The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-08-06

hands and knees through the wall OF
fire, which was rapidly consuming the
and otherwise injured. but physicians
said they would recover. Later. al
though his face was terribly burned
and his body covered with blisters
where his clothing had been burned
away. Drury crawled back into the
wreckage and rescued three other per-
SONS.
Then there was J. J. Lauderback of
Joplin who crawled through window
and saved nine persons. pinioned I'M
der the wreckage. He was Obliged to
fight with one woman, whose child was
lost. to make her leave the burning car.
The wrecked train, northbound, was
late, having been delayed by a freight
wreck at Gravette, Ark. Because OF
this it was running on a freight trains
the Kansas City Southern tracks and,
evidently, its crew misunderstood the
orders to meet the passenger train at
Upton Ford. Tor it ran past the sta
OF the town it met the passenger.
head-on.
Story of the Wreck.
Drury told the story of the wreck
here early today
I'VE were running rapidly. about IS
denly there was a terrific impact. This
was followed almost Immediately by
the explosion of the gasoline reser-
voir. By the time 1 crawled from the
train, fed by the burning gasoline.
seemed a sheet of flame. Added to
this there were the shrieks Og the in
jured and dyiEg- Many persons PIN
released Or killed rather than face a
slow death by fire. don't know how
many were killed. but the motor car
was crowded and comparatively few
escaped. Fourteen men were riding in
the smoker and I heard of only one
who escaped
! The wreck was said by railroad Of
ficials to be the first one in the fiji
teen years history of the railway
gasoline motor car in the United
! States, causing heavy loss of life, that
was due primarily to the type of car.
The huge gasoline supply tank for the
cars big motor burst, saturating the
/ imprisoned passengers. Then the
gasoline caught fire.
| Among the rescued, several failed
| to find other members of their fami-
lies. and their cries were pitiful. Iowa
Eshleman, Of Dewey. Okla. a 12-year-
old boy. attempted to break away
| from his rescuers and re-enter the
| burning car when he found his moth
er was missing. He had been in the
| extreme rear of the motor car and
! was thrown to one side Of the track
| by the shock.
"A NUMBER OF persons who are miss
! ing are believed to have escaped.
| Bodies Of many of the dead were
almost consumed by the fire, and
many persons pinioned beneath the
wreckage received severe burns in ad-
dition to wounds. Complete identi-
fication of the dead will have to await
a canvass of those who escaped, as a
number of the bodies are unrecog-
nizable.
| Dead Brought In.
SAM TAYLOR (negro), CRANKY, Mo.
JAMES JOHNSON (negro), Neosho.
STELLA SHOOK AND DAUGHTER
(negroes), Neosho.
ANDREW GILMORE AND DAUGH-
TER, Sweetwater, Mo.
PERRY DUNCAN, Fairview, Mo-
MRS. J. M. HARMON. wife Of as
sistant cashier Neosho Savings bank.
and three children.
. w. p. JOHNSON AND WIFE SAR-
All (colored) Of Neosho.
FRANK HUTCHINSON AND SIS
TER, JUDITH HUTCHINSON (colored)
Of Grandby, Mo.
ELIzABI- H JONES AND DAUGH-
TER (colored). Neosho.
GENEVA LINK (colored), Sapulpa,
Ok.
The Dead.
II Among those believed dead early
today are:
II T. o. LUSCOMBE, Joplin.
| E. d. GATHRIGHT. Nevada, Mo-;
Pullman conductor NJ. & N. A., trav-
cling as passenger.
FAYE IA MON. daughter Of Mrs
]. M. Harmon.
MRS. LOREN MccLAREY. Carter
Vile, Mo.
MRS. c. L. EsHLEMAN. Dewey
Okla
MISSES MORGAN. sisters, Neosho
BERT JOHNSON. Oklahoma.
HI HERBERT RATLIFF, Eureks
II Springs, Ark; motorman wrecked car
HI EDWARD BRADLEY, Eureks
II Springs, Ark: brakeman.
ii s. A. NICHOLS. Harrison. Ark.
Il conductor.
FRANK HUTCHINSON tnesro)
i Neosho.
ERNEST WRIGHT (neero). Joplin
|J MRS. ALICE LINDSEY, Joplin.
HORACE LINDSEY. Joplin.
iii MRS. GEORGE JOAHNNES. Ne
Il vada, No.
In w. H. EMBRAY, CRANKY, Mo.
iii CHARLES CLEAR, Joplin.
III WILLIAM CLEAR. Joplin.
iii The Injured.
III Among the injured who escaped
II were:
II Miss Dora Major. Seattle. Wash.
II severely burned.
Charles Gilihand. Garnet. Kansas
II bruised. hand burned.
iii w F. Rowland. Valley Spring.
I'm Ark; badly burned.
iii HI. E. Littlet0n, Harrison, Ark: hi
bruised. head burned.
Albert Wti;sama Compton. Ark