A Fatal Ride: The Deaths of John Waid and Phillip Remer

“Death had a great harvest in this vicinity yesterday. This all-destroying angel swooped down with merciless fury and without warning or notice made three widows, and nine orphans and sent three souls to the great unknown beyond.” Source

Daily Sentinel, Rome, New York, Oct 20, 1891

In 1891 three men were killed in a fatal train accident about two miles north of Derby, Kansas. Two of the men, John Waid and Phillip Remer, were buried together at a joint funeral and with a double gravestone at Maple Grove Cemetery in Wichita, Kansas.

The third man killed, Frank Malby, was shipped to another state for burial.

The Accident

The train that the three men were operating had just finished assisting with cleanup for a different train derailment. Phillip Remer was the engineer, responsible for driving the locomotive along the tracks into Wichita.

Phillip H. Remer. Source

Phillip was accompanied in the cab by John Waid, the locomotive’s fireman. John was responsible for maintaining the firebox by adding coal or wood to keep the fire strong and the engine moving.

John C. Waid, locomotive fireman. Source

With one of the stock cars from the other wreck in tow, the men were on their way to Wichita at a fast speed when something terrible happened. The engine that held Phillip and John “became uncoupled from the car and either jumped the track or turned over.” The pair attempted to jump from the tipping locomotive to the safety of solid ground, but it derailed and landed on them.

The 2-6-0 “Mogul” locomotive is the type that killed Phillip, John, and Frank. Source

According to news reports, John’s head was crushed under the engine and he was killed instantly. Phillip’s leg was broken in two places and he suffered horrific burns from the steam engine. He lived for about an hour after the accident, and remained alive long enough to be taken by train to his home on South Washington in Wichita, where his wife saw his injuries and he was able to tell her goodbye.

Phillip Remer, his wife Francis Clark-Remer, and their three children Elbert David Remer, Elta Celia Remer, and Lura Jeanette Remer. Source

“The wailing of the disconsolate widow and the pitiful cries of the recently orphaned child could be heard on every side. The sounds of these manifestations of grief have made a lasting impress on many a stout heart and will re-echo for many years to come on the ears of those who heard them.”

The Wichita Eagle, October 20, 1891

Children of John and Emma Waid. Source

An investigation into the accident indicated that the speed at which the train was running likely contributed to the derailment, but no specific cause for the train leaving the tracks could be determined, even after interviewing other men on the train.

“At 12:10 yesterday we got orders to run to Derby and when we got there we received working orders to work below Derby. We went to the wreck where we left a lot of men and tools and came back to Derby, when we received orders to return to Wichita. We left Derby at 3:47 and ran at a speed somewhere between thirty and thirty-five miles per hour. One and a half miles north of Derby the engine left the track, struck a bank and turned over on its side. There was no whisky on the engine and the members of the crew were perfectly sober.”

A. Stabbler, crew member

The Cunningham Chronicle, Cunningham, KS, Oct 22, 1891

The Funeral and Burial

The double funeral of John and Phillip was held the day after the accident. Mourners gathered at John’s home, traveled as a group to Phillip’s home, and then to the Emporia Avenue Methodist church for the funeral sermon. It was reported that “the house was crowded and many could not get in.”

Funeral flowers for John C. Waid. Source

“The coffins were exactly alike and were each covered with black cloth. Many designs in flowers were laid upon them, the handsomest being a beautiful cross presented by railroad men.” Source

Afterwards “a very long procession” of mourners followed the bodies of the men to Maple Grove Cemetery where they were laid to rest side-by-side. The double gravestone was once topped with two pillars inscribed with the men’s names and a large urn.