Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1912-01-22
FIVE CELEBRITIES
KILLED IN WRECK
Son of Luke Wright and
High Railroad Officials
Victims
CRASH ON ILLINOIS CENTRAL
Death Comes in Horrible Form
to Men of More Than Ma.
tional Prominence.

by Special Leased Wire 70 New Mexican)
i tentralia, ILL.,, jan 22-James T.
/ Harahan, ST.. former president of the
Illinois Central; Frank O. Melcher,
! second vice president of the Rock
! Island; E. r. Peirce. general solicitor
OF the Rock Island. and Eldridge f.
Wright son of Luke f. Wright, for
mer Secretary of War, were killed in
/ a collision of two Illinois Central
trains at Kinmunday, Illinois. about
| twenty miles east of this place.
Rear End Collision.
Two trainmen We're injured, and
the passengers in the coaches we're
badly shaken and bruised. Train No.
%, known as the New Orleans Ex-
press, was taking water at Knmun-
dag at / O'Clock, when train No. 3, the
F2nama Limited, ran into the rear of
No. -.
Bodies Found Near Berths.
The killed were in the private car
iof MI. Melcher. Their bodies were
found near the herths they had occu-
pied. Four occupants of the private
car escaped death Or injury. These
Iale Byron B. Curry, private secretary
iot Vice President Melcher: Thomas
3 Busbee, attorney Ior the Rock Isl
ard for the states of Arkansas and
Louisiana. and TWO negro porters.
Engine PIowed Through Car.
The engine Of No. 3 plowed its
way through the privote car which
was attached to No, -, and was stop
ped by the steel coaches Immediately
preceding. The impact showed the
standing train for a distance down
the tracks, although its brakes were
locked
Relief trains left here soon after
the wreck, intending to fetch the in
iured and dead to CentraIia The
Limited carried sleeping cars only and
withstOod the terrific smash.
The express was composed of
coaches, built of steel. The trains
were due to pass south of Centralia,
hut because of No. % being late, No.
3 met it at Kinmunday.
TWO Trainmen Injured.
Engineer Robert Stuart and C. V.
two trainmen injured, Stuart was
cut and bruised and Verts leg was
broken. The bodies of the dead were
taken through here this morning to
Chicago. Grant Scattering, deputy
coroner of Marion county, will pre-
side at the inquest.
Scarcity of Water Caused Wreck.
The cause of the wreck is ascribed
to scarcity of water along the road.
A special order makes it necessary
for all trains to take water at Kin
munday, and a freight train that took
water before the express, held the
express longer than customary.
Trainmen Forgot"
Stuart and Vert were freight
crew lately put on a passenger train.
Il is believed they forgot the order
for all trains to take water. The
fagman of No. 25 did not have time
to flag the limited.
Hanahan recently retired from the
presidency of the Illinois Central road
on a pension. Melcher lived at Win
netka, Illinois, and Pierce in High
land Park, H., a suburb OF Chicago.
Mr. Wright resided in Memphis.
Crawled to Safety.
Centralia, H., Jan. 22.-The wreck
occurred half a block north of the
Kinmunday depot. The engine of the
limited went half way through the
private car, splintering it. The four
men who escaped were in the front
of the car, and crawled through the
openings made by the engine.
Bodies Badly Mutilated.
The bodies of the four dead were
badly mutilated The top of Mr..
Harahans head was torn off The
arms of most of the victims were sew
cred and doctor reported the legs
are held on by shreds. Mr.. Harahan's
body perhaps was mutilated more
than the others.
Towerman Responsible.
The responsibility for the wreck
was placed on the towerman at Edge
wood by Henry J. Broecker, flagman
OF train No. %, at the inquest which
began here shortly before noon. He
testified the towerman should have
blocked No. 3 for ten minutes. He
added that he left his car and went
to flag the other train.
Too Late to Stop Engine.
81 ran back with my white and
I.
Engineer Stuart the signals. He an
swered by whistles, showing that he
caught the signals, but it seemed to
be too late for him to stop his en-
Igine."
Third Trainman Injured.
The fireman of No. %, Jesse Gilbert
who was standing on the tender, was
thrown to the ground and suffered
internal injuries.