, 1885-03-26
A CRUSH OF COAL.
A Destructive and Fatal Accident
at Colorado Junction.
Five Cars Piled on a Brakeman
Named George Morris.
The Wreck, the Inquest and the Ex-
%ercises this Morning.

One of the most serious railway acct
dents which has happened in this vicinity
for some time occurred at Colorado June
ton about . o'clock yesterday morning.
Information Of the accident did not reach
this city until half past : O'Clock, and
even at that hour the particulars were not
obtainable.
The east bound freight train, No. %,
consisting in the main of loaded coal cars,
was just pulling into Colorado Junction
when the accident happened. The crew
Of the train consisted of Conductor +. L.
Burgett, brakeman j. c. Conway and
brakeman George B. Morris. No signal
was displayed at the station and the train
was slowing up, preparatory to- stopping,
when the accident occurred.
1t seems that one of the wheels
of the front cars was broken,
and while the crew was setting
the brakes this car jumped the rails.
Other cars followed it and in less time
than it is told nine cars were piled in a
promiscuous heap. Some of these were
piled four deep some distance from the
rails, and although the train was stopped
as quickly as possible, the wreck was a
serious one.
Brakeman Conway was on one of the
middle cars of the train and jumped from
the car just in the right direction and just
at the right time. Brakeman Morris was
on one of the cars which left the rails.
He too sprang from the train, but failed
to escape. An investigation was imme-
diately made and Morris was found lying
under the ruins of four cars, fully twenty
feet from the road bed. 1t was impossi-
bic 10 extricate him and it was evident
that he was dead.
Information of the accident was sent to
the city, and a wrecking train was soon
made up. Coroner Moore and DIR. G. W.
Corey were notified and went to the scene
of the accident ON this train.
The scene of the wreck cannot be ade-
quately described. Heavy dents in the
rails, at intervals of about four feet,
showed that the broken wheel remained
on the rails for considerable distance be-
fore it caused the trucks to leave the
track. The cars were piled in grotesque
and almost unaccountable attitudes.
The body of the unfortunate brake
man lay under one end of a
car. from which the trucks had been
wrenched; the entire weight of the car
thus fell upon his body. Across this car
two others had been piled at almost right
angles, a third car was tossed on this heap
and one end Of still another car rested on
the wreck, beneath which a p~rotruding
foot and a mans hand showed where the
body of the poor brakeman lay. 1t was
necessary to remove all of these cars be-
fore the body could be taken from beneath
them. When the task was accomplished
by the aid of the usual wrecking appli-
ances, the body was laid in the caboose
and was examined. The man had fallen
on his face, and the weight of the car had
struck him on the back, instantly crush
ing his body. His head was crushed, his
jaws were broken, and he was injured in
other ways. His death was undoubtedly
instantaneous. Coroner Moore brought
the remains to this city and summoned a
jury consisting of Messrs. John T. Chat
fin, Chas. B. Foster, A S. Emery, ]. II.
Magoon, Geo. w. Halves, and B. Fl.
Smalley. The jury met in the city hall
yesterday afternoon. The following is a
report of the inquest:
F. /. Burgett testified as follows: I
reside in Laramie county. Wyo. My oc-
cupation is that OF freight conductor on
the Union Pacific railway of train No.
%. When l left Granite Canyon every
thing appeared to be right with my train.
When we reached Colorado Juction a
wheel broke, which caused the smash-up.
The wheels we examined at Granite
Canyon and reported all right. My train
was running at the time about eight or
nine miles an hour. This accident oc-
CURED about , O'Clock a. m. of March
%, 1885. l only knew deceased by the
name of Frank Morris. Under the cir
cumstances / think it impossible for him
to have escaped death.
j. c. Conway testified Z: | reside in
Laramie county, Wyo. My occupation is
that of brakeman on the Union Pacific.
When we left Granite Canyon last night
the car repairer reported everything all
right. Everything went along first rate
until we arrived at Colorado Junction.
At that station there is supposed to be a
signal displayed at all hours, but on this
occasion there was no signal. The rules
and regulations Of the road require all
trains to stop and ascertain the cause of
the signal not being out. We were in the
act Of stopping the train when the wheel
broke and the cars commenced to pile up
both behind and in front, at which time
| jumped off. When the train was stop
ped 1 commenced to look the wreck over
for the head brakeman, Frank Morris, as
generally known, but his real name was
George b. Morris. After switching
(searching?) from half to three-quarters
of an hour, found his body under the
wreck dead, having been crushed by the
cars. After working three or four hours
got his body out and brought it to Chey-
enne.
H. D. Galbraith, the engineer Of the
train, testified that he resides in Laramie
City and is by occupation a locomotive
engineer. Vas one of the engineers on
train No. % of March "a. 1885. Left