Fort Worth, TX Train Wreck, Oct 1898

Five Killed In Wreck.

A Rock Island Freight Train Parted And The Two Ends Came Together.

Buried Under Tons Of Wheat

Willing Work Of Train Hands In Trying To Extricate Imprisoned Men.

Several Injured And One Will Die

The Men Were Coming to Forth Worth from the Territory-Two Bodies Are Still Unclaimed.

Fort Worth, Tex., Oct. 22.-Five bodies are at an undertaking establishment there, the victims of a wreck which occurred on the Chicago, Rock Island and Texas railroad about four miles north of Fort Worth early this morning. Four other parties were injured.

The names of the five unfortunates are:
Louis Miller, aged about 48 years.
William O’Brien, aged about 35.
William Scaulson, aged about 33.
John Doherty, aged about 43.
Patrick Joyce, aged about 50.

The wounded include James Kelly, John Lee and Billy Smith, who were companions to the five dead men, and Rear Brakeman John Paul of the ill-fated train.

Four of the five deceased parties had money on their persons. Miller’s pockets contained $20.45, O’Brien had $10.50, Scaulson was the possessor of $3.60 and the amount of money in Doherty’s persons was $6.55, Joyce was the member of the crowd who was penniless.

From the best information obtainable the eight men, including the five dead and the three wounded, belonged to a steel gang and had been relaying track on the Rock island road between Rush Springs and Marlow, in the Indian Territory.

The wreck occurred at about 1:30 this morning at a point about one and one-half miles above the Fort Worth stock yards. The train was a special, consisting of fifteen cars, three of which were loaded with wheat, containing 1000 bushels to the car, from the Indian Territory and bound for this city.

The unfortunate men who lost their lives and those who were wounded were stowed away in a wheat car they had entered at Rush Springs, I. T., intending to have a ride to this point.

The train had just rounded a curve at the top of a steep hill and was on the down grade when the catastrophe occurred.

It was a moonlight night and every object along the track and for some distance around was plainly visible. The curve at the top of the hill is so sharply cut that the engineer could not see the lights in the caboose as he began the descent, nor could the contractor see the engine until all the train was on the down grade.

Everything appeared to be all right to both Engineer George Wilkinson and Conductor A Volder of the train when suddenly, about half way down the hill, which is a long one, it is presumed the train broke in two, the engineer bowling along with the first section unconscious of the danger until with frightful speed the rear or runaway portion, consisting of eight cars and the caboose, dashed into the rear end of the first portion of the train, throwing two of the heavily loaded wheat cars twenty fee from the track and overturning them and derailing and demolishing two other cars.

The unfortunate men were in one of the box cars which was precipitated from the track and turned over on them. The groans of the dying men, two of whom lived for several hours after the accident were pitiful, while the cries of the imprisoned wounded calling for help spurred the train crew and a number of farmers who were attracted to the scene to renewed efforts for the rescue of the imprisoned men.

Continued