Idaho Springs siftings., 1904-06-04
'SALIDA TRAGEDY
FOUR DROWNED MEMORIAL DAY
White Crowded With People to
Witness Memorial Pageant

Denver. May 3i.-A News special
from Salida. Colorado. last night says:
When the memorial exercises were al
their height and the veterans were cast
Ing flowers on the bosonl of the Ar
kansas river In memory OF their heroic
Gead to-day, fou. people were plunged
70 death from foo, bridge spanning
tie Arkansas river at the lower edge
OF River Front park A dozen others
we're thrown into the river and mar
fowly escaped with their lives. Some
of them were seyerels injured about
the face and head. The accident was
Nitnessei by nearly LOCO people. all Of
whom were powerless 10 render assist
snce The dead are as follows:
Mrs. Clarence A Thompson, aged
thirty-aye.
Hazel Lines, aged six.
Esther Morgan. aged eight
Pearl Holland. aged nine.
Several others are thought to be lost.
Nora Anderson, aged thirteen. is said
to be missing. and the body OF boy
Is said TO have been seen at cleo<a.
tEo miles down the stream The body
Of Hazel Lines was drawn from the
ltream about 900 yards below the scene
Of the accident by Harry Goodey and
cihers- DIR. Rowe OF the Denver e. Rio
Grande hospital. with a corps OF
nurses worked over the body for six
hours. but no sign OF life was ever
manifested.
Mrs. Thompson was standing on the
bridge with her husband when the col
lapse occurred. Mr.. Thompson clutehed
bis wife's clothing In an effort To save
her. but his fost became entangled in
a wire. causing him 10 lose his grip.
His wife was drawn under by the swift
current and has not yet been found.
She was seen floating down the stream
aeycral hundred yards below the bridge
some moments later. She cried for help.
lat Immediately disappeared.
Esther Morgan and Pearl Holland
have not been seen since the bridge
broke down. Several objects resen-
bling human bodies have been seen
floating down the stream. but none ex-
eept that Of Hazel Lines has been
brought TO shore
The foot bridge was a very narrow
structure owned by the Denver d Rio
Efande railroad. Nearly all the avail
abie space was taken UP when the
crash cane The river was about forty
feet wide at the point where the bridge
broke and about ten feet deep. The
current is very swift. the stream hav-
Ing been swollen by the rapid melting
Of the Snow In the mountains by the
recent warm weather People who wit
uezsed the accident declare there were
a least twenty people on the bridge at
the time a. the collapse. They had
gathered there to throw flowers on the
water and watch the veterans launch
q floral barge from the main wagon
reed bridge. abou; 800 yards further up
the stream.
The crash IVES followed by the most
frantic scene ever witnessed In the his
tory Of the city. The entire stream
Was ehoked with human bodies. and
scream Of horror indescribable went up
from the crowd. Men with ropes and
pulleys went to work on the broken
bridge In an effort TO clear the wreck
age. Il was thought the body Of Mrs.
Thompson was pinned under the tim
bers, but when the bridge timbers were
drawn ashore and the river bed was
searched no trace of her could be
found Men in buggies and on horse
back have been running up and down
the stream for several miles all after
neon in the hope of finding the missing
bodies wire netting has been
stretched across the stream Mt Wells
VILE. six miles below Salida. and 1t Is
thought the bodies will possibly drift
into the netting. The people at How
ard. twelve miles east. were wired 10
keep a strict vigil tonight in an effort
to intercept tie bodies