August 3, 1882 Cawker City Free Press Horrible Accident! Complete Wreck of a Passen- ger Train on the C. B. R. R. FOUR MILES EAST OF CAWKER CITY. Fireman Killed! Engineer Fatally injured! Information provided by the Cawker City Hesperian Historical Society. Please support our newspaper database project. - News reaches here this (Thursday) morn- ing that a terrible train wreck had taken place at a point four miles east of this city and three miles west of Glen Elder, on the Central Branch R. R. We hastened to the scene of the disaster; arriving there about an hour after the accident had occurred. Following are the particulars gleaned. Bridge No. 11, over a dry branch of Gran- ite Creek, by some means caught fire on Wednesday night, probably from live coals dropped from the engine of the westbound passenger train. The fire burned more or less all night and was seen by several farm- ers in the neighborhood who, however, thought it was the camp fire of some immi- grant and paid no particular attention to it. When the passenger train going east this morning struck the bridge, the charred and weakened timbers gave way, and the engine, baggage car and mail car plunged down the steep embankment into the creek bottom, (a distance of about twenty feet) a crushed and mangled mass. The two passenger coaches remained standing on the brink of the embankment, uninjured. It was just 6:10 oclock when the accident occurred, the train going at that time at the rate of fifteen miles an hour. When the engine pitched forward and crashed through the bridge, the engineer, Bert* Craft, shouted to the fireman, Groomes,** and jumped from the cab. He reached the ground all safe, but the falling express car struck him on the head and shoulder, mashing his arm and shoulder into a shapeless mass, and knocking him senseless into the creek bottom and only a few feet from the overturned en- gine. The little creek was dry, but the hot water form the engine boiler filed it to the depth of several inches for two or three rods around; this poured under and around the unconscious form of the engineer, burning him horribly; the hot steam rushed out and literally cooked what portions of the poor mans body had escaped the water. He re- gained consciousness in a few moments and called out in agony of pain for assistance, which was rendered him as soon as possible. The fireman, Groomes,** fell underneath the wreck of the engine, and was there embed- ded, bruised and mangled, with the hot seething steam and water pouring over him, and into his very face and eyes. Among the first to discover him was J. C. Karns, a pas- senger on the train who lives near Beloit, and who, with the assistance of Harris and Suver, farmers living in the neighborhood of where the wreck occurred, dug him out of his perilous position. His loud and agonizing cries were heartrending, and although all hands worked hard, it was twenty minutes before he was finally extricated, by which time he was wandering in his mind and well nigh unconscious. He lived just half an hour after the fatal plunge was made, and expired in excruciating pain. He was badly mangled on the head and shoulder and right leg, besides being burned and scalded from head to foot with the hot water and steam. Ed Wentworth, a mail agent, who was assorting the letters of the mail at the time of the disaster, escaped uninjured with the exception of a few bruises from the flying timbers of the car. His assistant, Mr. H. B. Chamberlain, jumped through a window in the mail car, and was severely injured on the right hand and arm. The conductor, C. P. Denison, escaped unhurt, as did also the news agent, porter and several other of the train men. None of the passengers were injured. The express messenger, Mr. D. Mahaffey, of Atchison, was injured in a terrible manner by the heavy trunks, boxes etc., falling upon him, though his injuries will not prove fatal. D. S. Winegar, bag- gageman, escaped except with a few bruises, and was the first train man to help Craft. The unfortunate fireman was a new hand on the road and lived in Atchison. The Cor- oner, Riley, of this city, went down and an inquest on the dead body will be held to- day. The engineer, Bert Craft,* is an old hand in the employ of the road, and is well known and liked by the railroad men. He run on the Santa Fe road for a number of years previous to his engagement on this route. His home is in Blue Rapids, where he has a family. His brother, R. S. Craft, of Blue Rapids, was telegraphed to this morning. Craft was removed to Glen Elder, where he now is, and is not expected to live from one hour to another. Drs. D. C. Everson, G. W. Marsters, C. M. Wilson, A. A. Raub, of Cawker, and W. W. Woodward, of Glen Elder attended him. They all say it is im- possible for him to live. Poor fellow, it was horrible to hear his groans and cries. He seemed to realize that his life was nearly ended, for while the blood came from his mouth at intervals, he would gasp, Oh, God, help me to bear this like a man. It is terrible to think of and it were much bet- ter had he been killed instantly. The engine and two mail and baggage cars are the most complete wreck that can be im- agined, the former being bent and smashed into every conceivable shape. The mail car rests nearly on top of the tender of the engine and the baggage car stands nearly on end. The whole presents a mixed up mass almost indescribable. Mr. W. R. West of Beloit, was first to bring the news to Cawker, he being a passen- ger on the train. A large crowd of citizens and farmers soon assembled at the scene, and are still flocking in that direction as we got to press. LATER--Bert* Craft, the engineer, died in a short time after reaching Glen Elder. [*Briton Craft.] [**Charles McGhee, not Grooms.]
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:13:27 +0000
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