, 1884-08-30
A Horrible SCENE.

DENVER, August %. The Neios'
Greeley special says: The burning of the
circus ear nine miles north of Greeley was
attended with indescribable horrors. The
burned car was next to the engine in a
train of seventeen cars containing Orton's
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
station near Greeley, running about
twenty-five miles an hour, when Engineer
C~ollepriest discovered the car on fire. He
reversed the engine and threw open the
whistle valve. There were sixty men
on board the car, which was arranged in
three tiers or berths on either side. The
forward side door was closed and the men
were in the hunks sleeping against it. The
rear side door was also closed, and the
men who awoke discovered the lower I'M
occupied berth next to it containing rub
Dish on FIRE, filling the car with smoke
and cutting off all escape in that diree-
ton. The only means of egress was
through a small window between the car
and engine. John Pine, of Edgerton,
Wis, and Elmer Millet, of Iowa, crawled
through the opening and tried to pass in
water from the engine tank. Owing to
the suffocating gases it was difficult to
arouse the sleepers. Some were kicked
a,l l.r.f~.l .. .l.art.,- .... ~
pitched out of the window, The screams
of those unable to get through the block
AIDED aperture were terrifying. The wild
glare of the flames, the light Of burning
victims outside who were writhing in
agony on the cactus beds, caused the wild
beasts in the adjoining car to become
frantic with terror, making the scene APP
paling. The performers who occupied
the rear cars gazed with white faces on
the awful spectacle. In the midst of the
confusion two or three heroic souls APP
pearcd equal to the occasion and bravely
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 on the blistered unfortun-
ates aud wrapping them in blankets An
old Pacific coast sailor named Mcdonald.
formerly Of F~orepaugh's show, was terri
bly, burned, the flesh hanging in shreds.
The heartrending cries Of the men ON the
prairie smothered the appeals ofthe dying
within the car The roar of the flames
and the bowling of the animals made the
scene terrible 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 0 ceased.
Meantime the engine had gone to
Greeley for assistance, returning with Dr.
jesse Halves, President of the State Med
teal Association.
Many of the rescued in being pulled
through the small window had theil
limbs broken, or joints dislocated. Handi
and feet were found burned of, the roasted
trunks Of bodies were found in one place
the legs in another, and piles of roasted
carcasses were pulled out of the ruins
At daylight a ilatcar carried the charreC
bodies into Greeley for interment, TIL
County Commissioners buried the remains
in a huge coffin, seven feet wide and tel
feet long, in Greeley Cemetery. Rev
Mr.. Reed, Of the Presbyterian Church
conducted the funeral services.
The Coroner empaneled a jury, VIII
were unable to learn the cause of the fir
or any important facts, as the managers
with the remainder of the company, LEI
!, Immediately for Golden to I'll their after
noon engagement. It is impossible t
-, get a complete list of the dead as man
were engaged but a day or two who's
names are unknown. The names Of tn
dead, as far as learned, were as follows: