St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-30
ROASTED TO DEATH.
Circus Performers Confined in Burn
ing Car and Slowly Consumed.

GREELEY, Col, Aug. 29.-Ihe burning OF tne
circus car nine miles north OF Greeley, was at
tended with indescribable horrors. The burned
next to the engine in a train of seventeen
cars of Ortons Anglo American circus, which
left Fort Collins about midnight for Golden over
The Greeley, Salt Lake & Pacific road. The train
was nearing Windsor, a small STATEN Gree
ley, running about twenty-five miles an hour,
when the Engineer Colleprest, discovered the car
was on fire. lie reversed the engine and threw
open the whistle valves, There were sixty
men in the car, arranged in three
tiers OF berths on either side. The forward side
door was closed and the men in hunks were
sleeping against it. The rear side door was also
closed, and the men who awoke
discovered the lowest unoccupied
berth next to it, containing rubbish,
on fire, filling the car with smoke, cutting off
escape in that direction. The only means Of
egress was through Il small window between the
car and the engine. John Pine, OF EdgertOn,
Wisconsin, Elmer Millet, of Iowa, crawled
through the opening and tried to pass in water
from the engine tank Owing to the suffocating
of the gases difficult to arouse the seepers.
Some were kicked and bruised in a shocing man
ner, and pitched out of the window. The screams
of those unable to get through the blockaded
aperture were terrifying The wierd glare of the
flames and the light Of the burning car showed
the victims to those outside,
who were writhing in agony
on cactus beds, and caused the beasts in an ad-
joining car to become frantic with terror, max
ing the scene appalling. The performers who
occupied the rear cars gaZed with white faces
at the awful spectacle. In the midst of the
confusion two three heroic souls appeared
equal to the location and bravey cut their way
to their companions, to find them already in the
agony OF death. Albert Lake, in charge of the
animals and his friend Kent, walked over the
cactus in their bare feet pouring buckets of oil
blistered unfortunates and wrapped
them in blankets. An old Pacific coast
sailor named Mcdonald, formerly of Fore
paugh's show was terribly burned, the flesh
hanging in shreds. The heartrendng cries Of
the men on the prairie smothered the appeals Of
the dying within the car. The roar of the flames
and bowling OF the animals made the scene ter
| rible beyond description. The odor of roasting
flesh and the distant cry of the coyotes added to
| the general horror OF the scene. The voices of
| the dying grew fainter and soon ceased. Mean
| time the engine had gone to Greeley for assist
| ance, returning with DR.. Jesse Hawes, president
of the State Medical association. Many of the
rescued, on being pulled through the small win
| dows had limbs broken and joints dislocated.
Hands and feet were found burned off and roasted
trunks of bodies were found in place, legs in
another and piles of roasted, shrivelled carcasses
were pulled out Of the ruins. At day
| light flat carried the charred bodies into
! Greeley for intcrment The county commissioners
! buried the remains in hinge coffin seven feet
| wide and ten feet long in the Greeley cemetery
| The coroner empannelled a jury. who was un-
| able to learn the cause of the fire, or any inn
! portant facts as the managers with the remainder
of the company, left Immediately for Golden, to
| fill the afternoon engagement. Itis impossible
to get a complete list of the dead, as many had
been engaged but day or two and their names
are unknown. The names Of the dead far as
! learned are as follows Alex. Mcleod, Mari
nctte, Arkansas; Thomas Mccarthy, Independ.
| known Silver Thorn, Andy, Frenchy, Frank,
! George, Smithic and one unknown.
THE WOUNDED.
! DENVER, Col. Aug. 29.-The following is list
of the sufferers OF the circus car fire now in st.
Lukes hospital of this city; f. E. Fairbanks,
age twenty-five, arms, legs and face badly
Kansas, arms and face badly burned Thos.
Golden, age seventeen, Detroit Michigan, very
badly burned on back and legs; y. j. thinner
man, age eighteen st. Louis, Michigan, arms,
legs, back and face fearfully burned; Frank
King, Menomiuee, Michigan, badly burned about
| the hands and feet; Michael McGliner, age
| twCnty-eight, Holton, Michigan, face and hands
badly burned; Hugh O'Donnel, age fifty six,
New Orleans, badly burned about the face,
hands and back and will probably die. \ num-
Der of the rescued agree that in the car were
| two barrels OF gasoline, which were exploded
! either by sparks from the engine or from na-
| ked torch with which the men were accustomed
/ to light themselves 10 bed