The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-08-30
DOWN TO DEATH.
Wreck of a Passenger
Train, Q
Which is Precipitated into a
Stream.
Loss Of Lives Estimated at
Fifty.
The Terrible Accident Occurs to Wes
Bound Rock Island Train.


terrible railroad accident occurred OF
the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific
railroad, at the east branch Of Foul
Mile creek, seven miles from this city
The number of killed is estimated al
from forty to fifty. All of the train
but the sleeping car went down into
the stream. The engine is completely
wrecked. Barnum's show car went
down among the rest, and it is said all
the ccIpants-eleven-b one are
killed.
1t is impossible to get any particulars
yet, as the accident occurred several
miles from telegraph office. Ar.
rangements will be made for telegraphic
communication direct from the scene
of the accident.
a special to the State Register, from
the wreck, says that there are IL killed
so far as known. Twelve bodies are
out on the bank now, as follows:
Billy Rakestone, engineer; J. K. Bolt
and daughter, Boone, Iowa; William
Cummings, newsboy; Mrs. Emma Bab-
cock, school teacher, Rock Island, and
five of Barnum's men, as follows:
F. B. Baker, j. II. Burze, A. Macko-
gul, c. Thompson and ]. Purcell.
Four dead bodies are still seen in the
wreck but cannot be got out at present.
Mrs. j. K. Bolt; whose husband and
daughter are among the killed, is badly
injured.
The accident was occasioned by the
washing out of a bridge, and occurred
about 4 O'Clock this morning.
Ono more body has been recovered,
that of an old man, with the name of
j. S. Ferguson in his hat.
In car not yet uncovered several
more bodies can be seen. 1t is be-
lieved there are dozen more bodies in
it. The car on top of this is now being
lifted off with ropes and pullies. The
bodies SO far recovered are being load
ed on cars to be sent to Des Moines,
1t is thought that several have hoated
down the stream. The water in the
channel was over twenty feet deep.
The wounded survivors are all at
Altoona, and no names can be had at
the wreck.
Another body taken out was that of
Mrs. Crow, the wife of workman in
a pork house here. Her head was
caught and mashed between two cars.
The top car is now pulled off.
Three more bodies have been taken
out-all men-one of them is supposed,
by papers found on him, to be Cogen, a
commercial traveller from Peoria, Ill.
The other two are unidentified. The
body of lady, now tight in the wreck,
makes the eighteenth person known to
be killed.
The other cars are so firmly teles-
coped together that 1t is impossible, so
far, to pry them apart, even with the
assistance of block and tackle. The
name of the last man taken ont was
Thos. Dunaway, of East Des Moines,
who recently ran away from the Insane
Asylum.
The stream where the accident oc-
CURED was never before known to
reach its present height. The channel
was forty or fifty feet wide and the
banks about twenty feet high. The
locomotive in its wild dash landed at
the foot Of the western side and half
buried itself in the earth. Barnum's
car was next and dropped into tie
channel. The baggage and mail car
passed over this, the occupants escap-
ing unhurt. The first passenger car
pitched headlong into the stream,
where the water was fifreen feet deep
the next car plunged under this, tele'
coping with it, and the next telescoped
half through both of the preceding.
The sleeping car did not go into the
wreck, simply because there was moi
room for it. Its occupants were jarled
but none seriously injured.
The scene at the time of the acci'
dent is described as terrific, the rain
falling in, torrents, accompanied by
wind, lightning and violent thunder.
The crash put out the lights and the
scene of terror ensuing may well be
imagined.
Among the incidents, one mother
was killed, sitting between two childred
who escaped uninjured. One little gir
who was four hours in the water, will
man lying dead beside her, was fount
and restored, and now shows no signi
of ;ni,,r,,