Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-24
TRAIN WRECK IN
KANSAS KILLS IS
Rock Island Passenger Plunges
Into Gap Washed Out
by CIoudburSt
Associated Press1

DENVER, Sept. 23.-No fewer than
sixteen persons lost their lives and thir-
teen others were more or less severely
injured in the wreck, two miles east
of Clayton, Kas., early this morning
of westbound Rock Island train No.
27, which was due in Denver at S:25
this morning from Kansas City. The
known dead:
f. Pickenbaugh, Goodland, Kas., en-
gineer.
A. v. Huffman, Kansas City, bag
gageman.
j. w. Usher, Denver. Colo, conduc-
tor.
William Mills, fireman.
Herman Mueller, Smith Center Kas.
John Sloop, Boyle, Kas.
w. S. Shively, Agra, Kas.
Gilbert M. Yams, Fullerton, Neb.s
UNIDENTIFIED MAN AND WOMAN
Two or three unidentified persons
bodies are believed in the the wreck
age.
The injured:
q. D. Brackton, lineman, Goodland,
Kas., arm injured.
Mrs. H. r. Scott, Jennings, Kas.,
right arm broken.
Victor Engle, Birmingham, Ala,
bruised and cut; not serious.
Mrs. T. H. Evans, Langton, Kas.,
head cut.
John Cigler, stratton. Colo, head
and face cut.
d. Duges, no address, side cut.
A. H. Avis, Blue Rapids, Kas., left
leg broken.
Mrs. Anna Smith,. Colorado Springs,
Colo, head and chest cut.
c. A. Smith, Colorado Springs, Cole,
hand and wrist cut.
Henry Ahlers, Meata, Mo-, slightly.
Helen Benson, Colorado Springs,
slightly.
PLUNGEs INTO TORRENT
Most of the dead and injured were
in the smoker and one of the day
coaches.
The wreck was the result of cloud
burst which occurred near a fill and
washed out many hundred feet of earth,
turning a formerly dry creek into
torrent many yards wide and twenty
feet deep and Washington nearly 1000
feet of track in the vicinity of the
wreck.
TRAIN ON STRAIGHT TRACK
The train was proceeding on a
straight stretch of track. Evidently
the first intimation the engineer had
of any danger came when he realized
the forward portion of the train was
running in water which had spread
OUT ON6T Lllc LIdCh n6dI lIlS Iii. IAC-
versing his engine, the speed of the
train was checked, but not enough to
prevent the engine, baggage car and
smoker going over into the depression.
The rear of the smoker remained
tilted on the earth bank and the chair
car ripped its way into the smoker,
smashing it to pieces and killing or in
juring many of the passengers.
AS nearly as can be learned here to-
night all the passengers killed were
occupants of the smoker.
1t is certain that Engineer Packen-
baugh could have jumped and saved
himself, but he remained at his post
and did everything possible to prevent
the train running into the ditch.
The three Pullmans remained on the
track and the occupants of these cars
were unhurt.
The dead and injured were taken to
Norton, Kan. None of the injured are
in a serious condition.
The washout was repaired late this
evening and traffic resumed.
The train running at full speed,
plunged into the gap, the engine and
mail car going down into twenty feet
telescoping the smoker ahead of 1t,
many of the passengers in the two cars
being almost instantly kelled.
Others were carried into the raging
stream with the wreckage, and 1t was
many hours before their bodies could
be recovered.
Passengers in the Pullman and other
day coach, hurled from their berths
and chairs by the shock, hurried out
into the storm and rendered what aid
they could to the injured and in ex-
Treating the mangled bodies Of the
dead Others hurried to Clayton,
where news of the accident was wired
to division headquarters and within
half an hour physicians and nurses and
wrecking train were being hurried
to the scene from Norton, Colby, Good
land and Phillupsburg. 1t was not un--
til late this afternoon, however, that
the last body was recovered from the
wreck.
Members of the Topeka baseball
team OF the Western league. on their
way to Denver, were occupants of the
Pullman but escaped injury.