Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-01-02
THIRTY PERISH
IN AWFUL WRECK
On Chicago Rock
Island and Pacific
in Kansas.
BODIES BURNED IN DEBRIS
Many Were Natives of Mex.
leo Enroute to Work.
Operator Forgot.


Operator Forgot.
Topeka, Kansas, Jan. 2.-Thirty
killed and forty others injured some
seriously, is estimated as the result
Of one of the most terrible disasters
in the history OF the Rock Island
Railroad, which occurred Just before
5 o'clock this morning about three
miles west of Volland. Wabaunsee
County, when westbound train No. 20
and eastbound train No. 30 met in a
head-on collision. Most of the killed
are believed to be Mexican laborers
who were In the smoker OF No. 80.
Sleeping Laborers Crushed to Pulp.
The baggage car skidded over the
smoker and crushed down through
the roof, literally crushing and
smashing the lives out of the men
who were in it, majority Of whom
were asleep. Fire followed imme-
diately and five cars of train No. 20
were demolished by flames. 1t is
likely several bodies were inciner.
ated In some of these cars and it will
be a long time before complete list
of the number Of dead can be ascer-
tanned. Train No. 80 left El Paso
Monday night and was due in Chicago
tonight.
Train No. 20 left Chicago at $3.50
O'Clock Tuesday morning for FL Paso
and passed through here at 10 o'clock
last night.
Train No. 20 Bore the Brunt of
Wreck.
From reports received it is evident
that No. 20 bore the brunt Of the dis
aster as the cars on No. 80 We're not
damaged to such an extent as to pre-
vent their being made up into train
and sent west in place OF the de-
stroyed No. 20. There is no doubt APP
parently, that the calamity is one that
must he charged up to human frailty
and the blame for it goes on the un-
fortunate sho' ers OF John Lynes,
who was the ofe'ftnr at yolland.
Operator Failed to Deliver His Orders
Orders had been issued for No. 20
and No. 80 to pass at Volland. These
orders had been sent to the operator
at Volland as No. 20 was running
ahead of No. so and he should have
held No. 20 at Volland. These were
the last orders he received and he
failed to deliver them. His where.
abouts was for time unknown as he
actually fed before the wreck oc-
Cured and IN rather dramatic fash
ion, told in few words of the i'm.
pending disaster.
"No. 29 Has Gone and ! Have Gone
Also.
About five minutes before it hap
pened he called up the nearest dis
patcher and wired:
NO. 20 has gone and I have gone
also" even with this dispatch at
hand there was no way to prevent the
wreck. That was the last word from
the operator at volland. No. 20 was
known as the California fast mail and
No. 80 as the Chicago fast mail. Both
trains were made up of ten cars each
Of all varieties, Pullmans, tourists,
chair cars coaches, smokers and bag
gage cars, and both trains were heavy
ones.
Operator Arrested and Will Be Jailed
Operator John Lynes, who let No
20 go by and caused the Rock Island
wreck, was captured and will be
Jailed mere.
Mortality Heavy Among Railroad
Laporers.-
OF the forty injured in the Rock
Island wreck, twelve were seriously
hurt and it is feared that half OF
them will die. The Mexicans killed
were en- route to El Paso to work on
the Rock Island road. The interpre-
ter who was with them is among
those killed and it may be difficult to
learn their names.
FL Pasoan Injured in Rock Island
Wreck.
Among the passengers injured in
the Rock Island wreck was R. Suker-
man of El Paso, bruised on head and
body.
ORIENTAL LIMITED WRECKED
ON GREAT NORTHERN.
Helena, Mont, Jan. 2-Three per-
sons were badly injured in wreck
Yesterday of the Oriental Limited,
west bound, on the Great Northern at
Macon, Montana. The wreck was due
to spreading rails, which caused the
entire train with the exception Of the
diner and rear sleeper to leave the
track.
THREE KILLED WHILE STEALING
RIDE ON TRAIN.
New York, Jan. 2.-Elmer Dunn,
Clarence Bennett, William E. Casey,
and William Bell, all Of Newark. New
Jersey, were killed last night by the
breaking of coupling pin on the Le-
high Valley train at South Plaintield,
New Jersey. The boys were stealing
ride on the freight train and stepped
off directly in front. Of Chicago bound
flyer.
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