Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 56, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 March 1902 — FEAR FORTY ARE DEAD [ARTICLE]

FEAR FORTY ARE DEAD

DISASTROUS WRECK ON SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILWAY. ' Effort to Make Up Lost Time Results in a Heavy Loss of Life in Texas— A Broken Bull Causes a Crowded Train to Leave the Track. Racing at a terrific pace over rough grades to make up two and a half hours’ lost time, the Southern Pacific passenger train which left San Antonio, Texas, at noon Thursday struck a broken rail near Maxon, twenty-five miles west of Sanderson, at 3 o'clock Friday morning and was destroyed. It is feared that the list of dead may reach forty. That is the number of passengers and crew not accounted for, and survivors say when they left the wreck was burning furiously, with no hope of getting out alive any of the injured still in the debris. Fifteen are known to be dead. Few Escape Injury. * In addition at least twenty-five others received injuries. The road at the point where the wreck occurred is in a rough country, the curves being sharp and the grades heavy. It was when rounding a curve that the train left the track. All the passengers were asleep and the shock that followed was the first intimation they had of the danger. The train was going at such a rate of speed that the tender and engine landed seventy-five feet from where they left the rails. The cars behind piled up against the engine, caught fire and all were consumed except the sleepers. A private car owned by Thomas Ryan of New York, with his family aboard, was attached to the rear of the train, but it was pulled away before the fire reached it, and no one in it was injured. All the Injured in the coaches just behind the express and baggage cars were cremated. The people in the sleepers were saved with the assistance of the uninjured passengers. The smoker and day coaches —were crowded with wounded when the flames burst out, and very few of those inside escaped; Those who did escape saythey saw several persons pinioned in the cars, slowly burning to death. Loaded with Tourists. The wrecked train was the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio west-bound passenger No. 9, and consisted of an engine, mail car, baggage car, one coach, one chair car, three tourist sleepers, one Pullman sleeper and one private car. The mail car, the baggage car and coaches were piled together against the engine and were ablaze in a few seconds. It was impossible to move any of the coaches or the tourist cars, as they were all off the rails and they were soon consumed. As soon as it was possible to get-in communication with the division headquarters relief trains with surgeons and physicians were started from El Paso, Del Rio and Sanderson, picking up along the line all the surgeons that could be found. All of the injured who were in a condition to be moved were sent to El Paso.