The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-01-09

| = j. Z. McNichols, Salt Lake.
/ + J. c. Fraser, Clinton. =
4 = = = y = y = = : =
Especial to The Herald)
~ GDEN, Jan. Sat Roy station on
~ the Rio Grande Western seven
miles south Of Ogden, a south
bound freight train crashed into a work
train this morning, killing one man
outright. fatally injuring a second and
seriously injuring three others.
Both engines were demolished and
half a dozen cars reduced to scraps
The wreck caught fire and burned for
a short time before the flames were ex-
tinguished.
The dense fog which submerged the
| landscape at the time was directly re-
| sponsible for the accident, but the
! charge is also made that the crew OF
( the work train had failed to protect
their train by signal flags, though they
were on the main line and knew the
freight was expected.
( The accident happened at just SAG
a. m. The work train was engaged in
| the engine was attached to the rear Of
the train and was standing with the
cars-a long train Of flats loaded with
/ gravel-on the main line a few rods
| south Of the Roy canning factory
switch. The freight train was No. Is,
southbound. drawn by engine No. 600,
with Engineer Sharp at the throttle
and D. c. Gibson, fireman.
No Signal Lights.
Engineer Sharp said, The fog was
so dense I could only see a short dis
lance ahead. I did net see the other
engine till we were within about 200
! feet Of her. She had not been protect
ed by signals Of any kind, at least I
did not see any. not a flag anywhere.
1.-The work train crew had neglect
ed to put out any signals to warn US,
but they had reason 10 be on the
lookout for us from $50 this morning
until we should pass"
John Wheelwright of ogden, foreman
Of the work train, was in the engine
when the crash came. He was thrown
fully thirty feet. landing into the ditch
alongside the cabOOse to which the
work train engine had been coupled,
but was uninjured.
The train crews and WOrkmen at
once began to clear away the wreck in
order to extricate Frank Cowell. fire
man Of the work train engine, who
was known to be in the debris After
about an hour of labor his body wa
taken out from under his engine. The
skull had been cut in two by a piece
of the wreckage and death had been
instantaneous.
James Woolwine, head brakeman on
the freight train. jumped from the en-
CINE and was struck by flying wreck
age after the crash. He suffered a
broken leg. many cuts and severe in
teTnal injuries. He, with D. c. Gibson,
/ the other man most severely injured,
are at the hospital in Ogden
J. c. McNichols the engineer Of the
work train. had foot badly crushed.
c. Fraser Of Clinton, who was
riding on the freight train, had his lip
cut through by bit Of flying scrap
iron
Scene of Wreck.
The scene of the wreck shortly after
the accident, when visited by The Her
aid reported, was one of destruc-
ton. The impact Of the freight engine
the tender of which piled up over the
boiler of No. 500 The boiler of No As
collapsed like a paper tube and the
engines were jammed together in one
great heap of twisted iron and splin-
tered woodwork.
The caboose of the work train had
beer lifted bodily from the track,
thrown twenty-five feet east into the
ditch. and the force of the moving
freight train had carried the locked
engines on beyond the scene of the
collision. which was covered by heaps
of splintered and twisted coal cars
Superintendent WeIby and Mr.. James
came up and superintendent the re-
mOval of the Wreckage. Agent ellison
OF Ogden was early on the scene with
Drs. Joyce and Perkins, who superin-
tended the removal of the injured TO
the hospital in Ogden
Sharp's Marvellous Escape.
All railroad men agree that the es-
cape Of Engineer James Sharp was
nothing short if miraculous. He stood
up holding the throttle when the crash
came that Wrenched his seat from its
place. tore the cab frame from above
his head and dashed of the win
dow from beside his shoulders Yet not
so much as a piece Of coal struck him.
OF all places on the train, his would
have been chosen as that of the great
est danger.
My time had not come yet, he said,
in recounung the affair. 7 won't die
till my time comes. I've been in five
wrecks, bad ones, and never got
scratch. I shall go on railrOading- Of
course. When my times comes III die,
whether am on train or crossing
a street"
General Superintendent A. z. Welby,
after spending the greater part OF the
day en- the scene Of the wreck, re-
turned to Salt Lake at > o'clock yes
terday afternoon on freight train
Until there mas been an official in
vestigation.' he said. I do not care
to make any statement as to the re-
sponsibility Tor this accident It would
not be fair to blame anybody until all
the facts have been brought out"
Frank NJ. COweu was p years Of age,
and had he lived until the end Of the
present month would have been IN the
service Of the Rio Grande company
four years. He is a native Of Grand
Junction. Colo. where his parents live
at the present time He began work
for the company one year ago last
May he was unmarried His body IS