The Elbert County tribune., 1904-06-02
SALIDA TRAGEDY
r-va DROWNED MEMORIAL DAY
Arkansas River Foot Bridge Falls
While Crowded With People to
Witness Memorial Pageant

Denver May 3a-A News special
from Salida. Colorado. last night says:
When the memorial exercises were at
their height and the veterans were cast
Ing flowers on the bosom Of the Ar
kansas river in memory Of their heroic
1ead to-day. four people were plunged
to death from a foot bridge spanning
the Arkansas river at the lower edge
OF River Front park A dozen others
were thrown into the river and mar
rowly escaped with their lives. Some
OF them were severely injured about
the face and head. The accident was
=itnessed by nearly 1000 people. all OF
whom were powerless to render assist
nnce The dead are as follows:
Mrs. Clarence A. Thompson. aged
tbirty-five.
Hazel Lines. aged six
Esther Morgan. aged eight
Pearl Holland. aged nine.
Several others are thought to be lost.
ISora Anderson. aged thirteen. is sad
to be missing, and the body OF boy
is said to have been seen at Cleora.
two miles down the stream. The body
OF Hazel Lines was drawn from the
stream about 400 yards below the scene
OF the accident by Harry Goodey and
others. Dr. Rowe of the Denver & Rio
Grande hospital. with 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 clutched
his wife's clothing In an effort to save
her. but his foot became entanged In
wire. causing him to lose his grip.
70 hxrt tha
current and has not yet been found.
She was seen floating down the stream
several hundred yards below the bridge
some moments later. She cried for help,
but Immediately disappeared.
Esther Morgan and Pearl Holland
have not been seen since the bridge
broke down. Several objects resem-
bling human bodies have been seen
floating down the stream. but none ex-
cept that OF Hazel Lines has been
brought to shore.
The foot bridge was a very narrow
structure owned by the Denver K Rio
Grande railroad. Nearly all the avail
able space was taken up when the
crash came. 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 Deen sWolltn ny tnt Tdplu meitihb
OF the snow in the mountains by the
recent warm weather. People who wit
messed the accident declare there were
at least twenty people on the bridge at
the time CT the collapse. They had
gathered there to throw flowers on the
water and watch the veterans launch
a floral barge from the main wagon
road bridge, about 800 yards further up
the stream.
The crash was followed by the most
frantic scene ever Witnessed in the his
tory OF the city. The entire stream
was choked with human bodies. and a
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. 1t 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
noon in the hope of finding the missing
bodies. wire netting has been
stretched across the stream at 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 TO
keep strict vigil tonight in an effort
to intercept tie bodies.