
NUMBER DEAD EXCEEDS THIRTY

All but Three of the Victims Thought
Mexican Laborers on Their Way
From Iowa to Their Native Land.
Many Were Cremated In the Wreck
age Of the Trains.
Alma, Kan, Jan. A. -- One Of the
dead bodies brought here from the
wreck Of two Rock Island trains near
here was identified as that of j. II.
Sayre. a banker Of New London, Mo,
who was en- route to Texas.
Topeka, Kan, Jan. g. - In the col
lision between two passenger trains
on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific
railroad, two Americans, q negro por-
ter and 30 Mexican laborers lost their
lives More than so persons were in
jured The Mcxicans were on their
way from Iowa to their native land.
Officials of the railroad company place
the blame on John Lynes, a 19-year-
old telegraph operator at Volland, who
failed to stop train No. % after re-
ceiving orders to hold it until No. 30
had passed Lynes was arrested.
The wreck occurred on a grade on
a curve and in a cut. Number 20 was
running slow on account of the heavy
grade and heavy train. Number 30
had just reached the top Of the hill
when the engineer saw the reflection
OF the headlight Of the train ahead.
He shut down. and the passengers on
his train said they were not running
more than 10 miles an hour when the
crash occurred Number % was not
going more than Is miles per hour.
All of the dead except one were on
train No 20. AS far as definitely
known only two Americans were
killed, one tramp riding the blind bag
gage Of No. 30 and one man in the
smoking car with the Mexicans There
were 81 Mexicans in the car. All eX-
cept seven were burned to death, the
officials say. Seven were put on the
relief train and two died shortly after
the train left the town of Mcfarland.
The injuries were caused more by
the emergency brakes than by the
wreck itself, according TO the passen-
gers. The engineer of No. % set the
brakes and almost every passenger
was thrown out of his seat or berth.
Immediately came the collision. The
MeXicans were pinioned under the
seats and the doors were 'ammed so
they could not get out. In the chair
car also many passengers were held
down by the seats.
The train caught fire from the gas
tanks. The passengers in the rear car
escaped in their night clothes and
dressed in the mud beside the tracks.
Then came cries for help from the
Mexicans and the persons pinioned in
the chair car. Every man and nearly
every woman on the train helped res
cue the unfortunates. Seven Mexicans
were rescued from the smoker and
then the flames drove the rescuers
back. By light of flaming wreck
age, passengers who were uninjured
worked heroicdny 20 save those who
were pinned fast beneath the splin-
tered timbers and twisted iron work
The lack of tools with which to chop
away the sides Of the cars was a great
hindrance. In an hour and a half
from the time of the wreck the first
relief train, from Mcfarland, Kan.
bringing surgeons and helpers, reach
ed the scene. Another relief train
from Topeka and two wrecking trains
soon arrived, and all of the dead and
injured that had been taken from the
wreck were brought to this city.