Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1910-09-29
Forty-Two People Killed Near Kings
land Indiana.
CAR TANNED WITH PASSENGERS
They Met on Curve While Going
30 Miles an Hour and
Few Survived the
Shock.

OF whom will probably die.
Most Of the victims were pleasure
seekers from Bluffton and Warren,
Indiana, en- route to the Fort Wayne
fair. twenty-five Of them were dead
before the dust and splinters Of the
wrecked cars had settled, Other died
In the wreck before they. could be
released and three expired during the
late afternoon on operating tables IN
st. Joseph's hospital In FL. Wayne.
The disaster was the result Of q
head-on collision on the Bluffton d.
vision Of the wabash Valley Traction
company's line A special car OF the
Indiana Traction Company. empty and
southbound, met northbound limited
Of the wabash Valley line, and loaded
to the steps, on curve mile outside
Of the Village Of Kingsland.
Beyond blaming the wreck on the
human equation. the oficials Of che
Wabash Valley line decline TO discuss
It.
NAT F0bA g0USSi 9tHuNssf g
They declare that the crew Of the
empty eouthbound special ran past .
properly set danger signal and that II
vas impossible to halt the cars afteIi
the motormen caught sight Of each
other
AT least one passenger who escaped
the almost general destruction that
come to the north bound car declares
that the motorman OF that car lost
his head when he saw the special ap-
preaching and increased his speed
from Is to rs miles an hour.
A thorough investigation by the cor.
oner Of Wells county and a subsequent
investigation by the Indiana Railway
commissioner will undoubtedly be re-
cess " to determine the responsibility
for the horror and the exact cause
OF the wreck
The wreck itself was a grev,scna
monstrosity according to the accounts
Of the few uniniured survivors and q
mem bers Of the Kingsland and Bluff
ton relief parties. who were early on
the scene.
The south bound car was nearly
twice the weight OF the northbound
despite the latter's load OF human
freight The north bound car was
jammed at Bluffton with happy excur.
sionists. Every seat was filled and the
aisle packed like sardine box. Even
the back platform was filled and one
lucky passenger could not do better
than get perch on the step, from
which he jumped in safety Just before
the cars met
The loaded car was proceeding at a
speed Of Is miles an hour until just
before the collision The south bound
car was making thirty miles an hour.
The curve was a long sweeping one
and neither car appears to have slowed
IN. Just before the fatal impast the
passenger car seemed TO take on
speed
Cars Met on q Curve.
The cars met with crash at the
point Of the curve, which is framed
in thick woods. The southbound car
was so much heavier. despite Its lack
Of passenger weight. that It divided
the lighter car as with knife and
ploughed through to within six feet OF
the rear platform.
Then the heavy car seemed to fall
apart from the force OF the collision.
There was no pile Of wreckage such as
is left after a railroad wreck. The
northbound car was in splinters and
the man killing limited q flattened
wreck. Its windows and their frames
went out as from an explosion and
the heavy roof crumpled down on the
tangled seats. The electric wires by
some miracle did not flare. though
they broke and came down and there
was 20 sign Of fire, but there was hor'
ror and to spare without H.
The Wreck Described.
bodies were sandwiched In between
the overlapping cars and out Of the
edges dfpped human blood. Toward
the rear Of the wreck. where the heavy
limited crushed and dlsmantled halt
ed is death-dealing rampage, a dozen
crushed and manEled forms were
msssed. Two or three unfortunAtes
were thrown clear Of the wreck and
Ay ineFt along the right Of way Here
ana there through. the few yards Of
ruin were men and women who stu
lived After the awful silence which
followed the first crash and subse-
unenl grinding pd cnnnching Of um-
bera their agohiEed cries arose. IN
usryinr the few Who had escaped I'M
iniursd-thres Of TIE ear crew and q
handful Of ths passanEers who had
Jumped from the platform.
Ths fev uho escaped vern soon
,oinei 81 farmers snd q little later By
vinarsru IRON KinEIland. Ebo hnr
rie1 ID ne scene. A ran fence along.
aiis ne tfsck furnished levers with
rkleh ths lrnfltd vftcE4El ear rFIed
frsrt A rtrlfly ~ possible ne ln-
,sl.1 rsro lltr1 oul an1 ',ll en- ~
h.1e e ~ r1l. ne 4t.I T41r |.|I
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