, 1903-01-12
FIREMAN
KILLED
AN ENGINEER LOSES FOOT IN Ac-
ClDENT ON UNION PACIFIC
AT HARPER SUNDAY.
Two Freight Trains Come Together
Head On and Both Engines Suffer
Severe Damage-Engineer Ran
BY Signal for Meeting Point
Brakeman injured-coroner's In
quest.

A disastrous wreck occurred on the
Union Pacific, a little west of Harper
station, at 4:30 o'clock Sunday morn
ing, resulting in the almost instant
death of Fireman John Scahill of St.
Paul, Kas., the cruising of the right
foot of Engineer J. d. Kinder of Chey-
enne, so that a%mputation will be neces-
sary, and the serious injury of Brake
man H. F. Weick of Cheyenne, who re-
ceived bad bruises about the body and
was considerably injured internally.
The body of Scahill was brought to
this city yesterday and turned over to
the undertaken, an inquest being held
by Coroner Robinson today. The en-
gineer, Mr.. Kinder, was taken to the
company hospital at Denver yesterday
afternoon and Mr.. Weick is at Mrs.
Burke's hospital here for treatment by
the company's local surgeon, DR.. Stew
ems. The body of the dead fireman
will be sent to st. Paul for interment.
Engineer Kinder, in the cab Of en-
CINE 1926, was drawing the first section
of freight train No. 81. Conductor
James Cook was in charge of the train.
The engineer had orders to meet an
extra east-bound freight at Harper.
The extra received orders at Rock
River to run to Harper and take siding
for No. 81, the latter holding the main
line at that station. Kinder claims he
did not sec the signal at the Harper
station-in fact did not see the station.
The train was running quite fast, 80
when Operator G. B. Fredericks, who
was at the station in possession of the
unsigned orders for the freight, saw
the train pass without stopping, and
knew that an extra was coming east,
ne at once Lighted ~"fuzee." which
makes a brilliant light, and in this way
attracted the attention of Conductor
Cook. The latter at once turned on the
air brakes, controlled by a valve in the
caboose, and tried to bring the train to
a stop. The engineer had not seen the
at the Harper station, and had
not slackened his speed, SO that the
of the air was not quick enough
to bring the train to a standstil until
the station and west switch in the yard
had been passed.
The extra east-bound was in charge
of Conductor Fred Gantz. with En-
gineer Harry Baker on engine No. 1864.
The engineer and conductor Of this
saw the headlight Of the ap-
preaching train and stopped their
train, all hands jumping and escaping
The east-bound train was near
ly stopped when the collision occurred,
and Conductor Cook had succeeded in
so checking the speed Of his train that
the compact was not nearly SO severe
it would have been had he not taken
that precaution. AS 1t was, both en-
gines were badly stove up, n car tele-
the tender of the west-bound
engine and both tenders we're badly
The curtains on Rinder's
were down in the gangway, pre-
venting the men from jumping In that
direction. They started back over the
coal in the tender, but the collision
caught them. Scahill was caught and
the lower part of his body and his legs
were crushed to a pulp. He lived fif-
teen or twenty minutes after the &C
cident occurred, but did not speak and
did not give evidence of consciousness.
The other trainmen heard him groan,
but he uttered not an %articulate word.
Weick was pinned in the tender with a
seat box on top of him. He was gotten
out and the injured engineer taken
from the wreck and brought to town as
early as possible. It was some time
before the body of the fireman could be
lifted from the tender. He had been
dead some time, probably dying with
out realizing what had hurt him.
The wrecking outfit was sent to the
scene as quickly as possible. Trainmas-
ter Roth accompanying 1t from Chey-
enne and Assistant Superintendent
Whitney joining it here. Roadmaster
Putcamp was also aboard. The wreck
was picked up and the line cleared ear.
ly in the afternoon, train No. 4 passing
here At 4 o'clock. The wrecked engines
and tenders, and q carload Of condens.
ed milk, also badly damaged, we're TAX
en- east this morning.
Mr.. scahil had been with the Union
Pacific - . fireman six o. eight
months, coming to the eastern distric,
from st. Paul, Kas., where his rela
tives reside. He was . single man, ant
a. far ~ could be learned here, did mo-
belong to the Brotherhood Of IOcomo
tive Nremen. He was insured in tn,
Aetna company.
Dnginssr Kinder has been on this dis
trict for several years. He has beel
frunning most oe the tns between LAs