The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1907-01-10
THIRTY DEAD IN WRECK
Telegraph Operator Aged is Caused
Disaster.


Topeka. Kan. Special) Thirty
five persons, all Mexicans but two,
we're killed and bodies Of 80 Mexi-
cans were incinerated in a head-on
collision. of two passenger trains Of
the Chicago, Rock Island and Paci-
fic Railroad, near volland. The cars
on train No. 29 went into ditch and
several of them were consumed by
fire. Many of the victims were pin
ioned in the wreckage and we're
burned to death. Only their ashes
remain. Twelve of the injured were
seriously hurt. Six of them may
die. The Mexicans were en- route
to El Paso TO- work for the Rock Is
land Railroad. But few persons on
train No. 80 were seriously injured.
phe cars on this train were nor
badly damaged.
John Lynes, aged Is years, the
telegraph operator at Volland, who
| appears to be responsible for the
collision, fed, but was arrested be-
fore noon. Lynes received an order
to stop both trains at Volland, but
| let No. 29 slip by The southbound
4 train was carrying extra cars for the
heavy humeseeker excursion traffic
and consisted Of 10 cars.
Down Grade at High Speed.
The collision occurred on what Is
/ known as the Alta Vista Hill. The
northbound train came down steep
grade at high rate of speed aud
| the engineer had no warning of the
approach of the other train until too
/ late TO stop. He, however, was able
/ IN g CnooA hofn,.o itrr
/ The trains met at the bottom of the
hill The impact was terrific. The
smoking car on No. 20 was literally
split in two and the first car was
! telescoped nearly half way back. The
two baggage cars, mail car. smoker
and one tourist car on No. 20 were
consumed by the flames that followed
the collision. The killed and tho
seriously injured were ia the smoker
and the first chair car. None of the
sleeping cars of either train was
damaged. One of the dead is VIII
liam Thomas Miller, an Iowa soldier,
on furlough.
Blame for the collision seems to
/ rest on Lynes, the telegraph opera
tor at VOlland Orders had been is
sued for No. 30 and No. 80 to pass
at Volland. These orders had been
sent 10 the operator at Volland, who
was instructed to hold No. 90 at
that point. For some reason he
failed to deliver the order to No. 90,
and the latter train went by, meet
ing No. 80 few miles west of Vol
land. He fed before the wreck oc-
CURED, after first forecasting the i'm
pending collision.
Telegraph Operator FIecs.
Five minutes before the trains met
he wired the dispatcher as follows:
NO. 20 has gone, and have gone
also"
Then he left his key.
Even with this dispatch in hand
there was no possible way of prevent
ing the wreck.
Both trains were heavy ones, hav-
ing 10 cars each, including Pullman
sleepers and tourists, chair cars and
+coaches, smokers and baggage cars.
No. 20 is known as the California
Fast Mail" 1t left Chicago at $40
Tuesday morning. No. 80 is the op-
posite train, and is known as tho
Chicago Fast Mail" 1t left Ell
Paso Monday night and was duo in
Chicago tonight. No. 29 was crowd
ed to the doors with passengers, but
tne NUMBER or travellers on No. 80
was not large.
Wreckage in Flames.
An interpreter for the Mexicans
was questioned as he lay slowly
burning to death under the wreck
age. He said there were 25 Mexi-
cans in their party going from Kan
sas City to FL Paso to work The
most of these were burning to death.
Soon after giving this Information
the interpreter himself succumbod.
The death of the Mexican inter
prefer is described by eycwitnesses
to have been most pitiful He was
caught between some of the debris
so that release was impossible, but
all the time he was totally conscious
and told the story of his country
mems destination and the horrors OF
their deaths.