The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1907-01-04
RAILROAD WRECK
OPERATOR FAILS TO GIVEJ
ORDERS AND THEN DIS
APPEARS.
Wires That Train Has Gone and
That He Has Also-Reported
to Be Captured by Farm
ers-Baggage Car Falls
on Occupants of
.Suokur.

on Occupants of
Suok1r.
Topeka, Kan, Jan. 2.-Passen-
ger trains No. 2o, westbound, and
No. 80, eastbound, on the Rock
Island, Co'lided between Nolland
and Alta Vista this morning, and
according to G. W. Bourke, super
intendent of the Kansas division,
80 persons were killed and 40 in
Jured. Bourke so reports to head
quarters here.
Ten bodies we're recovered from
the smoker of No. 20, nine Mexi-
cans aud one American. The
smoker was crowded with Mexican
labo.ers. ..--.
The baggage car raised the roof
of the smoker and came down on
the occupants, crushing them. The
baggage car, Two chair cars and one
tourist sleeper of No. 29 were burn
ed.
The trains were known as the
California Fast Mail end the Mexi,
CO Fast Mail, and were going in
opposite directions. No. 80 was
due at Chicago tonight. No. 20 left
Chicago Tuesday morning.
John Lynes, the operator at Vol
land has disappeared. The official
report at headquarters here says
that he had orders to hold No. 20
at Volland. It is alleged that he
failed to deliver his orders to the
train crew. Later he sent to the
chief dispatcher the message:
"Twenty-nine gone, I have gone
also."
It is reported that farmers have
captured Lynes and be is being re-
turned to Yolland. Twelve bodies
have boon taken to Alma and from
twelve to fifteen more are expected
to be found in the debris. The Of
i fetal estimate of the dead remains
at 80. The company's list of in.
|iured contains "a names.
| Conductor Gaines of No. 20 is
among the injured here. He says
that he saw the headlight of No 80
and jumped through the window to
escape. He broke his shoulder
blade and bruised his face. He
says there were 81 Mexicans, four
cash fares, an interpreter and a ne
gro porter in the smoker. The por-
ter was pulled from the burning
cars by the passengers and his leg
was twisted off at the knee to save
him.
Nearly all the dead are Mexican
lshorers known BY numbers. Their
names are difficult to secure, though
the management Is endeavo1ing to
enlist them.
Two injured Mexicans died en-
route to the hospital and many of
the other injured are expected 10
die. Many passengers were resi-.
r dents of the Middle West, making
! a short journey, and were injured.
The death list may reach forty.
= New York, January 2.-Such
, directly opposite assertions have
been made by members and con-
+ nections of lhe Neeoit family as to
; the attitude toward Harry K. .Thaw
: to BIZ taken by his mother-in-law at
his trial for killing stanford White
that it is impossible tor an ou side
, 10 ray which is right. Evelyn Ne.
;, bit Tbaw, the accused mans cir
wife, denounced vehementiv the
Pittsburg report that her mother
= Mrs. Charles J. Holman, would tes
q tify against the prisoner.
Holman, young Mrs. Thaw's
step.father, insists that his wife will
\ give not only oral but docu menta )
evidence injurious to tte defense
consisting of letters that passed be
!. tween the girls mother and White
f in connection with Thaw's iil.usags
of Evelyn Nesb:t.
Mrs. Holman, the dispatches se
a forth, has hated Thaw since the
time two years before her daugh
ter's wedding, because he beat the
J. girl brutally in Paris hotel. There
q and then she vowed to avenge he1
4 daughters hurts If she had to wall
!. q life time for her chance. She be.
i came Harry Thaw's most relentless
f enemy and through months that
. DIRE gged into years she has sought
= an opportunity to punish the young
;. man for his attack on her daugh-
: ter.