The Springfield herald., 1898-11-25
TWOENGINES COLLIDE
WRECK ON THE RIO cRANDE.
Fast Passenger Train Crashes Into the
Locomotive of . Freight Near Colo
r.do sprinEs-one seriously Injured

Denver, Nov ia special to the
Republican last night gives the fol-
lowing details of a collision on the Rio
Grande road:
-Four persons Were injured, one seri-
ously, in head-end collision about a
quarter of n mile north of Edgerton
and nine miles north of this city at
5:2I O'Clock this afternoon.
South-bound passenger train No. II
and an extra north-bound freight on
the Denver & Rio Grande road collided
about hundred yards south of sid
ing. The passenger train, known as
the Missouri Pacific, because 1t carries
the Missouri Pacific sleeper. has the
right OF way, and the freight train, 1t
Is said, should have been on the siding.
The injured are:
ID. l.. Ainsworth of Denver, freight
fireman: internal injuries: may die.
George Root of Denver. passenger
engineer. sprained right shoulder and
right knee; cut on head: not serious.
Frank Bennett. freight engineer,
spralned ankle.
Baggageman O'Keefe. scalded.
Fireman Strain Of the passenger,
slightly bruised
No. II was about one and one-half
minutes late. according TO Engineer
Roots schedule. and he had all steam
up and the throttle wide open trying
TO make up on the down grade time he
had lost in climbing the hill. He esti-
mates that he was going about fifty
miles an hour when lie rounded the
curve just north of Edgerton.
After rounding this curve he had a
sweep OF about three-quarters of mile
straight down to the Edgerton ice
house. The siding lies along this
straight stretch of track. Engineer
Root had no orders to slow up at Ed
gerton, and, the freight being an extra
and he knowing nothing about its pres
ence on the road. he kept the throttle
open as he passed the siding.
The freight train emerged from be-
hind clump of trees just as the pas
senger engine had got beyond the sid
ing. There was a terrible crash, the
engines smashed each other for about
three feet back and the tenders tele-
scoped into the cars next behind them.
that of the passenger train going into
the baggage car, and that of the freight
train into box car. both so far that
the cars rested on the tenders trucks.
Neither engine left the track. and
with this pile of debris the road was
blocked beyond hope of clearing it. it
is thought, within nine or ten hours.
Engineer Root behaved very heroic
ally. In spite of the high speed at
which he was going lie made frantic
efforts to stop his train before the col
lision came and almost succeeded. The
air brakes were put on hard, sand
turned loose and the throttle closed.
Then the engineer jumped following
his fireman, Strain, just before the
crash came.
Engineer Bennett of the freight train,
which was hauled by engine No. 257.
was making strenuous effort to gain
the siding. He knew he was late for
1t and was going at n high rate of
speed. AS he was just rounding from
the Edgerton curve on TO the straight
stretch he had no time to stop his train.
When he saw the headlight he called
out and jumped.
Fireman Ainsworth was busy and
did not see the approaching train. He
was in the cab when the collision came,
and was thrown about twenty-five feet
by the force of 1t. He alighted in a
ditch, and was unconscious when he
was picked up.
1t is feared that he cannot survive.