Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-09-16
AWFUL COLLISION.
Thirty Persons Killed and 1855 In
iurcd In Colorado.


New Castle, COL, Sept. 1.-THE worst
wreck in the history of the state of
Colorado occurred at 1925 Friday
morning on the track of the Denver 4,
Rio Grandc and the Colorado Midland
railway, 1h miles west of here. After
IL hours incessant work by the wreck
ing crews in clearing away the debris
and rescuing the bodies of those who
persisted, it is yet impossible to secure
more than an estimate of the loss of
life, and not even those known to be
dead have been identified. Fully 30
persons are believed to have persisted,
while 1876 are taken out of the wreck
suffering from serious injuries.
The wreck was caused by head-end
collision between Denver 81 Rio
Grande passenger train running at the
rate of 40 miles an hour and a specia.
Colorado Midland stock train running
ar speed of probably 80 miles. So ter
rife was the conclusion that both en-
gnes, baggage and express cars, smoker
and day coaches and two stock cars
were totally demolished and the track
torn up for rods in both directions. To
add to the horror of the scene, the
wreck caught fire from an explosion of
gas tank on the passenger train, and
burned so rapidly that many passen-
gers pinned beneath the debris were
burned to death before help could reach
them.
The most generally accepted theory
as to the cause of the wreck seems to be
that Conductor Burbank, of the
Midland special, anticipating the
time of the passenger, undertook
to "steal station" and beat the pas
senger into New Castle. Burbank es-
capped uSniured, and upon orders from
Coroner Clark has been placed under
arrest by the sheriff.
The list of dead and injured so far
as known is as follows:
DEAD-F. J. Keenan,, mail agent, OF
Denver: Robert s. Holland, fireman d. &
r. G. railway, Salina: Mrs. Alexander hart
man and two sons, of Herscher Ill; James
Frick, of Chicago; Charles Leeper, OF
Clarion, Pa. Charred fragments of limbs
and bodies of a number of persons have
been taken out of the ruins, butft Is not
likely that any more bodies will be positive
ly identified, and it seems certain that the
NUMBER kllleQ VIII remain III uOuDl
INJURED-Rev. Alexander Hartman, of
Herscher, ILL.,. both legs broken and Lady
burned; William Gordon, engineer of pas
senger train, injured internally; John H.
Stander, of Blackfoot, Idaho. leg broken,
face cut and burned and bruised; Miss
Pearl Cornell, of Alciet, Ore, hip dislo-
Gated: ]. c. Yeager of Toledo, o., injured
internally; ]. Logman, of Whittier, Cal,
slightly wounded; Mrs. Mary Israel, of St.
Paul, Mimi, slightly injured internally:
]. f. Snyder, of Independence, Kan, slight
ly burned; d. H. McAneney, of Victor, Col,
face burned; o. V. Titson, of Cooker, Mo-,
cut badly about head; r. H. Brickley, of
Chicago, back injured: ]. c. Young, of st.
Louis, cut in forehead, not serious; Thomas
Nash. of Mohab, Utah. left arm broken,
badly burned in face; Frank p. Mannix,
Victor, Col, bruised and slightly burned;
William Hines, fireman, crushed and
burned, will die; r. w. Shot, Leeper, Pa,
badly bruised; Brakeman Knapp, leg
crushed: James G. Foley, express messen-
ger, bruised; William 8. Missioner, express
messenger, bruised.