Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-09-18
RIO GRAHDE PASSENGER
IN DEADLY COLLISION
twenty-five Are Thought to Have
Been Killed and Many
We're Injured.
CREMAIED IN BURNING CARS
Train Was So Completely Demolish-
ed That Every Passenger Was
Either titled or Danger
ously Inj red.

New Castle, Col, Sept. 1.-THE most
disastrous railway wreck that has
ever happened ia Colorado occurred al
12:lj this morning near here. The
Denver and Rio Grande passenger
train west bound collidcl with the CJl-
ora:o Midland stock train going east
wTccking both engines and several
coaches on both trains. Fire brok=
out in the ruins, and the mail, baggabe
and express cars, smoker, day e ach
and tourist sleeper were burned. y
number Of passengers were not kill
outright but were pinned ia the
wrcckagc and persisted in the flames.
There were 200 passengers and IL l.
estimated that twenty-five were killed
and as many more bruised, scIidsd and
burned. Of whom six n more arr like
ly TO die.
The trains cOllided on a curve round
a mountain. There was no OppOrtun-
ity TO even slacken speed. The pas = ~
train was going twenty Ltilcs IN hour.
the freight about ten 70 twelve. The
Rio Grnnde junction road. on which
the wreck occurred is "a joint single
track operated by the Denver and Rio
Grande and Colorado Midland. The
Rio Grandc passenger train was an
hour late. One report as 10 the u
OF the accident il that Conductor sur
bank Of the Colorado Midland eek
train made Il mistake If ten minutes
in figuring on time when the IiJ
Grande passenger train passed New
Castle.
Engineer Ostrandcr Of the stock
train is believed 10 be under the de
bris. w. l.. Hawthorne. conduct Il
the passenger train was in the smOk-
ing ear al the time of the collision and
was severely bruised. lie says the gas
cylinder under one Of the wrecked clTs
exploded and the the car appeared T.
be in flames within a short time. He
SAYS he does not think that more than
two or three passengers in the smoker
were burned to death. The passru.
gers In the day coach far,d the w,Ist
Out of twenty-nine in that coach only
six are known TO have escaped.
Engineer Ostrandcr Wcat down WITH
his hands on the lever. Robert Hol-
land. a passenger fireman. was so b d
Is hurt that he died a few hours Inter.
Passenger engineer Gordon NAV i've
although he is dangerously inJ1r- a..
HaineS the Midland fireman. is SO ba
~ hurt the doctors say lie cannot Re
cover. William :. Messenger and Jas.
{. Foley. express messengers, manl"ed
to Cut their way out Of the car just a.
il burst into flames. Alex. Hartman OF
Houshier. H.. had both legs broken
and cannot live. His wife and two
children were the first dead to be re-
covered from the ~wrcckage. Miss
Pearl Cornell OF Oregon had a leg Bro
ken.
4 special train was sent out with
doctors and nurses. The ucighbDring
ranch houses were used for the recep-
ton of tie injured.
Two ears of stock were wrccic and
the road is strewn with dead animals.
The express car and contents We're en-
tirelv consumed by the fire.
Frank l.. ManiN. editor OF the Victor
! pooara a r-.ssanoer On -ha Rio Grindp
killed n Wounded:
Killed
Mrs. Alex Hartman ard two child
rem, Hersher, III.
Engineer OstrGnder.
Fireman Robert Holland.
Charles Leiper. Leipcr. Ia.
Postal Clerk James Keenan,.
The Injured
Alex. Hartman, IIerslcr. H.. both
legs broken. will die.
Robert Gordon, engineer. may die.
Fireman Hines, fgatalli burned.
Miss Pearl Cornell, OregoA, leg bro
ken.
j. H. Stadart, BlackfoOt Idaho, cut
burned. both legs broken.
j. II. Sheets. Iowa. hand rut.
Il. J. Sheets. Leiper, Pa" ,liehtly.
j. c. Foley, express messenger.
bruised.
William MESSENGER, express mesScn
ger. bruised.
W. l.. Hawthorne, conductor
bruised.
Z. III. McAvery, Victor. Cob, burneo
about the head, back bruised.
Frank T.. ManniX, NirIDr, Col.
slightly bruised.
brakeman Knapp. leg crushed.
j. c. Ieager, Victor, Colo, badly
hurt.
Four more bodies were removed
from the wreck, burned beyond recog'
milton. The work OF getting out the
bodies is slow.