Lyman, MO Train Wreck, Oct 1893

KILLED IN THE CAB

An Open Switch on the 'Frisco Causes a Fireman's and an Engineer's Death.

The St. Louis & San Francisco passenger train, No. 4, which left Burton, Kan., at 9:15 Saturday morning met with a horrible disaster at Lyman, a small station near Springfield, Mo., at 10:20 Saturday night, which resulted in the killing of Engineer MAX HALL and Fireman CHARLIE ROBINSON, both residents of Springfield, Mo.

The train which was made up of two sleepers, two chair cars, day coach, baggage and express cars, were in charge of Conductor GEORGE SMITH and left Springfield at 10:05 Saturday night about ten minutes late. In order to make up the lost time Engineer HALL applied all the steam and was rushing toward St. Louis at the rate of forty-miles an hour when the engine and train ran into an open switch at Lyman, crashing into the three stock cars standing on the siding, instantly killing the engineer and fireman and demolishing the engine, the day coach and baggage car and rendering useless a chair car. Fortunately no passengers were seriously injured, they receiving at the most a severe shaking up. The train crew, assisted by the passengers, went forward and took the fireman from the wreck, but the engineer could not be removed, his body, which was horribly mangled, being pinioned in. His face was scolded[sic] and his bare arm was resting from the cab window, while his hand had a death-grip on the throttle. Conductor SMITH immediately left the scene of the wreck on a hand car for Springfield, where he received orders to take a wrecking train to Lyman and clear the track. The wreck being cleared, the remainder of the train was pulled into St. Louis last evening and the dead taken to Springfield.

There can hardly be any doubt but what the wreck is the work of fiends, as Lyman is only a siding, there not even being a telegraph station or depot located there. The switch had been thrown open near where the cattle cars stood and before the engineer discovered the open switch the passenger train bearing a hundred human lives dashed into the stock cars with terrific force with the result as above stated.

General Suprintendent [sic] WENTWORTH, in speaking of the wreck this morning, stated that he had no doubt but what it was the work of miscreants, and consequently none of the the train crew could be held responsible for the disaster. The Frisco officials have wired Division Superintendent THOMS to make a thorough investigation and to spare neither pains or money to bring the fiends to justice. Two of the road's special agents have been put on the case, who hope to bring the guilty parties to justice. During the past year three unsuccessful attempts have been made to wreck passenger train No. 4 at Lymann, but the opened switch was discovered before the train arrived.

The Rolla New Era Missouri 1893-10-07
__________________

Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!