Grayson County TXGenWeb

The Sunday Gazetteer
Sunday, June 19, 1892
pg. 3

DISASTROUS WRECK
A Head-End Collision on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas - One Man Killed
Saturday night between twelve and one o'clock two freight trains on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas ran together on the main line about four miles north of McAlister and, as a result, one man is dead, another seriously injured, two engines destroyed, about twenty cars reduced to kindling wood and something near two hundred fat beeves either killed outright or wounded so badly that it was necessary to kill them.
Train 103 going north was pulled by engine 227, with Hodges and King in the cab. It consisted of eight cars of fat cattle, ten or twelve of lumber, and a number of cars of miscellaneous produce. Train 108, south-bound, was pulled by engine 175, with Thorne and Elliott in charge. It consisted of eighteen or twenty cars of general produce and merchandise, corn, wheat, oats, beer, bacon, etc. Both engines and trains were equipped with air brakes, but the speed was so high and the time for action so short that brakes were of little use. No. 103 carried orders from the dispatcher at McAlister. The dispatcher recognized his error in a short time but it was too late. He expected the worst, and the worst came. Turning to his key he telegraphed Denison to get out the wrecker and to come north as quickly as possible. He felt positively certain that the trains would meet on the worst section of the road from Denison to Parsons, and so they did.
Elliott was shoveling coal into the fire box when his chief called to him to jump for life. The headlight of 175 dashed into sight from around the curve not more than two hundred yards away. Thorn, Hodges and Kane jumped at about the same time. The engineers escaped without serious injury, but Kane landed on a pile of stone, and, rolling down the embankment, he sustained fearful injuried but no bones were broken. It will never be known just how Elliott met his death. The crash was terrible. Both engines were monster "hogs' and were pulling heavy trains.
When the noise and confusion had somewhat subsided the crew from each train were all found except Elliott. At first it was thought that he had fallen into the fire box, and that such being the case nothing would ever be seen of him again. This conclusion, however, was wrong for early Sunday morning the body was found partly under a beer car and partly under the tender. He was mashed into an almost shapeless mass.
The remains were brought down to Denison on No. 3, and were prepared for burial by Undertaker Lindsey. Mr. Kane, the other fireman, came in on No. 1 at 2:30 Sunday evening. He is not injured as badly as was at first supposed, and in a short time he will probably be able to resume work. Both engineers were quite badly shaken up, but their injury was of a temporary nature only. One of the brakemen was bruised about the feet and legs considerably but it will not deter him from regular service.
Cars were piled up twenty to thirty feet high and the lowing and bellowing of the cattle, together with the awful noise made by escaping steam, rendered the situation peculiarly horrible. In a few hours the wrecking outfit arrived and began the task of clearing off the track. The work continued all night and until late in the day Sunday.

The Sunday Gazetteer
Sunday, June 19, 1892
pg. 4

LOCAL CONDENSATIONS
Monday
The remains of fireman Elliott, who was killed Saturday night in the wreck at South Canadian, were interred in Oakwood this evening. The railroad men turned out in large numbers to the funeral.
Fireman Elliot who was buried this evening carried a life insurance policy of $1500.