The Cairo bulletin., 1904-08-09
CLOUDBURST FILLED CREEK
WATER RAN OVER TRESTLE
Many Bodies Recovered Miles From Scene
of Disaster While Others Are Buried
Beneath Gazing Banks of River

Pueblo, Colo, Aug. S.-Some eighty
persons were killed last night in the
catastrophe that overlook the for
ward part of the Worlds Fair flyer on
the Denver and Rio Grande railroad
seven miles north of Pueblo. The
bridge over Steele's Hollow, or dry
creek was carried away by flood
due to a cloud burst just as the To-
comotive, baggage car and two day
coaches were on the,trestle.
Only three passengers and the fire.
man of all those on the bridge es.
capped Most of the victims were
drowned and carried down the river,
some more than eight miles below the
bridge.
Two sleeping cars and the. dining
car remained on the track, the fore
most sleeping car projecting over the
The quick application of air by the
engineer saved the rear part OF the
train. The locomotive and forward
cars we're dashed to pieces by the
torrent after the fall into the river.
Up to dark tonight rs bodies had
been recovered from the debris and
sand along the bank of Dry Creek and
Fountain river for miles.
Most of the bodies have been iden-
tilted as residents of Pueblo.
Dry Creek Is usually devoid of wa
ter. but the heavy rain of last eve
ming sent wall of water thirty feet
high against the bridge, crushing ev-
erything in the path and carrying il
into Fountain river.
Some of the bodies may never be
recovered and the Ieath list may
grow.
Two carloads of human freight
plunged into raging torrent that de-
stroyed the trestle over the usually
dry Arroyo known as Steele's Hollow
near Eden last night. Two sleeping
cars and dining car stopped at the
brink of the chasm filed With boil
ing. seething current that quickly
snuffed out scores of lives.
So quietly had the catastrophe been
enacted that the occupants of three
cars remaining on the track did not
realize the extent of the accident un-
I'll they alighted. Then they were
powerless To render any assistance |
to the victims, who had disappeared I
In the rushing waters. 4
On the lookout for danger, warned /
by squally clouds and heavy rains to
the north, Engineer Charles Hindman /
was running cautiously fifteen miles
per hour as he approached the Ar
royo. which was spanned by bridge
So feet long.
The locomotive, one of the large
passenger type. had nearly crossed.
Frank Mayfield with a torch
was in the gangway. The engineer
felt a tremor in the great machine
and caught a glimmer on the water
as he shouted his last words, Put
out that torch"
But before Mayfield could obey.
while the doomed mans hand applied
The air. the bridge gave way as If it
had been a stack of kindling and the
locomotive dropped with a kissing of
steam thirty feet TO the bottom of
he Arroyo. crosswise of the track.
The baggage car. smoker and chair
'ar followed the locomotive into the
stream and were swept away. All
he occupants of these cars save three
men, perished. The fireman was
brown out on the bank. He ran to
wards Eden, meeting the operator.
:. Nj. Jones' and his wife who had
started up the track.
The two men ran TO where the
bridge had been to search for victims.
When they reached the spot all cries
Ur help had ceased.
Relief trains were hurried from Pu-
sblo. J. NJ. Kiiiian. hardware mer-
shsnt Of Pueblo. who escaped by
winning. II. S. Gilbert. Tony Fisher
md Fireman Mayfield we're the only
men IN the midst of the wreck who
escaped.
The end Of the Pullman, Wyuta, ex-
ended four feet over the brink. while
broken timbers and twisted rails