Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-09-17
AWFUL COLLISION.
Passenger and Freight Trains Meet
on the Same Track.
DISASTER NEAR NEW CASTLE, COL.
1t Is Estimated That Fully Thirty
Persons Were Killed ana 1856
Injured-yictims Are Ronst-
cd to Death.

wreck in the history of the state of
Colorado occurred at 1928 Friday
morning on the track of the Denver &
Rio Grande and the Colorado Midland
railways, ~ miles west of here. After
~ 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. Many of the
unfortunates will never be known, and
1t is possible that the number killed will
always be in doubt. From the best in
formation obtainable now fully 80 per-
sons are believed to have persisted,
while 1856 are taken out of the wreck
suffering from serious injuries.
Cause of the Wreck.
The wreck was caused by a head-end
collision between a Denver & Rio
Grande passenger train running at the
rate of 40 miles an hour and special
(! Colorado Midland stock train running
at speed of probably 30 miles. So ter
rife was the conclusion that both en-
| gines, 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
a 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.
Conductor Arrested.
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 NeCastle. Burbank es-
capped uninjured, and upon orders from
Coroner Clark has been placed under
arrest by the sheriff. Midland Engi-
neer Ostrander is missing and thor
ough 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. r. III.
otrouse, who live a quarter of a mile
from the scene of the accident. report
chat when the two trains met the shscl,
was so great as to literally hurl them
out OF bed. Some say the noise was
heard and the shock felt in New Castle.
The Victims.
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. &.
RIG. railway. Salina: Mrs. Alexander Hart
man and two sons, of Herscher ILL., James
rrick, OF Chicago; Charles Leeper, of
clarion. IA. Charred fragments of limbs
ana bodies of number of persons have
Deen taken out of the ruins, but 1t is NOT
| likely that any more bodies will be positive.
l ~ identified, and 1t seems certain that the
| number killed will remain in doubt.
1NJURED-Rev. Alexander Hartman n,
aerscher, III. both legs broken and badly
burned: William Gordon engineer pa ssen.
ger train. injured internally: John II.
stander, OF Blackfoot, Idaho. leg broken,
face cut and burned and bruised; Miss
Pearl Cornell, of Alciet Ore, hip dislo.
Gated; j. c. Yeager, of Toledo, O.. Injured
internally; j. Logman, of Whittier. Cal.
slightly wounded: Mrs. Mary Israel, of St
raul MINI, slightly injured internally;
Il f
| lJ burned; D. H. McAneney, of Victor. Col
face burned; .. V. Titson, of Cooker. Nc,
cut badly about head; R. H Brickley' Chi.
| cago, back injured; J. C. Young. of ST.
| Louts,-cut in forehead, not serious: Thoma .
Nash, of Mohab, Utah. left arm broken.
badly burned in face; Frank P. NIannix'
Wletor, Col, bruised and slightly burned:
burned, will die; r. w. Shot, Leeper. pa
badly bruised: Brakeman Knapp. leo
crushed; JAMES G. Foley, express messen.
| ger bruised: William S. Missemer. exnress
messenger, bruised.
AS soon as the news of the wreck
reached Glenwood relief train was
sent from that place and the more seri-
ously wounded We're sent to the Den
yer & Rio Grande company's hospital
at Salida. General Superintendent sam
pie, of the Denver & Rio Grande. ham
pened to be in the vicinity of the disas-
ter and soon reached the scene. talk
ing charge of the work and removing,
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 were burned off. In
the dress bosom of each was found
Il ladies gold watch, upon one of which
WINS inscribed From mother to Mamie, ("
kilograms from all parts of the coun-
try inquiring for friends and relatives
ore pouring in constantly.
Nav RE pnrdopoa