The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-01-01
California Special, Running
at Fast Speed, Jumped
the Track.
ENGINE PLUNGED OVER A FIVE
FOOT ENHANCEMENT AND ALL
CARS FoLLoWEp-WREckAGE
CAUGHT FIRE AND MANY WHO
nEscAPED HAD CLOTHING AND
rEsH 4URNED-MANY HEROIC
REscUEs by PASSENGERS WHO
HAD ESCAPED UNINJURED.
BY Associated Press.

Trenton, Mo-, Dec. 31.-Three peo-
pie, two OF whom are women, were
killed and at least forty-five injured
when Rock Island passenger train No.
3, the 'California Special" was wreck
ed near here this morning. The cause
of the wreck Is unknown, although it
= thought to have been caused by
spreading rails. While the train was
running at high speed the engine and
<tcnder left the track and plunged over
five foot embankment. They were
quickly followed by two baggage cars.
mail car, tourist car and Pullman.
While the passengers in the wrecked
cars were struggling to escape from
the debris, fire started. The cars
burned like tinder. The three people
who were killed were seriously burned
Scores were rescued after the flames
had scorched their clothing and burned
their flesh. Heroic rescues were nu-
merous by passengers who had es-
capped uninjured and rushed back into
the burning cars and carried out the
Injured.
The wreck occurred in a desolate
place with no building near and even
the uninjured suffered severely from
cold.
A Pullman conductor, whose name
Ia unknown, was a hero. When he
heard the crash he seized an axe and
cut down his car door, them went
through the car, breaking windows
and begging the passengers to be calm
and crawl through the broken win
ydows, thus saving many lives.
The train was derailed at $40 a. m.
while passing through stretch of ice
covered country at high speed. The
hugo engine, standard Pullman
)O4ccper and the tourist sleeper caught
fire and were destroyed and portion
of the chair car was burned The
dead included two women whose
bodies were taken from the chair car.
Most of the injured were also in this
car. All the passengers in the burned
Pullman escaped and aside from
bruises and slight cuts, none of these
were hurt.
Those passengers and members of
the crew who escaped injury imme-
diately went to work to aid the in
Jured. Many were dragged from the
chair car, while those in the burning
Pullman generally escaped unassisted.
The flames that attacked the tourist
sleeper burned fiercely, forcing back
the rescuers, and they stood by in the
Ice and snow, powerless to render aid.
CAUSE is UNKNOWN.
The cause OF the wreck is not
known. The engine jumped the track,
and ploughing through the roadbed,
landed upside down fifty feet from the
tracks. Following closely came the
mail and baggage cars. These two
cars doubled ahead past the engine.
Both were badly smashed.
The first shock of the wreck over,
spassengers began clambering through
windows, while farmers living nearby
gan to the scene. Men entered the
burning chair car and dragged half
(stunned and bleeding passengers to
Bsafety.
From beneath the wreck of the en-
gine other rescuers dragged the body
or Fireman Lininger, burned and
nangled almost beyond recognition.
When the wrecking train arrived
or the three burning coaches were
drawn out of reach of the flames. The
Pullman was soon reduced TO pile of
twisted iron and ashes.
In the belief that the destroyed
tourist car held the bodies of perhaps
dozen or more persons, the pas
sengers that lined the tracks stood by
in awed silence.
The injured were hurried to Trenton
and given first aid at the local hotel,
later being transferred to Kansas City.
az MILES M RlPLANE.
Paris, Dec. 31.-Maurice Farman. in
a biplane, flew across the country to-