The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-11-22
Engineers on Colorado Roads
Plunge Through Storm
Without Orders or Headlights
on Their Engines.
STACKS ARE INVISIBLE
TraiHmen Compelled to Feel
Their Way in Places.
Trains Sustain Much Damage
From the Elements.

Denver, Colo. Nov.sz2-Owing to the
demolition of telegraph and telephone
wires south and west of Denver, very
little news of the havoc caused by the
cyclone which has prevailed in those
portions of Colorado has reached here.
Trains were run without telegraphic
orders and are arriving hours behind
schedule time.
Delayed trains bringing tired and oc-
casionally frightened passengers brought
fragmentary news Of the storm at Colo
rado Springs and along the road from
Pueblo to Denver. The last two trains
to arrive in Denver reached here about
midnight and brought reports that up
TO $3.50 o'clock the hurricane was still
raging and. If anything, increasing in
force AS far as could be learned there
We're no fatalities, but great damage
was done TO property.
All along the Denver & Rio Grande,
Colorado Southern and the Santa E'e
roads. the wires and telegraph poles
We're blown down and the engineers
We're compelled to grOpe their way
through the storm belt without train
orders running on the rights of the
train numbers and taking chances on
collisions Only by good luck and
through the exercise of exceptional
judgment We're collisions and the added
horrors of wrecks avoided. Nearly every
train that came into the union depot
windows were blown out, the glass IN
the engine cabs were broken and the
headlights and coach lamps extinguished.
From Fountain to Monument trains
were run through the storm with sand
blowing in such dense volumes that at
times the engineers could not see the
smokes tack of their engines. There We're
several passengers on the trains who
were in Colorado Springs during the
storm and none of them had seen or
heard OF any personal injuries. though
all reported heavy property losses.
Engineer F. F. Desmond, of train No.
4, on the Denver & Rio Grande, was the
last engineer to run safely through the
hurricane He left Pueblo at o'clock
and after leaving Fountain ran into the
hurricane From that time on, except
during stop at Colorado Springs, he
vas compelled to run by guess work.
NO orders could be had and the train
was run on its rights, as the ruling
train and having the right of way. It
was only at intervals in passing through
cuts that the track ahead could be seen
The cab windows were blown out by
the wind and it was impossible to keep
the headlight or cab lights lit A Ian
tern was placed in the headlight, but
the wind was so strong that even this
well protected light was blown out. 1t
was not until Monument was reached
that train orders were to be had. The
storm was left behind after Palmer
Lake was reached.
Just ahead of No. 4 was No. 3. of the
Colorado & Southern Engineer George
Gray reported that he had never seen
= worse storm.
Tt was impossible to see ahead of the
engine" said he. THE sand was flying
so thick that 1 could not see the stack.
The windows ON the left side of the cab
were blown out and the headlight could
not be kept lighted. Telegraph poles
were down all along the road and we
had to run without orders. I saw many
houses blown down in Colorado Springs,
but could not learn that any one had
been hurt"
The two sansaffoDa1 rms 14vare +boce
made by trains No and No. 10 on the
Denver & Rio Grande. Engineer VIM.
Cook was on train No 2 He was I'M
able TO get orders after leaving Pueblo
When he reached Sand Creek at kelker,
the sand was flying thick that he
could not see the bridge and he stopped
in the cut to wait in the hope that the
storm would abate. He lay there for
nearly an hour and at last one of the
train crew volunteered to crawl over
the rcadbed to the bridge and inspect
the structure. The bridge is nearly 200
feet long and is about quarter mile
the other side of the station at Kelker.
The trainnan managed to creep up to
the bridge and found it safe. 1t was
impossible to walk and the trip occu-
pied nearly an hour, the distance being e
about half mile. No. passed over
safely and after waiting at Colorado
Springs until certain that the right of
way could be had ran through the storm
TO Monument, where orders were re-
ceived.
In passing through the storm. the
train was damaged to a considerable
extent but no one was injured
Colorado Springs. Nov 22-The storm
of yesterday started at 10 o'clock but
did not become severe until 1890 The
plant of the Colorado Springs Electric
company is badly damaged, the steel
stacks being blown down The high
school building was damaged great
deal. A large part of the slate roof Of
the Temple theater as ripped off in large
sections and many business blocks are
also much damaged. the roofs and cor
1ices being torn Off
The fire department had five alarms
and in running against the wind the
horses have been almost worn out, but
the flames In all cases have been con-
trolled-
The. streets are filed with trees. bro
ken signs, etc All wires are down ex-
cept one telephone wire to Denver. The
city was without light last night
The scafOlding has been blown down
and scattered on Pixies Peak and Cas-
cade avenues from Stra tton'S new mining
exchange building at Pixies Peak and
Nevada avenues and from the Antler's
hotel on Cascade avenue at the foot of
Pixies Peak avenue. All wire com
municatfOn with different parts ef +bs
city is down and the extent of the dam
age is unknown Pixies Peak avenue is
covered with wreckage. 1t is feared that
a number of persons are injured The
aerometer at the college showed the
wind to be seventy miles an hour.
BADLY SCARED.
Colorado Springs. Colo, Nov. 22.-The
sun rose this morning in a city badly
SCARED and wrecked, but not discour-
aged by the most frightful ordeal in its
history The gale began to subside
the rate of about fifty or sixty miles
an hour. and it has continued gradually
to abate since that hour. It's high veloc-
1tSs as reported by the weather bureau