People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 January 1894 — BURNED IS A WRECK. [ARTICLE]

BURNED IS A WRECK.

Terrible Fate of Passengers on a Union Pacific Train. Kansas City, Mo., Jan. 4.—Tuesday afternoon, under the ashes and twisted iron of what had been a passenger coach, a caboose and two freight cars, a wrecking crew found a few handfuls of human bones and the battered cases and wrecked works of two gold watches Not a particle of flesh, not a shred of clothing, not another trinket of any kind was found to identify the bones of those who perished in a collision and wreck, closely followed by fire, near Linwood, 27 miles west of Kansas City on the Union Pacific, at 5:30 Tuesday morning. One man is known certainly to have perished in the wreck, J. H. Atwood, conductor of one of the trains, who met his death while trying to warn his passengers of their danger. Two other men, stockmen, are missing and are believed to have perished, but this will not be definitely known until the Union Pacific surgeon has made a thorough examination of the few bones recovered from the ashes of the burnt ear. The list of probable dead is as follows: Jay H. Atwood, r conductor Union Pacific train, Kansas City, Mo: W. B. Martin, stockman, of Wakefield, Kan.; Herman Smize, stockman, of Clay Center, Kan.

To this list, before many hours, will surely be added two others, for of the twelve injured three are fatally hurt. Both trains were running to 'Kansas City and were in motion when the accident occurred. They were a few minutes late and the Rock Island train was running fast to make up time. The Union Pacific train was near a water tank west of Linwood and was slowing up when the other train crashed into it. Ahead of the two trains was another Union Pacific freight. It is said this train threw out a burning signal as warning for the train back of it to run cautiously. It is claimed the second train failed to throw out a similar signal and this is given as the cause of the disaster.

The Union Pacific train was No. 12, a stock train, due in Kansas City at 7 o’clock. There were about twenty-five passengers on board riding on the combination passenger and baggage car. just in front of the caboose and between it and a stock car. The passengtjys, or most of them, were stockmen from stations in Kansas who were coming to Kansas City with cadtle and hogs. Nearly all of them were sleeping when the accident occurred. Conductor J. H. Atwood saw that a collision could not be avoided and started from the caboose to the coach to warn the passengers, but he was caught between the cars and crushed. His rear brakeman and a young man who were on the caboose saved their lives by jumping. Conductor A twood’s bravery is spoken of by every survivor.

Trainmen and passengers who were not seriously injured began : at once to save those who were more seriously hurt. Four men were dragged from the wreck, more dead than alive. Fire caught from the stoves, and before the dead could be removed the four cars were enveloped in flames. The flames spread so rapidly that the men under the debris of the caboose and passenger coach could not be reached. Faint and piteous calls for help were heard, but the men who had been saved were powerless to aid the poor fellows, and soon their cries ceased. The fire burned with great fierceness and destroyed everything but the iron work of the cars, leaving, of the wreck, nothing but a few bones.