The Indianapolis journal., 1897-09-11
Some of the Victims Burned in the
Debris, which Caught Fire from
Explosion OF "a Gas Tank.
CONDUCTOR UNDER ARREST
ONE OF THE ENGINEERS SAID TO
HAVE FLED TO THE HILLS.
Conductor of the Special Train Sup
posed to Have Tried to "SteaI q
Station" from the Other.


NEW CASTLE, Col, Sept. 1O.-The worst
wreck in the history of the State of Col
orado occurred at 1925 this morning on the
track of the Denver & Rio Grande and the
Colorado Midland railways, one and a half
miles west of here. After twelve hours
incessant work by the wrecking crews in
clearing away the debris and recovering
impossible to secure more than an estimate
of the loss of life, and not even those
known to be dead have been identified
Many of the unfortunates never will be
known. and it is possible that the number
of killed will always be in doubt. From
the best information obtainable now, fully
thirty persons are believed to have per-
ished few of the remaining 40 passengers
escaping injury. The dead, as recognized,
are:
F. J. KEENAN,, mail agent, of Denver.
WILLIAM GORDON, engineer passen-
ger train.
ROBERT S. HOLLAND, fireman d. &
H. ", HdhW<lys OF Sd1lud
MRS. ALEXANDER HARTMAN AND
TWO SONS of Herscher. IN.
JAMES ERRICK, of Chicago
CHARLES LEEPER, of Clarion, Pa.
WILLIAM HINES. fireman, crushed and
burned.
Among the injured are:
REV. ALEXANDER HARTMAN, of
Herscher, ILL.,, both legs broken and badly
burned
JOHN H. srANDER, of Blackfoot,
Idaho leg broken, face cut and burned and
bruised.
MISS PEARL CORNELL. of Alciel, Ore.
]. c. YEAGER, of Toledo. O.. injured in
ternally.
J. LoGMAN. of Whittier, Cal. slightly
wounded.
MRS. MARY ISRAEL of st. Paul.
Mimi, slight injury internally.
]. p. SNYDER, of independence, Kan,
slightly burned
d. H M'ANENEY. of Victor. Col. face
burned.
o. V. TITsON. of Cooker, ILL.,, cut badly
about head.
r. H. BRICKLEY, Chicago, back injured
j. G. YOUNG, of St Louis. Mo-, 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.
r. w. SHOTTS, Leeper. Pa, badly
bruised.
BRAKEMAN KNAPP, leg crushed.
JAMES G. FOLEY, express messenger,
bruised.
WILLIAM S. MIssEMER, express mes
senger, bruised.
The wreck was caused by a head-on col
lision between Denver & Rio Grande pas
senger train, running at the rate of forty
miles an hour, and special Colorado Mid
land stock train running at a speed of
probably thirty miles. So terrific was the
concussion that both engines, baggage and
express cars, smoker and day coaches and
two stock cars were demolished and the
track torn up for rods in both directions.
To add to the horror of the scene the
wreckage took fire from the explosion of
gas tank on the passenger train and burned
so rapidly that many passengers pinned be-
meath the debris were burned to death be-
for help could reach them.
TRIED TO STEAL A STATION"
The most generally accepted theory as to
the cause of the wreck seems to be that
Conductor Burbank, of the Midland spe-
cial anticipating the time of the passenger,
undertook to steal a station" and beat the
passenger into New Castle. Burbank es-
capped uninjured and upon orders from
Coroner Clark has been placed under arrest
by the sheriff. Midland Engineer Ostran-
der is missing, and a thorough search all
about his engine fails to reveal any vestige
of his remains. 1t is thought that when he
saw the threatened danger he jumped from
his engine, and, realizing his negligence,
took to the hills. Mr.. and Mrs. e. III.
Strouse, who live a quarter Of a mile from
the scene of the accident report that when
the two trains met the shock was so great
as to literally hurl them out of bed. Some
say the noise was heard and the shock felt
in New Castle.
AS soon as the news of the wreck reached
Glenwood a relief train was sent from that
place and this afternoon the more seriously
wounded were sent to the Denver Rio
Grande Companys hospital at Salda. Gen
eral Superintendent Sample. of the Denver
& Rio Grande. happened to be in the vicin-
ity of the disaster, and soon reached the
scene, taking charge OF the work of re-
moving the bodies. Ten bodies were found
in the ruins Of one car and four in an
other The charred remains of two women.
apparently clasped in each others arms,
were found. Their heads and lower limbs
we're burned off. In the dress bosom of
each was found a ladys gold watch upon
one of which was inscribed. From Mother
to Mamie" kilograms from all parts of
the country inquiring for friends and rela-
tives are pouring in constantly.
Frank p Maanix. editor Of the Victor
Record, was a passenger on the Denver &
Rio Grande train. Il was in the smoker
when the collision happened" he said, "and
was jammed down in the seat. I saw day
light on one side and managed to pull my
SELF out and. with the aid of Brakeman
Daniels. helped to pull three people from
the wreck. At the time of the collision the
tank under the smoker exploded and set
fire to the train. The scene was awful
The mail. baggage, smoker, day coach and