The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1904-08-11
A HUNDRED DROWNED.
A RAILROAD BRIDGE FALLS.

Pueblo, Colo Aug. S.-Two carloads
OF hnmaassfrelght plunged into rag.
Ing torrent that destroyed the trestle
over the usually dr.; arroyo, known as
Steele'a Hollow. near Eden, about s
o'c,oc.s this evening. Two sleeping
cars and dining car stopped at the
brink Of the hungry chasm filled with
boiling, SETTLING current that quickly
snul1ed ont probably 100 lives. So
quietly had the catastrophe been en-
acted that the occupants OF the two
cars remaining on the track did not
reaizs that an accident had occurred
un;ll they had a!ighted from the train.
They were utterly power!ess to render
assistance to the victims who had dis
appeared In the rushing waters.
On the lookout OF danger. warned by
the squally clouds and heavy rains to
the north, Engineer Charles Hind m go
WAS running cautiously about fifteen
miles an hour as he approached the ar
royo which was spanned by bridge
96 feet in length. The condition OF
ths bridge was not known until the
locomotive, one OF the monster passen-
ger type, had nearly crossed. Fireman
Frank May field, with a torch that the
engineer and fireman had burning to
ascertain the condition of the track,
was in the gangway. When Enginee,
Hlndman felt the tremor in the great
machine and caught glimmer ON the
water, he shouted his last words:
''Put out that torch.' evidently
thinking that In the accident he fxlt
certain was coming, the flames would
serve to spread the fire.
THE BRIDGE SINKS.
But before Mayfsid could obey.
while the words were still on the lips
of the doomed man, and his hands
seeking the mechanism controlling
the air brakes, the bridge gave way a.
though it had been stack of kindllng
wood and the locomotive dropped with
the Kissing of steam thirty feet to the
bottom of the arroyo, crosswise to the
track.
The baggage car, smoking car and
chair car followed the locomotive into
the stream and were swept away. ALI
the occupants OF these cars except
three men persisted, and had not the
roof OF the chair car burst asunder
none would have escaped. The fire.
man, as the locomotive went over, wa.
thrown out, managing to grasp piece
OF wreckage from the bridge, foated
With that to curve made by the cav
ing bank and crept out of the water.
He ran toward Eden, meeting on the
way operator f. NJ. jones and his wife
who bad already started up the track.
Notify Pueblo" came the voice OF
the running man, "the trains gone
down and everybody is killed."
Even as he spoke, relates the opera
tor, there we're cries coming from the
distance. 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.
Relief trains, with physicians, wreck
aud pile driving outfits and scores OF
workmen were hurried from the city.
The first train from the wreck came in
shortly after midnight with J. NJ. Kill
lin, OF Pueblo; H. S. Gilbert, Tony
Fishes and Fireman Mayfield. These
were four men in the midst of the
wreck who escaped.
GORGE OF DEATH.
When dawn came the wonder grew
that four had been permitted to en-
erge from the raging torrent with
breath still in their bodies.
The end of the Pullman car Wvu.a |
extended four feet over the brink
while broken timbers and twisted rails !
hung still further over The arroyo
mad been widened to more than a hun
dred feet at the point where TIL. bridge
had been. The water tore a zig-zag
course across the prairie to depth OF
thirty feet In several places. There
was little left Of the baggage car, few
rods, truck or so, dimly seen in the
muddy water, and a half buried Iron
safe. The great locomotive, the boiler
rec OF the trucks, the cab and tank
gone, lies where it fell.
A quarter of mile to the east.
where this gorge OF death debouched
INTO the fountain, lay the chair car.
windows gone, three fourths filled with
mud and sand. A hundred feet fartb.
sr on was the smoker, bottom up