Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-09

Even as he spoke relates the operator,
there were cries coming from the distance.
The two men ran to where the bridge had
been to search. but in vain. for victims of
the disaster. When they reached the spot
all cries for help had ceased.
Keller trains, with physicians. wreck and
pile-driving outfits and scores Of workmen
were hurried from the city. The first train
from the wreck came in shortly after mid
night. with j. M. KILN of Pueblo; H: s.
Gilbert, Tony Fisher and Fireman May
held These were four men In the midst
of the wreck who escaped.
When dawn came the wonder grew that
four had been permitted to emerge from
bodies. The end of the Pullman car Wyuta
extended four feet over the brink, while
broken timbers and twisted rails hung still
further over.
Creek Widened Over 100 Feet.
The arroyo had been widened to more than
hundred feet at the point where the
bridge had been. The water tore Igzag
course across the prairie to a depth of
thirty feet In several places. There was
little left of the baggage cara few rods. a
truck or so. dimly seen in the muddy water,
and half-buried iron safe. The great 10
connective. the boiler free of the trucks, the
cab and tank gone. lies where it fell
A quarter Of a mile to the east Of where
this gorge of death debouched into the
FOUNTAIN lay the chair car, windows gone,
three-fourths filled with mud and sand
hundred feet farther on was the smoker,
bottom up. against sand bar. A hundred
ana hfty feet farther on, in the bed Of the
Fountain. was the coal tender of the en-
CINE, and from that point on for four or
five miles vestiges of the coaches, the en-
CINE and tender stuck up from the bed of
the stream or lay along the shore or on the
Islands. Red plush seats Of the smoker
were strewn all along the stream. Brass
rails from the coaches were found In the
sand half mile from the bridge, and
pieces of the baggage car stuck out of the
water IN several places.
Careful Search for Bodies.
Five hundred men scanned every inch of
the river and Its surroundings a few hours
after daylight They waded in the stream
and carried out mud-begrimed bodies,
which were found at widely separated
points, some of them miles from the scene
Of the accident
The first of the corpses Of the recovered
were those OF Miss Irene Wright and little
Dorothy Johnson, sister-in-iaw and daugh-
ter. respectively. of Harry johnson of
Pueblo An unknown woman lay beside
them Engineer Hindman was found with
his watch still running a few feet farther
down the. stream An day long stretchers
with sand-covered, dripping burdens were
tracks, where the death train awaited
them.
While it was still dark axes had been
used on the haif-buried cars at the juno
ton of the creek with the Fountain. and
at daylight this work was resumed on the
smoking car, which lay out in the Foun-
tain. where men were compelled to wade
almost to their waists to reach it. A few
moments search and clearing away of the
floor Of the car revealed the wounded head
of young man in his shirt sleeves
Found Dead Entangled in Debris.
A second party, farther down the river
found several persons entangled in a mass
of debris, thought to have been part of the
baggage car, which was literally torn to
pieces. In a short time a large number of
bodies were dug out of the sand here. One
woman was completely buried, save one
foot which stuck above the water Some
bodies were found lodged in the shrubbe-y
along the banks, others in the wreckage in
midstream, and many half buried with
only an arm or bit of clothing to reveal
their whereabouts. 1t required eight strong
men to lift the water-soaked body of one
woman to the shore, and skirt and a hat
found on the bank could scarcely be lifted
with the fingers of one hand. Many of the
bodies were almost naked Many Of hem
were slightly bruised. probably from the
first shock of the wreck but there was
little blood visible when they were removed
from the stream.
Majority Drowned Without Warning.
Without doubt. the great majority were
drowned like rats in a trap when the cars
were plunged, without moments warning
into the whirling water, thirty-five feet
deep, 100 feet wide, and with a current
strong enough to carry thousands of
pounds of weight nearly mile before SUBJ
siding.
When brought ashore the bodies were
placed on the ground and covered. A bag
gage car was kept running between the
city and the wreck. bringing in those who
were found. A number of wagons was
finally pressed into service to haul the
bodies to the tracks, leaving the searchers
free to continue the hunt for others. Some
searchers worked all night and all day
without food or rest. Persons were con-
stantly arriving and anxiously inuuiring
for lost ones known to have been on the
train.
Swept Clean by the Flood.
The Fountain river still rushes with the
impetus of the flood and the Arroyo has
a clear tiny stream trickling along where
the fatal mass of water rushed a few hours
before. The earth on either side is swept
clean by the Aood.sa
The walls gof the so-called Dry creek
are rugged, Irregular. caving and widen
ed, but still so narrow that 1t is almost
impossible to understand how the great
coaches. the baggage car and the tender.
coming lodged against the sides. Most
of the bed Uf thetcreek is now visible
with little streamA weaving about the
strips of sand, forming islands of mud and
sand which are being searched for bodies
that may lie buried there.
Distressing Scenes at Morgue.
A visit to the morgue presented horri-
BILE picture. Relatives and friends were
anxiously seeking friends and loved ones
supposed to be among the blackened. dirty
and almost unacceptable bodies piled in
rows in different rooms of the undertaking
establishments,
The work apparently was being conduct
ed with as much system as was possible
bodies being carded as fast as recognized
Many of them were taken away immedi-
ately.
Women and men are to be seen rushing
frantically through the streets from one
place to another. wringing their hands IN
anguish and imploring those Supposed To
be in possession of information to tell them
the fate of their relatives and friends. and
every few moments an agonized wall shows
that some searcher has discovered what he
sought yet feared to find.
Fireman's Story of the Wreck.
Fireman Mayneid. upon his arrival here.
was the first person to give any details of