Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-09-29
Mangled Victims
Pray for Death
to Come
Rescuers Struggle
Against Great
Handicaps


kEILiVlLLE. Okla, Sept. 2S.-
A full round moon lignted up most
ghastly sight here tonight rs a small
band of rescuers worked like de-
mons among the mass of tangled
wreckage digging here and there fOr
/ the bodies of the crushed and
mangled victims OF Oklahoma's most
appalling railroad catastrophe. At 3
o'clock 27 corpses had been recovered
but the searchers were positive that
there were others hidden away ana
continued their work.
Practically II of the vctims were
passengers la the cOmbnatioG linn
Crow and smoker of the passenger.
The mail CIR and the combination.
both wooden carriers, Woo telcscoped
so that they appeared as one car.
They were ground and twlstaI ~
pieces. lIoles were chopped in the
/ sides OF the cars md thru these
crawled the searchers To dig and tear
the dead out.
Tonight the search is being carried
on by the light OF torches made of
sticks with waste tips wound about
the ends Owing to the absence of
wrecker or an adequate crew OF
workmen the search Is considerably
| hampered and 1t will probably be
| late tomorrow morning before the
/ telescoped cars can he pricd apart
and the debris combed for bodies or
portions of bodies.
Injured Pray for Death.
Sights that can never bc eftaccd
! from the memories of those who ar
rived first at the scene were wildly
described by surviving passengers
They told of how passengers, caught
in vice-like grip, had begged res
/ cuers to kill them rather than en-
] ha
The rescue party was headed by
passengers who escaped with minor
| injuries and the first to arrive after
/ the crash. There were few section
men aiding but the wrecker was tied
/ VI at Chickasha and for some reason
or another the company did not send
men to aid until late hour.
There Is no telling how large the
/ list of dead will be when the last v;c-
/ tim mas expired. Many of the bleeding
forms dug from the splinters appeared
to be breathing their last when they
were placed aboard the special ivnei
train rushed here from Sapulpa and
carrying doctors. Some were taken to
Tulsa while others were hurrieo 70
/ Oklahoma city.
After looking at the mass of
wreckage and the bodies of the dead
lying i'm rows with pieces OF buriap
and sheets covering their faces. the
first question one asked was: How
could this terrible thing have nap
pencd?"
Many Versions of Cause.
There were many versions and con-
] lectures offered as to what caused the
crash, but all were agreed that mis-
read signals by Engineer John Rule
of the death passenger had resulted
ir the wholesale slaughter Rule. IL
IS said. had orders to "lay out" at
Kellyville to allow the empty troop
train returning east to pass. The troop
tain was travelling in two sections.
however. and after the first had
passed by the passenger pulled out.
Just after crossing the long, his-
bridge known as Polecat bridge, the
engineer saw the second section loom
up right ahead of him from behind a
| sharp curve. He slammed on the
emergency brakes and lcaped for his
life. The passengers had no warning
until tho crash.
The fireman on the engine Of the
troop train was found wandering
about babbling incoherently and made
temporarily insane by the shock. lie
was thot to be badly injured.
Fire Horror Spared.
Fortunately the wreckage did not
one another and the two appeared no
longer than n single rail. Immediate
~ back of the passenger engine was
n steel baggage car which was little
damaged. but the mail car back OF IL
ripped thru the combination car as
a bullet thru n thin pine board.
Seven Of the empty troop passenger
cars were thrown from the track and
went rolling down n steep embank-
ment.
The air was filled with the agon-
lied groans OF the victims. Several OF
the dead were decapitated. The body
of f. NJ. Hutchinson, the Tulsa tele-
phone lneman, was cut squarely In
two. The head of a negro lay on the
floor OF the car with no sign OF his
body near II when the axes swung by
the rescuers finally cut thru tho side
OF the death car. Another ghastly
lfind was that of tho forearm and
hand OF n man. on one OF the fingers
was Masonic ring.
News OF the wreck Travelled over
the country with lightning ike speed
From Sapulpa, Kellyville, Bristow and
fother nearby cities and towns came
ambulances. first aid equipment and
hundreds Of automobiles to the
scene.
Farm Wagons Become Ambulanccs.
There were not nearly enough am
balances and farm wagons were
pressed into service to carry away the
corpscs. From the end of ono wagon
that soon left the scene dangled the
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