Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 September 1897 — TWO TRAINS COLLIDE. [ARTICLE]

TWO TRAINS COLLIDE.

MANY KILLED AND INJURED IN THE CRASH. Fast Express and MJil Trains on the Santa Fe Road Come Into Collision Near Emporia—Fire Consumes Coaches—Bryan In the Wreck. Santa Fe Disaster. One of the worst wrecks in the history of the Santa Fe Railroad occurred three miles east of Emporia, Kan., Wednesday night. Nine or ten persons were killed and many more were badly hurt. The fast mail train going east and the Mexico and California express, west bound, collided head on. The Mexico and California express was pulled by two locomotives, and "udien they struck the engine drawing the fast mail the boilers of all three engines exploded and tore a hole in the ground so deep that the smoking car of the west-bound train went in on the three engines and two mail cars and balanced these, without turning over. The passengers in the smoking car escaped through the window's. The front end of this car was enveloped in a volume of stiffing smoke and steam, belching up from the wreck below, and the rear door was jammed tight in Hie wreck of the car behind. The wreck caught fire from the engines. The cars in the hole and the smoking car burned to ashes in no time. In climbing out of the smoking car several men fell through the rifts in the wieck below and it is not known whether they escaped or were burned to death. ’The west-bound train carried seven or eight coaches, and its passengers included many excursionists who had been to hear W. J. Bryan speak at the county fair at Burlingame. Mr. Bryan himself was on the train, but was riding in the rear Pullman, 400 feet from the cars which were wrecked. He says nothing but a heavy jolt was experienced by the passengers in his coach. Mr. Bryan was one of the noblest men in the crowd of rescuers. He helped to carry out the dead and wounded and gave the greatest attention to their care. One poor fellow^who was badly maimed, called to Mr. Bryan and said: “I went to bear you to-day; I am dying now and want to shake your hand and say God bless you If you possibly can, hjr. Bryan, get me a deink of water.” Mr. Bryant went into the fast mail car, one end of which was burning, and came out with a drink of water, which he gave to the suffering passenger. He brought out cushions for others of the injured, and was everywhere present to minister to the wants of the injured. The engineer of the west-bound train had received orders to meet the fast mail at Emporia and was making up lost timg. These two are the fastest trains on the Santa Fe system and the east-bound train must have been running at a speed of forty miles an hour. The west-bound express was going around a slight curve and met the fast mail, probably within 200 feet. Of the seven or eight cars making up the train of the California express the mail, baggage and the express and smoking cars were destroyed. The coach following the smoker was badly splintered. There were not more than a dozen passengers on the fast mail, all in one coach, and while none of them was seriously injured their shaking up was terrible. Every seat in the coach was torn from the floor and many floor planks came up with the seats. It is stated that the wreck was caused by a miscarriage of orders from the trainmaster. At Emporia the east-bound fast mail train received orders to pass the California express at Lang, seven miles east. Another order was sent to Lang for the California express to take the siding there. But this order was not delivered and the eastbound train passed on, the trainmen expecting to pass the fast mail at Emporia,