The Holly chieftain., 1898-10-07
The WRECK.
TWOTRAINs COLLIDE
Fast Freight Runs Into the Local
Freight at the Depot In Holly.
oTeWs Escaped Serious
Injury.

pened on this portion Of the Santa Fe
system occurreG within the switch lin.
Its OF Holly Wednesday evening little
after six O'Clock. It was peculiarly
fortunate one. however. in that no lives
were lost or no one seriously hurt.
The engine Of the east bound local
freight. No. 80, was doing some switch
ing and had left the caboose and fou,
cars standing on the main track, little
west Of the depot. when an extra fas,
freight. loaded with fruit, cattle. horses
and sheep, came in from the west. The
latter tram was running on . schedule
and was three minutes late which the
engineer. Harry Cox, was trying to make
up. he having. it seems, the right oi
track to Coolidge. There was NO wind
blowing and the smoke from the engine
of No. 50 had settled so densely abou,
the yards thar Engineer Coz was un
able 10 see the red lights displayed on
the rear ofthe caboose until he was al
most upon it, After shutting down his
engine and closing the emergency air
valve he, together with the fireman,
Frank Lee, and the head brakem an
E. N. .Roddy who was also riding on
the engine, jumped off.
The engine completely telescoped the
caboose. and knocked car loaded with
coal off the track leaving it on its side
against the waiting room of the depot.
The engine jumped the track in front ui
the depot but on the opposite side and
keeled over on its side IN the ditch
Fire Immediately broke out in the ca
boose and also am ong the timbers and
debris piled about the engine, the latter
being 70 near the depot that it looked
for while as though that building
would be consumed. And 1t would
have been had not the citizens volun-
feared to carry water In buckets from,
near By wells and thus keep the flames
under control.
Z The car next to the wrecked engine,
loaded With grapes, was broken in tw,
and badly demolished. The second car
back contained mixed California fruit,
It was not damaged much from the
shock but from some cause fire broke g
out and considerable damage was done
to the car and contents before 1t could
be put ont, The other cars of the train
contained live stock all Of which escap-
ed injury.
The wreck caused great excitement
and within very few minutes after 1t
occurred nearly every person in Holly
was upon the ground. all eager to learn
Of its results to the train men and read,
to do what they could to saye the rail
road property from being destroyed by
fire. When it was learned that no one
was killed and that the engineer, fre
man and brakeman who jumped from
the engine had only sustained slight
injuries, everybody breathed easier and
set to work to save property.
From the amount of broken irsn and
timbers found in the engine cab it was
evident that the men would have been
killed had they remained there: Dr.
Boggs Of Coolidge. local surgeon for the
Santa Fe, came up and attended to the
injuries Of the engineer, fireman sBd
brakeman until No. 5 came when they
were taken to the hospital at La Junta.
The wreck being inside the switch
limits. other trains could pass on the
side track. and therefore were not de-
layed to any great extent. A large force
Of men worked all night and all day
Yesterday clearing up the wreck, but did
not get the main track clear until this
morning; a
Superintendent Dyer, Chief Dispatch
er Dean and Master Mechanic Forster
were hero all day yesterday looking af-
ter and estimating the amount Of dam
age done.