The Monte Vista journal., 1897-08-07
BADRAILROAD WRECK
TWO OF THE CREW KILLED
California Express ON the Kansas Pacific
Goes Throagh . II -idEe Near Bysrs-
EnEinesr and Espr Asssesger Dead.

bridge at Strasburg siding, about thir
ty miles east Of this city. at 2:52 o'clOcl
| yesterday morning. wrecking the trail
and causing the death OF the engineer
and the express messenger beside,
bruising aud slightly injuring nearly
all the passengers on the train. The
| occupants Of the two Pullman sleep
ers escaped with II slight jar.
This casualty occurred without the
slightest hint OF warning TO the train
crew and was one that could not have
been fOrescen by reasonable diligence
on the part of the railway employees
At the time OF the accident no rain was
falling and the roadbed in the light of
the engines headlight showed no indi
cations of trouble until the washoul
was reached. when II was too late for
the engineer 10 stop his train. The
locomotive crossed the bridge and
struck the debris that had been washed
over the track beyond. where, after
jolting over the ties for short dis
tancc. IL turned over on It's right side
and landed upside down. crushing the
cab and carrying the engineer TO an
instant death. His body was after
wards found. scnlded with steam. torn
and cut. underneath the cab. The fire
man was thrown forward, landing
ahead OF the wreck In an unconscious
condition and the scaping steam had
burned his neck and shoulders before
he recovered strength To pick himself
up and run To a point Of safety.
The killed
John A. Ward. I'll Twcnty.elghth
street. Denver, engineer.
w. B. Harrington, Kansas City. No.
express messenger
The injured In hospital:
j. 4. Reid. Kansas city. No.. mail
clerk. slight cuts on back OF head and
bruises.
W. II. Rankin. Lawrence. Kan, mail
clerk. cuts on head and neck. right
hand bruised and little finger dislocat-
ed.
Oscar Ingram. fireman. Denver. bad.
ly scaldcd on shoulders and back.
Mrs. &, !. Gavitt, Blue Springs. Ncb.,
right ankle broken.
Mrs. c. +. Hubbard, Abilene, Kan.
shoulders hurt and spinal column
wrenched.
Miss MIME Edclmonn. Kansas City,
No. left hand bruised and head bruls.
ed. nervous shock.
John Travis, Augusta. Ga, cut about
head and arms.
Mrs. Fred Nash. Laramie. Wyo..
slightly bruised on the legs.
DIR. c. q. Goddard. Lcavcnworth.
Kan. back and neck strained.
w. II. Thornton. Chicago. ILL.,. left
hand bruised and leg scratched.
l.. Eckert. Topeka. Kan. cut abou,
the face.
The mail ear and baggage car went
down with the bridge and were crush.
ed Into kindling wood on the farther
bank. The wrcckage thus formed caus-
cd the smoking ear to pass along over
the stream and II stopped on dry
ground alongside the locomotive. level
ard right side up. Only one passenger
in that ear was hurt TO speak of-John
Trayis-who was pitched headlong to.
wards the front door and under the
train boys boxes.
The chair car struck downwards ana
was stopped by coming In contact with
the wrecked mail and baggage ears.
The rear end Of the ear rested upon the
rails and the front end tipped down
ward into the water which rushed
through the broken windows and back.
cd up against the side. causing Il fear
that some OF the passengers might bc
drowned before they could In rescued,
| Two Pullman sleeping ears made mp
the remainder OF the train and they
halted ON the track back Of the chaif
ear.
There was no warning whistle and
no Indication Of trouble until the bridge
was reached anI the train was brought
{" a sudd1 n stop. The passengers We're
all asleep or In doze and they Were
awakened by the shock Of the quick
stop, one passenger In the chair car
counted five distinct shocks before all
was at r>t. Then arose the startled
screaming of the women and the rroa ms
and shouts OF the injured. All the lights
were ont and everything was pitch
dark. As soon as the fortunate ones
could realize what had occurred and
that they wer. safe they began an
Investigation and rapidly the injured
We're rescued from their positions OF
torture and carried back To the sleep
Ing ears. wher,' their injuries were
promptly attended to by Dr. e. e. God.
dard Of Kansas city. who was aboard
the train. W. II. II. Thornton. a wool
buyer. had In his saichcl n bottle Of
ccsmol"no and some sweet oil. which he
handed over to the doctor and the oint.
mcnts materially re,iucel the discom.
forts Of the injured until the relief
train with doctors and supplies had ar.
rived after daylight.
Tn" cNperieccs OF the parilclpntors In
the scene were somewhat varied and
thrilling. Oscar Ingram. the fireman Of
the locomotive, said AT the hospital last
evening that he WAS putting In firp
nj the time The lpco,uptiyp str,tck tbc
washout and ho knew nothing definite
! until he landed somewhere ahead ~ the
train. III" passengers state that he
Jumped M, hunted mp his lantern and
ran "'r down the track To signal any
tNossiblc approaching train until he fell
down exhausted. where he wa. found
In n s"ml-uncnnscious condition suffer.
Ing from his hurns and scnlds.
TIL" bridge where the wreck o-.
Cured was pile brlis" which
snnnncd drr creek. such ns nrc found
~ the rlnius east of Denver AWAY
from the Platte river. This bridge
had been Inspected last week nni some
r'nnlr- w"r" made. leaving II IN re-.
r"rieh hrsi-clnSs condition. On Mon.
inS section crew had worked near
~" bridge. and they had crossed II
going TO Bycrs. nhou, 2 In the after.
noon. When they returned over II ni
about 1890 o'clock they noticed H..
lie wn'cr running through. hut saw no
Indication. Of n wnshopi In the vicin.
itr. There wa. M storm In that
r"lrhboihood and they did no, suspect,
trouble. The storm had evidently oc.
crrfrd some distance away on higher
ground ana the winter hnd collected