, 1888-05-31
THREE MEN KILLED.
A Dreadful Accident on the Chey-
enne & Northern.
Two Engines Meet Coming Around
a Curve.
Six Persons Injured, Three Of
Them Seriously.
Causes Which Brought About the
Catastrophe.

SukooL OplC-
News of a serious accident on the Chey-
enne & Northern reached the city yester.
day afternoon and, as usual in such cases,
the first reports were sufficiently harrow
ing to startle the whole community.
1t was finally definitely learned that
three men had been killed and six injured,
three of them perhaps dangerously. Inn
mediately upon the receipt of the first
information here a special train was or
dered out by the railroad authorities, and
DR.. H. W. Stevens and several assistants,
equipped with all necessary applianc es,
were started to the scene Of the ecident.
Definite news of the accident came in
slowly, and it was not till nearly 6 O'Clock
that anything but the bare details were
received. From what was then learned
it appeared that the accident was the re-
suit of a collision between a work train
and a light engine.
The heavy rains had caused a serious
washout on the road at the ninety-second
mile post, which is several miles beyond
Bordeaux. A work train and force OF
men had been sent out to repair the dam
age. and the northbound train when it
reached Bordeaux had been held there.
The engine was afterwards detached and
sent forward under tagging orders TO
learn the progress of the wreck. TIE
engineer of this engine was Chris Mad
sen. and the fireman Charles Reem.
Conductor John Hader accompanied
them.
Meanwhile the men on the train had
completed their work and started to re-
turn to Bordeaux. The train consisted Of
the locomotive. caboose, wrecking car and
about twelve stock cars. G. Il. Brooks was
the engineer and Mayfeldth the fireman. Mr..
Kelly was the conductor. In rounding a
sharp curve the light engine and the work
train came into collision with terrific
force. The forward stock car was sent
crashing into the caboose. The driving
wheels of one engine were knocked from
under it and the tender of the other
whirled from the track.
1t was a case of confusion worse con.
founded. A few of the men on the work
train saw what was coming and jumped;
others less fortunate were unable to do so
and were forced to bear the brunt of the
collision. Conductor John Hader was
killed outright. John Mayield, a brake
man, and Charles Reem. a fireman, were
so horribly injured that they both died
within two hours after the accident. Six
others were more or less badly hurt.
The light engine had been run with
the tender forward, and the force of the
collision was sufficient to whirl the coal
forward in a perfect shower. The fire
man was completely buried under a mass
of it, and when his mutilated body
was subsequently dug out he made
a desperate effort to extend
his right hand in mute token of his ap.
probation of the effort made to save him.
Hader had been paralyzed by a heavy
lump of coal. Reem was in the caboosC
when it was telescoped by the car in the
rear. His body was crunched to a pulpy
mass in the wreckage. The sight was an
awful one.
Word was sent to Bordeaux as quickly
as possible and from that point word was
telegraphed to Cheyenne. Mr.. and
Mrs. John Hunton at once had
adouble team hitched up and
drove to the scene with a quantity of ice
and such appliances asthey thought might
mitigate the suffering of the injured. By
the time the special train with DR..
Stevens reached Bordeaux the injured
had been transferred to the same point
and everything that could possibly be
done under the circumstances for their
comfort was done expeditiously.
Engineer Chris. Madsen, Engineer
Brooks and John Toole were found to be
most badlyiniured. Madsen had his legs,
body and face badly burned. A Jagged
wound two inches in length extended
through his left cheek. He also suffered
from conclusion of the brain. Brooks
injuries were of a similar nature. John
Toole suffered from conclusion of the
brain and spine. DR.. Stevens regarded
all of these men as seriously injured, and
although it is hoped no fatal results will
follow, no prediction can be made until
after closer examin atoms than it has yet
been possible to give them.
Among the others injured were Road,
master Delaney, who suffered from a