The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-08-07
DEATH TRAINS
REACH ST. LOUIS
WITH VICTIMS
Toll of Lives Lost At
Sulphur Springs Is Now
Thirty-eight, With 127
More Injured

wreck were Drought TO the homes OF
st. Louis relatives of victims when
two trains bearing scores of dead and
injured arrived here from the scene
of the disaster Four hours before
the arrival of the death trains crowd,
surged through the station seeking
word that might allay their fears.
Crowds gathered at the city morgue
where 26 dead were taken upon arri-
val of the relief trains. which also
ed to hospitals.
Crowds at Sulphur Springs.
Sulphur Springs, Mo, Aug. 7.-(By
the Associated Press)-Eye witnesses
were summoned today before a coro-
ner' jury at De Soto, Mo, to recount
details of the rear end collision of
two Missouri Pacific trains here Sat
urday when 81 are known to have
been killed and 1873 injured.
Coroner Elders promised a thorough
investigation of circumstances which
caused the disaster, the worst train
wreck in the history of this part of
the country.
While Matt Glenn, dead engineer of
the fast train which plowed through
four coaches of the local train near
the station, was blamed for the acct
dent, according to the version of John
Cannon, assistant general manager of
the road, relatives of the dead and
injured joined in demands for a thor
ough investigation.
All day yesterday this peaceful
hamlet suggested a worldfamed place
of pilgrimage. Every minute brought
more people TO the village-relatives
of wreck victims and many prompted
by curiosity to visit the scene. All
roads leading to the village were
jammed with automobiles.
The crews of both trains were sum-
moned by the coroner to give their
versions of the accident: officials of
the road, including Mr.. Cannon, de-
clared yesterday that the block sig
nails were found to be in order after
the crash occurred and all were un-
animous in their assertion that En-
gineer Glenn did not heed the warning
signal.
All day yesterday rescuers removed
bits of wreckage in their search. A
ghostly silence hung over the scene
and was broken only by the muffled
grind of the wrecking crews cranes
and the horns of visiting automobiles.
Tales of many miraculous escapes
were repeated. mingled with stories of
pathos and horror. Stories of young
girls Offering their assistance in car
ing for the injured and dead were nu-
merous. Some were seen hurrying
from one victim to another, 'bandag-
ing their injuries, caring for their
wounds and giving what assistance
they could
. Just south of the scene of the disas-
ter there is curve in the road and
this cut off the view of the local train
standing at the water tank to the
view of the engineer of the flying lin
tied. Missouri Pacific officials en-
phasized, however, that the block sig
nails were working in perfect order
ohN bhot VI lIt last
train should have slowed his. engine
down to such speed that he could
have~come to a halt almost instantly
Survivors drew a vivid picture of
the accident. A blast from the whis-
tie of the limited told of its approach
around the curve along the high tow
ering bluffs and this caused few
who had alighted from the local to
look back nervously.
Rushing around the curve came the
fast train. There were shouts and
then the roar of the crash, cries OF
women and means OF men. The rear
coach was hurled down the embank-
ment. The next two cars, standing
on the trestle across Glaise creek and
on the embankment were crushed and
splintered The fourth tumbled down
the incline north of the creek. I,
Some Of the demolished cars fell
spanning the creek and afforded a
bridge for the rescuers. Where the
day coaches of the local had stood on
the trestle now stood the steel cars
and the locomotive which had pIowed
tto xnro ~ half tha Iauofh 30 tha holAndi