The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-09-29
4 FRIGHTFUL COLLISION.
Two Trains Meet at High Speed on
Colorado Mountain Curve.
FIRE FOLLOWED THE CRASH.

Passengers Pinned Under the Wreck and
Burned to Death-Manv Bodies Dis
figured Beyond Recognition - The
Freight Supposed to Have Been "Steal-
ing Station" From a Passenger Train.
DENVER, Col. (speciaD.-Passenger train
Of the Denver and Rio Grande Railway,
which had left Denver for Salt Lake City,
and an eastbound stock train of the Colo
RADIO Midland, collided on the Rio Grande
Junction track mile and half west OF
New Castle at 1915 a. m. Both trains were
wrecked, eighteen persons were killed,
and many others were hurt.
The identified dead are: o. s. Ostrander,
engineer, freight train; RS. Hallan, fire.
man, freight train; Robert Holland, fire.
man, passenger train; James F. Keenan,,
postal clerk; Charles Leeper, Clarion,
Penn; Mrs. Alexander Hartman, ,Heuscher,
ILL.,; two Hartman children; six un1denti-
fed persons burned in the wreck.
The seriously injured are: William Cor
don, passenger engineer; the Rev. AleTan-
der Hartman, Heuschler, ILL.,; J. H. Stander,
Riverside, Idaho; Miss Pearl Cornell, Atsel,
Oregon; Thomas Nash, Moab, Utah.
Ten other passengers receiVed burns,
scratches, and scalds, but none severe
enough to interfere with their continuing
their Journeys.
The passenger train left New Castle west
bound just an hour late and the freight was
supposed to be on siding six miles west
of New Castle. It Is believed that the crew
Of the freight train endeavored to "steal
station" but the freight train had run ten
minutes over the allotted time when the
collision occurred. Conductor F. E. Bur-
bank of the freight train was arrested. He
refuses to talk.
Both trains were running at full speed
when the collision occurred, the locomo-
tives telescoping with a tremendous crash
and the passenger locomotive exploding
Immediately after striking.
A Pintsch gas cylinder under one OF the
coaches is supposed to have exploded, ig-
hitting the wreck, and before the injured
passengers could be rescued the cars were
a mass Of flames. The flames spread so
rapidly that little work In rescuing the
passengers who were pinned down could be
done. One man, shouting for aid, was
reached but the rescuers were driven back by
flames before he could be extricated land he
died before the eyes Of the rescuing party.
F. P. Mannix Of Victor broke open win
uOW Ill luc SuOhiAS Odi, bue WHY w
the flames. He made his escape through
window on the opposite side. Miss Cor
nell was found partly out OF window with
her hip dislocated and she was rescued
Just in time to escape cremation. The Rev.
Mr.. Hartman was dragged out OF rear
door, but his wife and family perished In
the flames. The two express messengers
chopped their way through the side OF the
car and escaped practically uniniured.
Few in the front coaches escaped. The
sides Of the car pinned down tho passen-
gers, and they perished In the flames be-
fore they could be reached. No mail and
but little baggage was saved.
As In all similar accidents the locomotive
men are first to lose their lives. Engineer
Ostrander went down with his hands on
the lever. Robert Holland, fireman on the
passenger, was so badly hurt that he died
at FIVE O'Clock. Engineer Gordon OF the
passenger train was fatally hurt. He was
thrown over a barb wire fence by the force
of the collision.
Neighboring ranch houses received the
Injured. The ranchmen did what they
could to help. At least two cars OF stock
we're wrecked, and the road was strewn
with bodies OF dead animals.
Physicians were taken to the wreck from
New Castle and from Glenwood Springs,
and early in the day the Injured were taken
to the hospital at Salida.
Charles Leeper, one Of the victims, was
one of the most conspicuous men OF Clarion
County, Pennsylvania. Fifty years ago ne
walked into Clarion poor boy. He died
worth $5OO,OO0.