The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-08-09

places. Bits OF clothing, coats. skirts
and WOmen's hats were found in the
brush along the sh0re. and the search
ers scanned the foliage for bodies.
Masses OF earth had caved in from the
high sides of the river at many places
and searchers passed these with the
fear that bodies were buried under
them which they were helpless to reach.
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 car
ried out mud begrimed bodies which
IA ere found at widely separated points.
some of them miles from the scene Of
the accident.
The first cOrpses recovered were those
Of Miss Irene Wright and little Dorothy
Johnson, the sister-in-law and daugh-
ter, respectively, of Harry johnson or
Pueblo. An unknown woman lay be
side them. Engineer Hindman was
found with his watch still running, a
few feet further down the stream. And
since the sun rose merrily over the
dTenched land. stretchers with sand
covered, dripping burdens have been
carried every few minutes to the rail-
road tracks where the death train
awaits them. While il was still dark
axes had been used on the haf-buried
cars at the junction of the creek with
the Fountain. and at daylight this work
was resumed on the smoking car, which
lay out in the Fountain, where men
were compelled to wade almost to their
waists TO reach il. A moments search
and clearing away of the floor Of the
car. revealed the wounded head Of a
young man in his shirt sleeves He eVi-
IDENTIFY had removed his coat when the
plunge came
Buried in the Sand.
4 second party further down the river
found several persons enUangied IN a
mass of debris, thought to have been
part of the baggage car, which was 1T
orally torn to pieces IN a short time
large number of bodies were dug out
of the sand here. One woman was com
pletely buried. save one foot, which
stuck above the water Some bodies
were found lodged in the shrubbeTy
along the banks. others in the wreck
age I'D midstream and many half-buried
with only an arm or a bit of clothing
to reveal their whereabouts
II required eight strong men to lift
the water soaked body of one woman TO
the shore. and q skirt and hat found
on the bank could scarcely be lifted
with the fingers Of one hand. Many OF
the bodies were almost naked, the
clothing having been torn completely
of Most Of them were slightly
bruised, probably from the first shock
OF the wreck, but there was little blood
visible when they were removed from
the stream The hands and faces were
blue and translucent. An almost gen
eraI thing with all the cOTpses was
that the hands were raised when they
were laid on their backs, but all ap-
peared in good condition Without
doubt the great majority were drowned
like rats in a trap when the cars were
plunged without a moments warning
into the whirling water thiTty-five feet
deep, 100 feet wide and with q current
strong enough to carry thousands Of
pounds Of weight nearly a mile before
subsiding-
Identifying the Dead.
When brought ashore the bodies were
placed on the ground and covered, but
persons who wished to look at them
were allowed to do so for the purpose
of Identifying them. A baggage car
was kept running between the city and
the wreck bringing in those who were
found. A number of wagons were final
IL pressed into service to haul the
bodies to the tracks, leaving the search
erS free to continue the hunt for others
Some searchers worked all night and
all day and never once thought of eat
ing or resting. People were constantly
arriving and anxiously, inquiring for
lost. ones known to be on the train By
9 o'clock this morning the plains were
dotted with vehicles, each with its load
Of anxious seekers or the mOTbidly
curious.
More than LOCO people were on the
scene Two hours before noon, and the
roads in every direction were filed
with streams Of others coming away.
Bodies recovered were identified very
slowly because many Of them were
those of strangers here, who had been
to the fair at St. Louis and other east
ern points Major +. II. Whitman of
Kansas was identified by a watch pre-
scented to him by the members of the
Twentieth Kansas volunteers, in which
has name was engraved.
Work OF WreckiIg Crews.
The wrecking crews were under the
direction of superintendent r. H.
Bowren and Assistant superintendent
w E Miller of the Denver & Rio
Grande. and Superintendent r. H Dyer
of the Missouri Pacific, who made every
effort 10 recover the bodies OF all vic
TINS of the disaster. They were ably
assisted by Chief Of Police H. NJ ShOup
and a force Of officers from this city.
r
the impetus of the flood. and the ar
roya has a clear. tiny stream trucking
along where the fatal mass of water
rushed a few hours before The earth
on either side is swept clean by the
flood
The walls Of the so-called Dry creek
are rugged. irregular, caving and
widened. but so narrow that il is al
most impossible TO understand how the
great coaches, the baggage car and
tender could have been swept so far
without becoming lodged against the
sides. Most of the bed of the creek is
now visible. with little streams weav-
ing about the strips of sand, forming
islands of mud and sand which are
being searched for bodies that may lie
buried in them.
Station Agents Story
f. N. Jones. the station agent at
Eden who was the first 10 go TO the
aid Of the stricken victims, gives TINS
version Of the accident:
L was sitting in my Office, a distance
% a mile from the scene of the wreck.
when suddenly a loud sound. fOllOwe9
by a series of smaller reports. startled
me. [ had heard of No II passing
Piuon from the operator there, and at
this time she was overdue more than
six minutes. an unusual thing, for the
train is d flyer.
"Recoming thoroughly alarmed
seized my lantern and ran up the track
10 the place where the bridge should
have been.
Scene Of Horror.
THE faint rays of my lamp threw
just enough light for me 20 distinguish
Il m