The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-07-21
A TERRIBLE DlSAs TER.
Eight Persons Perish in
Wreck On the Colorado Mid
land Railroad.


occurred at Aspen Junction, eighteen
miles below tnis city. yesterday morn
ing. resulting in the death of eight
people and serious injury Of a number
Of Others, Aspen junction is ON the
main line OF the Colorado Midland
railroad. As an excursion train from
Glenwood Springs was returning from
the water tank on the main line to
make the ~" for Aspen an engine
from the round house collided with
the rear coach, the collision causing
the disloca,ion OF the check valve and
the derailirg of the coach, both doors
of which we're locked, preventing
egress and ingress. The scene that
followed beygsrs description. The
boiler of the engine was forced through
the rear of the coach, into which the
steam escaped, scaldiug the bodies
and filling tie lungs of the imprisoned
passengers, who, in Their distress.
frigst and agony, beat their hands
and heads against the thick plate
glass windows in their mad en-.
deavor TO escape. Then the coach
caught fire. There we're only about
thirty people on the car, owing to the
fact that SvlIs Brothers circus ex-
ihibited in Aspen last night and the
usual rush of excursionists to the
springs on what is known as ''the Sat.
urday night Laundry train," fell of
from 300 to thirty, otherwise this dis
aster would have eclipsed those of
Ashtabula and Ravenns. To add to
the horror, after the people of the
place commenced to pull the i'm
prisoned dead and wounded victims
from the burning coach and lay their
bodies on the side of the hill, tramps
commenced to rob 9TH dead, dying
and wounded. This was not noticed
for some time, as all the available
force except the ghouls were engaged
in fighting the flames and rescuing
the sufferers from the wreck. Three
hands that had been completely
scalded of Of the unfortuna.es in the
car were discovered in the debris
after the fire was put out. The bodies
of the two men who lost them were
burned beyond recognition. In addit-
ion to these the killed are:
Miss Annie Phelan, of Cardiff.
Colo, aged about Is Years.
Frank Ellis. of Aspen.
A child of Mr.. and Mrs. Ellis, of
Aspen.
Mrs. Ellis, of Aspen.
A. B. Rogers, OF Woody, Colo.
Mrs. Mary Rogers, wife of the for.
mer. both lately from Pratt. Kansas.
Mrs. w. Willoughby, wife of the
Assessor of Garfield County, Colo,
whose husband resides at Glenwood
Springs.
Mrs. John G. Baldwin, Of Glen
wood Springs.
The wounded who are still alive,
but for whose recovery no hopes are
entertained, are:
Frank Ellis.
Mr.. and Mrs. Joe Leonard.
Thomas ODonnelL
Mary Ann O'Donnell.
Frank Leach, all of Aspen.
Nearly all the rest of the passengers
were more or less wounded or scalded
and it thought that the steam has SO
effected the lungs of many Of those
who were not badly scalded that they
too, will die. Shepard, the engineer
of the ill-fated train, who saw the en-.
CINE come out of the round house, it
is alleged was drunk at the time.
He has since disappeared, and all
trace of him has been lost.
j. j. Kuhn, a cook in the railroad
restaurant at Aspen Junction, was ar
rested on a charge of robbing the
dead. The gold watch and buck
skin wallet containing $500, belong
ing to A. B. Rogers, we're found upon
his person. There is strong talk of
lynching him, and a guard under
Sheriff Calvin. of this place, has been
sent to bring him here for safe-keep-
ing. 1t is also Gained that two
tramps, who had been circus-followers,
busted themselves robbing the dead
and wounded after they we're removed
from the car to the green sward on
the side of the hill. The accident oc.
CURED about midnight, but nothing
was known of it outside of the immedi-
ate vicinity Of the Junction, until o
train was sent to Aspen for physicians
at 1880 o'clock this morning. Every
physician in the city was summoned,
and Immediately every care and at
tention that could be given to relieve
the sufferers was rendered. The ap-
pearance of the dead and dying was
heart-rending. The flesh hung in
shreds to the faces and hands Of many,